Diablo Nights: An Emilia Cruz Novel

Purportedly from Mexico's Cristero War, the relic's authenticity is in doubt, even as Emilia and her partner, senior detective Franco Silvio, find a murder victim aboard a cruise ship. The victim's pockets are lined with Ora Ciega, a rare heroin strain from Colombia that promises more drug war violence for Acapulco's already bloody streets.

The Ora Ciega trail leads Emilia to a second body; that of Yolanda Lata, the mother of a girl for whom Emilia has been searching, as well as to a dead Customs official who had valuable information about the cruise ship murder. When stalkers shadow Emilia, the only conclusion is that she's getting close to the Ora Ciega smugglers.

 

Or is she getting too close to a rookie she's assigned to train? Detective Flores has friends in high places and is thrilled with his new mentor. 

The destinies of Ora Ciega, the religious relic, the rookie, and the missing girl merge into a fateful trip into the hills above Mexico's Costa Chica coast south of Acapulco. In a lonely place where vigilante groups have replaced civil authority and the crash of surf competes with gunshots, Emilia will face the biggest challenge of her police detective career. But it's nothing compared to the shocking climax waiting for her back in Acapulco.

DIABLO NIGHTS follows HAT DANCE, and CLIFF DIVER, the novel that Kirkus Reviews called "Consistently exciting . . . A clever Mexican detective tale that will leave readers eager for the series' next installment."

Readers agree that Acapulco police detective Emilia Cruz joins John Rebus, Harry Hole, Arkady Renko, and Guido Brunetti as the international mystery genre's most memorable crime fighters.

MEET EMILIA CRUZ
Detective Emilia Cruz is a good liar, a fast thinker, a determined investigator, and a mean kickboxer. An Acapulco native forced to grow up too fast, she's been a cop for nearly 12 years and a detective for two; a strong woman in a squadroom that didn't want her and is still trying to break her. But Emilia isn't afraid to defend herself and get what she's rightfully earned. She's a Latina who knows that many women in Mexico don't get the chances she's had. The proof is in a log she tracks of women who have gone missing. 

But she doesn't know how to handle gringo Kurt Rucker, the manager of a luxury hotel in Acapulco. A former U.S. Marine, he has the confidence and leadership qualities she admires. A triathlete, he's calm under pressure and knows what he wants. But does Emilia?

THE TWO FACES OF ACAPULCO
There's the Acapulco that tourists know: luxury hi-rises, candlelit nights on the beach, the sweep of the most beautiful bay in the world, the majesty of the clear blue Pacific. There's also the Acapulco that is a prize to be fought over by drug cartels--the city that is home to hookers and thieves, the streets where life is cheap and poverty is as pervasive as the wind off the ocean. Both of these versions of Acapulco claw at each other and force Emilia to survive between them.

Ready for a trip inside the real Mexico? Grab a margarita and come on down to Acapulco . . . If you can take the heat.