December Heat : An Inspector Espinosa Mystery

Rating:
Summary: A Trip to Rio
Review: Although I probably will never travel to Rio de Janero, Garcia-Roza makes me feel as if I have been there. His sensual descriptions of the city and its people bring the city to life. The plight of the inner life of a street boy is poignantly realized, recalling the tragedy that unfolded in this year's fine documentary, Bus 174, which was more about the desperation of what it means to be a product of the streets, a sadly common phenomenon of Rio. Espinosa, Garcia-Roza's protagonist, is reminiscent of Inspector Montalbano in Andrea Camilleri's Sicillian series. Both have the same time worn quality, both love their food -- there are very sensuous descriptions of their meals, sometimes hilarious (as in Espinosa's consumption of a Big Mac on the Copacabana), but they both end up with answers to their puzzles and will hopefully expand on their experiences to us, their USA-bound fans.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Garcia-Roza has established himself as one of the most exciting authors of mystery novels in contemporary Brazilian literature. This book, originally entitled "Achados e Perdidos", is a testament to his good reputation. From the first page, the reader is drawn into to an all-too-real universe set in the city of Rio de Janeiro without any hope of exit before the final sentence in the book. The story starts with an intoxicated, retired policeman losing his wallet during an outing with his girlfriend, who happens to be a prostitute. The wallet is immediately picked up by a street boy, who from that point on is catapulted into a sequence of events that spirals out of control. The next morning, the girlfriend is found dead, tied to her own bed, and in the scene of the crime the ex-policeman's belt is found. Progressively, more and more unlikely participants slowly get pulled into a tight web where timelines, opportunities, and motives converge and diverge, at the same time. The prose is stylish and deep, and the story never stops surprising. All in all, an excellent book. (These comments apply to the original in the Portuguese language.)