Delegado Espinosa Series by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza

A Rio de Janeiro ThrillerIn 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, his wallet and briefcase missing. Inspector Espinosa is called in to investigate the apparent robbery and murder, but the world-weary Espinosa knows that things are not always as they seem... moreA Rio de Janeiro ThrillerIn 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, his wallet and briefcase missing. Inspector Espinosa is called in to investigate the apparent robbery and murder, but the world-weary Espinosa knows that things are not always as they seem. Carvalho's recently acquired one-million-dollar life insurance policy and the subsequent disappearance of his secretary Rose complicate matters―as does Espinosa's attraction to Carvalho's beautiful widow, one of the suspects. And when two more people turn up dead, Espinosa must speed up his investigation before anyone else becomes a casualty. less

The second in the acclaimed Brazilian series featuring Inspector Espinosa, the detective hailed by critics for “his existential sensibility, his exotic beat, and his literary merit” ( San Francisco Chronicle )A retired policeman spends a typically alcohol-filled evening with his girlfriend, a prostitute. When he wakes up the next morning, his wallet and car key are missing, his girlfriend has been murdered, and he can remember none of the events of the previous night... moreThe second in the acclaimed Brazilian series featuring Inspector Espinosa, the detective hailed by critics for “his existential sensibility, his exotic beat, and his literary merit” ( San Francisco Chronicle )A retired policeman spends a typically alcohol-filled evening with his girlfriend, a prostitute. When he wakes up the next morning, his wallet and car key are missing, his girlfriend has been murdered, and he can remember none of the events of the previous night. Called in to investigate is Inspector Espinosa, veteran detective and friend of the ex-cop. It’s a seemingly open-and-shut case, but Espinosa is convinced there’s more here than meets the eye, and when other bodies begin turning up, he finds himself not only racing after a killer but falling in love.The first Espinosa mystery, The Silence of the Rain , won over American audiences with its steamy evocation of exotic Rio de Janeiro, its singular narrative approach, and, above all, its highly appealing protagonist. In December Heat , the second in this atmospheric, erotic series, Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza once again delivers a story as unusual as it is complex, with a resolution sure to elude—and ultimately delight—even the most discerning crime readers. less

A young man predicts a murder and identifies the perpetrator—himself—in this third entry in the critically acclaimed Brazilian crime seriesWhen a terrified young man arrives at the station with a bizarre story, Chief Espinosa of the Copacabana precinct is more than happy to set aside his paperwork. A psychic has predicted that the man would commit a murder, it seems, and the prediction has become fact in the young man’s mind... moreA young man predicts a murder and identifies the perpetrator—himself—in this third entry in the critically acclaimed Brazilian crime seriesWhen a terrified young man arrives at the station with a bizarre story, Chief Espinosa of the Copacabana precinct is more than happy to set aside his paperwork. A psychic has predicted that the man would commit a murder, it seems, and the prediction has become fact in the young man’s mind. It’s a case more appropriate for a psychiatrist or philosopher, but Espinosa rises to the challenge and slowly enters the web of this psychologically conflicted man.As the southwesterly wind—always a sign of dramatic change—begins to blow, what at first seems like paranoia becomes brutal reality. Two violent murders occur, and their only link is the lonely, clever man who had sought Espinosa out a few days earlier for help.In Southwesterly Wind , the third in this atmospheric, erotic series featuring the inimitable Inspector Espinosa, Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza once again “breathes fresh air into the crime novel genre” ( Los Angeles Times ). less

When his daughter disappears and a patient emerges as the prime suspect, a troubled psychiatrist comes to Espinosa for help, in the fifth novel in the beguiling Brazilian crime series A hospital psychiatrist feels he's being stalked by a young patient. For as long as possible, he convinces himself that the young man is harmless, but when the doctor's daughter disappears and the patient goes missing, too, he calls on Espinosa for help. Soon after, the patient turns up dead... moreWhen his daughter disappears and a patient emerges as the prime suspect, a troubled psychiatrist comes to Espinosa for help, in the fifth novel in the beguiling Brazilian crime series A hospital psychiatrist feels he's being stalked by a young patient. For as long as possible, he convinces himself that the young man is harmless, but when the doctor's daughter disappears and the patient goes missing, too, he calls on Espinosa for help. Soon after, the patient turns up dead. With his death begins a chain of other deaths, each more mysterious than the one that preceded it, each seemingly linked to the doctor and his former patient. As Espinosa learns more about the doctor's history, it becomes harder to discern the stalker from the stalked, reality from fantasy, and the sane from the diabolical. In this installment of the "seductive, fascinating" (The New York Times Book Review) series, the sultry maze of Rio de Janeiro's streets conspires against Espinosa, confounding his judgment, stymieing his search, and, somewhere, concealing a murderer. less

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... moreThe 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. less