After the recession and an unexpected baby, James, an out-of-work journalist, agrees to transport a stash of prime-grade weed from California to Florida as a temporary money fix. But when he gets a taste of the fast cash, he becomes addicted to the thrill of the operation, continuing long after money ceases to be a necessity. In Mule, an acutely detailed page-turner, D'Souza depicts the moral free fall of a decent — albeit weak-willed — man so believably, readers may start buying James' brand of hazy moral justification. B+