1. NEW RELEASE!

Mark your calendars for 24 June, the release date for THE LISTMAKER OF ACAPULCO: A Detective Emilia Cruz Novella. This Kindle Single is a companion to the full-length Detective Emilia Cruz novels.

After she thwarts a gang attack on a house in an upscale neighborhood, Emilia discovers a black notebook with a list of names, numbers, and dates. Convinced it is a list of dirty cops, how long does she have before they come for her?

The head of the police union initiates an investigation into Emilia’s actions during the attack, implying that she took a bribe. He promises that he’ll make it all go away, too.

For a price.

Meanwhile, a wave of gang violence and false identity engulfs Emilia's case as she follows clues stemming from gruesome discoveries at Acapulco's morgue.

When Emilia finally finds the author of the list, the riptide could carry them both away.

2. Back Editions of Mystery Ahead

New to Mystery Ahead or want to read past excerpts and reviews? You can find back issues on my blog: https://carmenamato.net/shop-talk/

Look for #newsletter at the top of the page and on individual posts.

THE LISTMAKER OF ACAPULCO: A Detective Emilia Cruz Novella,

coming 24 June.

--

Emilia showed her a picture of the patient in the hospital. “What about him? A friend of Julio’s?”

Raquel shook her head. “Never saw him.”

“What about a man named Tito Sandino Hernandez?”

“El Tito?” Raquel stuck the new cigarette in her mouth, heaved herself off the chair and went to the grill. She bent close to the glowing coals to light the tip before answering. Emilia couldn’t see her face.

“Yeah, El Tito.”

“Everybody knows who he is.”

“Did Julio hang out with him?”

“No, not really.” Raquel finally lifted her head and squinted at Emilia as she tapped ash into the grill. “Don’t ask questions about El Tito. He’s got ears everywhere.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’ll know.” Raquel gave a small shudder. “You don’t ever want El Tito to know who you are.”

“El Tito’s finger was sewn onto Julio’s hand.” Emilia pressed the tips of her forefingers together to demonstrate. “This part of Julio’s finger was cut away and replaced with El Tito’s.”

The lit cigarette fell out of the girl’s mouth. “That’s sick.”

“Any idea why Julio did that?”

Raquel grabbed the cigarette off the ground and brushed grime off the filter tip. “Maybe Carlos knows.”

“Carlos?”

Pans rattled in the kitchen. Raquel cast a poisonous look over her shoulder towards the open doorway before answering. “Julio’s older brother.”

“His older brother?” Emilia’s pulse quickened. “Where can I find him?”

Raquel snorted out a stream of smoke. “Every pendejo from around here is either shooting pool, moving shit to El Norte, or in jail.”

“Let me guess,” Emilia said.

--

Find all the Detective Emilia Cruz books on Amazon

THE POSTSCRIPT MURDERS by Elly Griffiths

This gentle British standalone mystery is the first book I’ve read by this popular author, but it won’t be the last.

Peggy Smith, an energetic resident of a retirement community called Seaview Place, is found dead of an apparent heart attack by caregiver Natalka. There’s something not quite right about Peggy’s demise and Natalka shares her misgivings with coffee shop owner Benedict and Seaview resident Edwin, both of whom knew Peggy from meetups over coffee.

They form an unlikely trio and decide to investigate. Meanwhile, police detective Harbinder is on the case but unconvinced there’s a crime on her hands. That is, until a masked gunman confronts Natalka and Benedict and steals a single book from Peggy’s apartment.

As the trio sorts Peggy’s books, they discover that she was an amateur “murder consultant.” Many books by popular mystery authors thank her in a postscript in the back of their books, often with a P.S. to “P.S.” (hence the title) There’s a hazy connection to the mother of one of the authors, hints about the Polish resistance during World War II, but we don’t know how Peggy came to be so murderously clever.

All the characters want something but aren’t good at getting it. Their individual stories unfold seamlessly along the trajectory of the plot. Although there are multiple points of view, there is no confusion or overlap. I particularly loved Harbinder’s cranky inner voice comparing her dull partner to a squirrel even as she grudgingly admits to herself that he’s not as stupid as he seems.

THE POSTSCRIPT MURDERS is written in present tense, which I don’t usually enjoy, but this flowed so well, I hardly noticed. A bit slow at the start, feeling like a mashup of THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB and TRUE FICTION, it picked up briskly at around the 20% point.

Everything wraps up neatly at the end. If police detective Harbinder shows up in another book, I’ll be first in line to get it.