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King Peso: A Detective Emilia Cruz Novel Kindle Edition
“Danger and betrayal never more than a few pages away." -- Kirkus Reviews
Someone is killing law enforcement officers who worked with Detective Emilia Cruz.
When her partner's wife becomes the victim of a brutal home invasion, Emilia suspects that her partner was the intended target of the notorious El Trio killer.
Instead of leading the investigation, Emilia is unexpectedly reassigned to the mayor’s pet project. The new all-female patrol unit is a disorganized disaster that Emilia must whip into shape, forcing her to watch from the sidelines as the police fumble the El Trio investigation and send her partner to jail.
Amid the chaos, Emilia begins to question everything she thought she knew, including her police career and future with boyfriend Kurt Rucker.
In a beautiful city driven to its knees by drug lords, corruption and rampant violence, Emilia will gamble it all to find the truth.
Her courage will be tested like never before.
Yours, too.
After a 30 year career as a CIA intelligence officer, Carmen Amato writes mystery crime fiction loaded with intrigue and action. Readers who love police drama books by Ian Rankin, Jo Nesbo, Ann Cleeves, Peter May, as well as the Department Q murder mystery series and Don Winslow's cartel and border thrillers set in Mexico, also love Detective Emilia Cruz’s complex plots, fast action, pulse-pounding suspense, and exotic location.
2019 and 2020 Poison Cup award, Outstanding Series -- CrimeMasters of America
"A thrilling series." -- National Public Radio
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateAugust 17, 2016
- File size3078 KB
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From the Publisher
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CLIFF DIVEREmilia investigates the death of a dirty cop in the explosive series debut. |
HAT DANCEAs Acapulco burns, Emilia hunts for a violent arsonist and a missing girl in Book 2. |
DIABLO NIGHTSA religious relic, a cruise ship murder, and a rookie cop put Emilia’s life in danger in Book 3. |
KING PESOEmilia gambles it all to save her partner from a serial killer targeting cops in Book 4. |
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PACIFIC REAPEREmilia goes undercover as a devotee of Santa Muerte, Mexico’s forbidden saint, in Book 5. |
43 MISSINGBased on a true crime, Emilia grapples with a shocking mass kidnapping in Book 6. |
RUSSIAN MOJITOCan Emilia deliver a dose of Mexican justice to a Russian killer in Book 7? |
NARCO NOIREmilia plays both a taxi driver and a movie star in the undercover role of a lifetime in Book 8. |
Editorial Reviews
Review
Amato (Diablo Nights, 2014, etc.) skillfully juxtaposes the Mexican city of Acapulco's glittering, wealthy enclaves with its seamy, violent underbelly. Emilia inhabits both worlds, albeit uncomfortably: she hails from the poor side of town but now lives in a lavish penthouse suite with her American boyfriend, Kurt Rucker, the general manager of the Palacio Réal hotel. Their evolving, and occasionally devolving, relationship runs throughout the series.
This installment opens with the city's police department reeling from the execution-style killings of three high-ranking law enforcement officials, which the press has labeled "the El Trio murders." By the end of the first chapter, the wife of senior detective Franco Silvio is shot. But is this an attempted fourth El Trio killing, a byproduct of Silvio's own illegal bookie operation, or a case of domestic violence?
Meanwhile, the glamorous mayor of Acapulco, Carlota Montoya Perez, improbably decides to deal with the spate of recent violence by forming an all-female auxiliary unit--Las Palomas ("the doves of peace"), dedicated to creating an aura of calm in the tourist areas. Emilia, much to her displeasure, is transferred out of the detective squad and tasked with selecting and readying a troop of untrained recruits.
Amato weaves an intricate assortment of themes into a vivid tapestry that depicts both the beauty and ugliness of Acapulco. Her attention to clothing, food, and other details of the cityscape brings life to her characters. In one memorable moment, for example, Emilia encounters a band of young street boys with plastic soda bottles hanging around their necks, just below their chins; the bottles are filled with glue, which the boys sniff throughout the day: "The high from the glue cut hunger pangs and diluted the misery and loneliness of being homeless in a combat zone." There's as much dialogue and pondering as there is action in this novel, but the investigative pace holds steady, with danger and betrayal never more than a few pages away. --KIRKUS REVIEWS
About the Author
Optioned for television, the Detective Emilia Cruz police series pits the first female police detective in Acapulco against Mexico's cartels, corruption, and social inequality. Books include CLIFF DIVER, HAT DANCE, DIABLO NIGHTS, KING PESO, PACIFIC REAPER, 43 MISSING, and RUSSIAN MOJITO, plus a prequel collection of short stories MADE IN ACAPULCO.
Her standalone thrillers, AWAKENING MACBETH and THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY, vibrate with the same risk, power, and corruption as the Detective Emilia Cruz series. Expect sinuous plots, psychological tension, heart-pounding action, and relationships with heat.
Grab a free copy of the Detective Emilia Cruz Starter Library at carmenamato.net.
Product details
- ASIN : B01KMOC36M
- Publisher : Laurel & Croton (August 17, 2016)
- Publication date : August 17, 2016
- Language : English
- File size : 3078 KB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 312 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #382,030 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #710 in Pulp Thrillers
- #4,115 in Serial Killer Thrillers
- #5,878 in Police Procedurals (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Carmen Amato turns a 30 year career with the Central Intelligence Agency into fiction loaded with danger and deception.
Beginning with Cliff Diver, the Detective Emilia Cruz police procedural mystery series pits the first female police detective in Acapulco against Mexico's cartels, corruption, and social inequality. Optioned for television, it’s a two-time winner of the Outstanding Series award from CrimeMasters of America as well as a Silver Falchion award from Killer Nashville.
Standalone books include political espionage thriller The Hidden Light of Mexico City, which was longlisted for the 2020 Millennium Book Award.
Her new Galliano Club historical fiction series was inspired by her grandfather, a deputy sheriff during Prohibition.
From upstate New York, Carmen holds degrees from Le Moyne College and the University of Virginia, plus certificates from Institut Catholique, Paris, and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. She is a recipient of both the National Intelligence Award and the Career Intelligence Medal.
Carmen’s popular Mystery Ahead newsletter unlocks her top secrets with exclusive content and reviews. Check it out at https://carmenamato.net.
Customer reviews
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But the other victims were high-ranking law enforcement personnel and some in their own squad suspect domestic violence or something to do with Franco's side business as a bookie and it isn't long until he's in the calaboose. Emilia is just getting started trying to prove her partner's innocence when she's slammed with a new assignment.
Acapulco's glamorous mayor Carlotta Montoya Perez has chosen Emilia to head up Las Palomas (the Doves), a 'police' unit designed to boost the city's tourism image--and designed is the proper term. Much to her chagrin, Emilia's supervisor is more inclined to PR than policing. Making things worse, Emilia is questioning her relationship with Kurt Rucker, her gringo lover; battling sexism on the job and in the streets; fighting the ever-present corruption, and coping with her own insecurities.
It will take all of Emilia's skill to get around these roadblocks and investigate, proving Silvio's innocence and, with his help, bringing the bad guys to justice. This is the fourth in this excellent series. Emilia Cruz is an intriguing character who moves between the glitz of tourist Acapulco and the gritty streets where she grew up.
Amato’s writing style is smooth and the narrative interesting enough to keep the pages turning and turning. I look forward to reading more in the series.
She’s insecure in her relationship with her gringo boyfriend. We get it. Yet somehow her gringo boyfriend puts up with her inability to commit. We get it.
Two-thirds of the way through the book she sees no way to solve the crime. We get it. Then she gets so frustrated by all of the above; she cries. We get it. Then - boom - there’s a strange twist, a shootout and problem (mostly) solved. It’s the same tune every time.
How about some true character development, Ms. Amato?
The thing I like most about Ms Amato's books is the way they weave bits and pieces from previous books into succeeding books, finally bringing things to an eventual, but not always satisfying, conclusion. Perhaps, since I've read these first 5 books in the space of about 10 days, my system is on a bit of an overload. Maybe a break will let me read the next with a fresh mind.
Top reviews from other countries
This is the fourth novel featuring Acapulco detective Emilia Cruz but you don't have to have read the previous novels to fully enjoy this one.
The plot for this story is fascinating in that it starts with a murder investigation but other criminal activities come to light as the story unfolds. Isobel de Silvio, the wife of Emilia's partner on the police force, Franco de Silvio, has been killed. Franco becomes a suspect but instead of Emilia being allowed to investigate the murder, she is 'selected' to be the operations director for a new, all female, auxiliary police unit, Las Palomas, the Doves of Acapulco; a political initiative of the city's charismatic mayor. Is someone trying to keep Emilia away from investigating this and three other recent murders of police or law enforcement officials that may have links with Emilia?
The story takes you to some of the seedier areas of Acapulco that are so well described you feel as if you are present in the locale with some very unsavoury characters, be they drug dealers, drug addicts, etc. However, they are not all villains and you can't help feeling some empathy some of the victims of crime such as the young 'glue boys'. In addition, we also are presented with the contrasting lifestyle of some of the wealthier residents of Acapulco through Emilia's relationship with her boyfriend who runs one of Acapulco's most prestigious hotels (although in this novel her relationship comes under strain through some information she stumbles across about his past), not to mention the political movers and shakers and the higher echelons of the police force, all of whom seem to be following their own agendas resulting in their interference with Emilia's investigations. So plenty to keep you turning the pages in this gripping story.
One particular aspect I like about the kindle edition of this novel is its helpful glossary of the local (mainly Spanish) words and phrases that are used by some of the characters in the story (and which also add a degree of authenticity to it).
So if you are looking for a dramatic crime thriller set in an atmospheric location and a really credible cast of characters to read, then I strongly recommend you take a look at this novel.
If you like reading Police Procedural novels with a hint of romance and a dose of mystery, you will be well served and especially quite entertained with Detective Emilia Cruz sagas all taking place in beautiful Acapulco. A city with two faces: one for tourist and one to be fought over by drug cartels, hookers and thieves.
In this 4th installment, Emilia’s fellow detectives want her gone and the drug cartel her hide but she can take the heat, she is a smart cookie. There’s a cop killer on the loose and having worked with all of the victims Emilia takes this very personally.
Told from the protagonist deep views in a tough language with a sprinkling of Spanish words and good Mexican food we follow Emilia recently reassigned to an all-female squad. But a Detective is always a detective while performing her new duties at heart she plots out every clue, every connection to find out who was involved in the killing of her colleagues. All through the story we have sharp edged exchanges between Emilia and her partner Silvio, that grudging respect seem to never end, so is her steamy but rocky relationship with Kurt Rucker.
Although, the story is definitely focused on interpersonal relationships more than forensics “King Peso”, is nevertheless a captivating and a gripping mystery, quite a page turner and very hard to put down. Emilia is a well-rounded, fast thinking and very enjoyable character. The good guys and the bad guys are vividly painted and each fulfills beautifully their act. The characterization is strong and interesting. The style is easy to follow: clear and concise narration. The plot is not taxing one that keeps a steady pace with some twists and of course ends by luring us to the next saga “Pacific Reaper”.
Not being a challenging read, I really enjoyed “King Peso”, it was a nice break.