Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza

A Brazilian bestseller, this sophisticated story of murder, sex, and corruption introduces a riveting new crime series. In a parking garage in the center of Rio de Janeiro, corporate executive Ricardo Carvalho is found dead in his car, a bullet in his head. It appears that he has been robbed and murdered. But the clues are few. The gun and his briefcase are nowhere to be found -- just the kind of case that is always assigned to Inspector Espinosa. Not your typical detective, the world-weary Espinosa has the mind of a philosopher, the heart of a romantic, and enough experience to realize that things are rarely as they first seem. As Espinosa attempts to unravel the mystery of what really happened to Carvalho and his secretary, Rose, who disappeared shortly afterward, he discovers that the businessman had recently taken out a million-dollar life insurance policy. And there's another complication: Espinosa's attraction to Carvalho's beautiful widow, who is also one of the prime suspects. When two more bodies turn up, Espinosa is forced to shift the investigation into high gear before anyone else becomes a casualty. Hurtling to a surprising and satisfying conclusion, The Silence of the Rain is an intelligent, unconventional detective novel with a distinctly Latin American flavor and a colorful, exciting locale. In Espinosa, America is about to meet an irresistible new sleuth.

An Inspector Espinosa Mystery

The Silence of the Rain

An Inspector Espinosa Mystery (Inspector Espinoza Mysteries)

A Window in Copacabana

December Heat

In a parking garage in the centre of Rio de Janeiro, young executive Ricardo Carvalho climbs into his car, takes a few drags of his cigarette and shoots himself dead. Handsome, rich and married to a beautiful wife, Ricardo seemed to have everything to live for. So why did he take his own life? But when the police arrive at the scene, Carvalho’s death looks like a straight-forward case of robbery gone horribly wrong, since the victim’s gun and briefcase are nowhere to be found. And so Inspector Espinosa is called in to investigate. Not your typical detective, the world-weary Espinosa has the mind of a philosopher, the heart of a romantic, and enough experience to realize that things are not always as they seem.

The third in the author's highly acclaimed Brazilian crime series, this exciting novel follows the mystery surrounding a man who has just been told by a psychic that he will kill someone and faces accusations of murder when two bodies turn up in the Copacabana precinct. Reprint. 10,000 first printing.

Southwesterly Wind

A HOUSTON CHRONICLE SUMMER READING PICK A Rio de Janeiro Thriller An elderly lady approaches the front desk at the Twelfth Precinct in Copacabana and demands to speak with the chief. Tired after a long day, she leaves without further explanation, promising to return. Two hours later, Doña Laureta is dead, and witnesses' accounts vary as to whether she was pushed or fell in front of the bus that killed her on one of the busiest avenues in the city. Veteran police chief inspector Espinosa quickly pinpoints a suspect in Hugo Breno, an unassuming bank teller whose solitary existence takes on a sinister cast as he shadows the inspector's movements across the city. Meanwhile Espinosa discovers an unsettling connection from the past between himself and Breno and must turn his trademark psychological inquiry inward to determine how murky memories of a murder from long ago might play into Doña Laureta's untimely passing. Chilling and ultimately heart-stopping, Alone in the Crowd presents Espinosa as we have never seen him before, the man of detached expertise and calm self-assurance entangled in a mystery where reason alone will not suffice.

Alone in the Crowd

The murder of an anonymous beggar on a cobblestone street in the wealthy precincts of Copacabana haunts Inspector Espinosa in this "beguiling" series (The New York Times Book Review) With no witnesses and no weapon, it seems like the case of the one-legged homeless man found lying in a cul-de-sac on São João Hill, shot through the heart, will remain unsolved. But Chief Inspector Espinosa can't shake thoughts of the hapless victim—who would target a penniless man who posed no physical threat? Focusing his incisive mind and characteristically unhurried inquiry on a group of affluent guests who dined at a nearby mansion on the stormy night of the murder, Espinosa carefully interrogates his way into the lives of his suspects, exposing lies, cover-ups—and further mysteries. When the body of a prominent young urbanite is discovered in a scandalous state of undress, Espinosa must find the unlikely connections between two murders with no apparent witnesses or motive. Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza turns up the heat in this novel, supplementing his seductive prose with psychological twists and steamy secrets that lead to the unexpected climax.

Blackout

Adriana Lisboa

Arthur Dapieve

M. V. Bill

Victoria Saramago

Arnaldo Bloch

Explore the darker side of the sunny Brazilian city in this gritty mystery anthology featuring fourteen tales by writers from the region. Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each book comprises all-new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respect city. With Rio Noir, the Akashic Noir series delver for the first time into South America. With stories by: Tony Bellotto, Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza, MV Bill, Luiz Eduardo Soares, Guilherme Fiuza, Arthur Dapieve, Victoria Saramago, Arnaldo Bloch, Adriana Lisboa, Alexandre Fraga dos Santos, Marcelo Ferroni, Flávio Carneiro, Raphael Montes, and Luis Fernando Verissimo. All stories translated from Portuguese by Clifford Landers (Coelho’s The Alchemist, etc.). Praise for Rio Noir “In the latest entry to this globetrotting series, a man goes for a tarot reading and winds up poisoned by the daughter he never knew he had. And that’s just one story in a collection that takes us down the mysterious alleys and mazy favelas of Rio.” —O, the Oprah Magazine “A good introduction to writers of the region and to the dark side of a very sunny place.” —Booklist “A solid addition to Akashic's acclaimed noir series.” —Publishers Weekly

Rio Noir

A Rio de Janeiro Thriller With no witnesses and no weapon, it seems like the case of the one-legged homeless man found lying in a cul-de-sac on São João Hill, shot through the heart, will remain unsolved. But Chief Inspector Espinosa can't shake thoughts of the hapless victim--who would target a penniless man who posed no physical threat? Focusing his incisive mind and his usual unhurried inquiry on a group of wealthy guests who dined at a nearby mansion on the rainy night of the murder, Espinosa interrogates his way into the lives of his suspects, exposing lies, cover-ups—and another murder.

Called in to help an old friend and retired police officer, who awoke one morning to find his prostitute girlfriend murdered, his wallet and keys missing, and no memory of the previous night's occurrences, Inspector Espinosa takes the case only to find himself falling in love. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.

Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza

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