1. Light on Elections

A new review of political thriller THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY from BookViral got at the heart of the book. While it's about one man’s fight to prevent a drug cartel and deep state actors from buying Mexico’s presidency, the review raised questions relevant to the US presidential elections in November:

“An intensely exciting political thriller that fires on all cylinders . . . One of those rare novels that promises much and over-delivers . . .

“For readers reading between the lines, it also works on a moral level, with Amato asking the big questions. Does the government work for the people or do those that covet power use it for their own ends . . . Should class divide us?”

Find THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY on Amazon here >>> https://geni.us/Hidden-Light-Page

2. Emilia goes Italian

The Italian translation of MADE IN ACAPULCO was released this week by Italian publisher Virgibooks. Specializing in short stories and novellas, Virgibooks will translate and distribute more Detective Emilia Cruz titles in 2020.

Molto bene!

MURDER AT THE GALLIANO CLUB is my next release, set in upstate New York during Prohibition. The Galliano Club is an Italian social club for men, catering to mill workers producing the copper and iron to build America’s bridges, ship hulls, and electrical wires.

Benny Rotolo is a real Public Enemy; a Chicago gangster who is forced to flee to New York. His appearance will change everything at the Galliano Club.

Sort of the way a wrecking ball changes everything.

As he strolled toward the Majestic Theater, Benny Rotolo tipped his black fedora over his left eye so every girl on West Monroe Street would look twice. Once for the hat, a second time for Benny’s dark eyes and cleft chin. Dames fell for the act all the time.

Visible from blocks away, the Majestic’s huge sign advertised a new revue. Maybe he’d catch a matinee. Sit in one of the fancy mezzanines.

At 22 years old, Benny was tearing up Chicago and feeling mighty pleased about it. He had a Colt Pocket Hammerless automatic in his right pocket, a short-barreled shotgun hidden inside his coat on the other side, and 600 dollars in his wallet. The money was from Hymie Weiss, payment for busting up a couple of saloons near the Hawthorne Works factory. The owners needed to be persuaded to buy their beer from Hymie’s North Side gang instead of Al Capone’s Chicago Outfit.

In between persuasion jobs, Benny was a torpedo for the gang, rubbing out Hymie’s rivals. He also delivered beer, acted as a lookout, drove getaway cars, and encouraged local politicians to vote the North Side way. The pay was good, not only cash but booze and respect, too.

After the matinee, he’d head over to Hymie’s headquarters on State Street across from Holy Name Cathedral. It was good to be part of the inside circle, although it could get rough in there. Hymie was a crazy Polack, so crazy that all of Chicago knew that he was the only man that Al Capone feared. And that was saying something.

“Hey, Benny!” Lefty Wilcox caught up to him, coattails flying. His signature white feather fluttered in his hatband.

“Hey, Lefty,” Benny said, slowing down. “What’s your hurry?”

Lefty was a legbreaker a couple of rungs below Benny on the North Side ladder. No genius, but he was famous for taking the rap when Hymie punched a girl right in the kisser. Lefty went to the can for six months, but never squealed.

“Jesus, Benny, haven’t you heard?” Lefty’s eyes darted up and down West Monroe Street where cars and buses engaged in another day of free-for-all Chicago traffic.

Benny frowned. “Heard what?”

“Capone knows that it was you what busted up his saloons the other night,” Lefty said. “The Outfit’s looking for you.”

Read more about the upcoming Galliano Club series here: http://carmenamato.net/ galliano-club-mystery-series/

DEADLINE IN ATHENS by Petros Markaris

This book sent me straight back to Athens (which is actually where I wrote THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY) not so much because of a perfect description of the Acropolis, but for the genuine and unerring portrayals of Greek society and interpersonal relationships.

The main character is Athens police inspector Costas Haritos, a veteran homicide cop contemplating retirement in the not-so-distant future. His marriage is a decades-long tug-of-war, his only child is away at college with a hipster boyfriend Costas doesn’t like, and too many journalists poke their noses into police business.

The book opens with the discovery of two unidentified and very dead Albanians in a shack. A third Albanian is arrested for the crime. An open-and-shut case.

But a celebrity television news reporter hints at a bizarre angle. Shortly thereafter she’s stabbed to death in her dressing room. Costas now has to determine if her death was somehow related to the Albanian murders, a crime of passion in a television station seething with rivalries and spurned lovers, or something else.

As the mystery unspools, Costas must manage his superiors’ fear of the media as well as his junior officers’ foibles, even as he and his wife carry on the greatest marital silent treatment ever captured in fiction.

But the crime takes center stage. What Costas finds is complex and shocking, yet very, very believable.

Costas has an inner voice that pulls you into Greek logic, culture, and family life. If you have ever longed to visit Greece, this is your chance. Highly recommended.

Note: This is the first book in the Inspector Costas Haritos series and the only one currently available in English on Amazon. I’m impatiently waiting for more.

Get it on Amazon >>> https://geni.us/athens