Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series
She's the first female police detective in AcapulcoInspired by my experience on the front lines of the drug war, Emilia faces drug cartels, official corruption and Mexico’s culture of machismo.
Hotel manager Kurt Rucker adds another dimension of danger to her life; her heart is at stake with him.
“A thrilling series” – National Public Radio
2019 & 2020 Poison Cup award, Outstanding Series – CrimeMasters of America
2019 Silver Falchion Award, Best Short Story
Detective Emilia Cruz novels
Detective Emilia Cruz Short Reads
Detective Emilia Cruz Extras
This bilingual edition of a prequel short story won the 2019 Silver Falchion award for Best Short Story/Collection.
Books 1-6 BOX SET: The first 6 Emilia Cruz novels, plus exclusive bonus content. Kindle format only.
The free cookbook with 7 recipes from the series! Crime + cooking = FUN.
Fun stuff
The Dreamcast
If Detective Emilia Cruz and company ever (finally) make it to the silver screen, I think it would be a cross between Hawaii 5-0 and Netflix’s Narcos.
Could this be the dreamcast? Let me know!
Emilia Cruz's Acapulco
In this gallery page, you’ll see the Acapulco landmarks that appear in the series.
There’s the Acapulco of that tourists know and the Acapulco that seethes with cartel crime. Emilia must navigate life between the haves and have-nots, against the backdrop of the most beautiful bay in the world.
Cover artist Matt Chase
You’ve seen his work in national and international publications like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. His covers for the series stand out in the sea of run-of-the-mill mystery covers.Find out about his process, color choices and the unique way we met.
From Silvio's point of view
As an experiment, here is the first major confrontation between Emilia and rival Franco Silvio, written from his point of view.
The scene takes place in the first book, CLIFF DIVER, which is all from Emilia’s point of view.
Map of Acapulco
Courtesy maps-of-mexico.com
#EmiliaCruz from the blog
What you can expect from Organized Crime in Acapulco after Hurricane Otis
With winds of up to 165 mph, Category 5 Hurricane Otis tore through Acapulco in late October, leaving a trail of unprecedented devastation. It strengthened so quickly there was little time to prepare for the strongest storm to ever hit Mexico's Pacific coast. In just...
A Different Point of View
She Said, He Said A CLIFF DIVER scene from Franco Silvio’s Point of View The Detective Emilia Cruz series is written from Emilia's point of view as the first female police detective in Acapulco. She's got some tricky geography to navigate in that position. Not only...
Arrests made in the next chapter of 43 MISSING
Mexico’s Truth Commission investigating the mass disappearance of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College may finally solve the 8 year old crime that inspired the Detective Emilia Cruz novel 43 MISSING. As more details are uncovered, it appears that...
Could Gas Prices Make You a Victim of Fuel Thieves?
A month ago, the catalytic converter was hacked out of my daughter’s car as it was parked on a street in Chicago. Apparently, thieves troll at night for older cars with catalytic converters because the precious metals inside--palladium, rhodium, and platinum—now fetch...
President Trump vs Mexican drug cartel labs
Mark Esper has written about his stint as secretary of defense during the last year of President Donald Trump’s administration in A SACRED OATH. Before the book came out this month, excerpts published in the New York Times revealed that President Trump, frustrated by...
How a Real Cliff Diver Tames Her Fears
Ellie Smart is a professional cliff diver, but not an adrenaline junkie. Riiiight. A native of Missouri and former collegiate diver at UC Berkeley, with a Masters degree in sports and exercise science, Smart is the only American woman with a permanent billet on the...
