About Carmen Amato | CIA Veteran & Crime Fiction Author

Where Real-World Experience Meets International Noir

Most crime novelists start with imagination. I start with experience.

I’m Carmen Amato, and I spent thirty years as an intelligence officer for the CIA, mostly in the arenas of technical collection and counterdrug operations. My career took me across the globe, from the political pressure cookers of Central America to hidden corners no one ever talks about, and earned me both the Career Intelligence Medal and the National Intelligence Award.

Career highlights include running a surveillance platform, testing new technologies like “machine translation,” and heading an intelligence collection program with responsibility across the Western Hemisphere.

Today, I use those lived experiences to write authentic crime fiction that bridges the gap between today’s headlines and page-turning suspense, especially for the Detective Emilia Cruz police series set in Acapulco.

Behind the Fiction

In a genre crowded with “what-ifs,” I focus on “what is.” My writing is defined by:

• Tradecraft Accuracy: No Hollywood tropes. I write the real tension of an investigation, when the pieces don’t add up and mistakes are made.

• Cultural Immersion: My time living and working abroad allows me to create atmospheric settings, like the Acapulco of my Detective Emilia Cruz series, that feel like characters themselves.

• Current Event Triggers: I don’t just follow the news; I help readers understand current events through the lens of contemporary crime fiction.

I’ve been lucky enough to travel around the world, collecting the ideas, characters, and inspiration that infuse my books. I’ve survived 3 earthquakes (Mexico, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea), one train derailment (France), one persona non grata expulsion (Madagascar), and a scuba diving encounter with a lionfish (off the coast of Guam).

I once spoke French well enough to crash a Givenchy fashion show. Spanish came later and with more of a struggle.

The Detective Emilia Cruz Series

The main focus of my crime fiction is the award-winning Detective Emilia Cruz police procedural series. Starting with CLIFF DIVER, Emilia is the first female police detective in Acapulco, confronting cartels, corruption and social inequality amid the hunt for Mexico’s missing.

The books and characters are inspired by my experiences in the field and are perfect for mystery readers who crave realism and complexity.

If you like books by Ian Rankin, Anne Cleeves and Don Winslow, you are in the right place.

Let’s Connect

As an author, giving back is part of my business model. Income from my books helps support Water.org, St. Jude’s Research Hospital, and veteran and first responder organizations including Tunnel2Towers and the Gary Sinese Foundation.

When you buy and book, invite me on your blog or podcast, you are helping me help others. Together we can make a difference!

Whether you are a long-time reader of the Emilia Cruz series or a new fan of international noir, I invite you to join in.

• Read the Books: Find the complete booklist.

• Media & Speaking: Let’s make something together.

Join the Crime Fiction Case Files

Beyond my novels, I host Carmen Amato’s Crime Fiction Case Files. This Substack newsletter is where I share:

• The Encounters: True stories of real people who inspire my fictional characters.

• The Evidence: Current events and how they influence my crime fiction.

• The Excerpts: Sneak peeks of books-in-progress

The famous Furla bag

When I’m not writing, drinking coffee, or otherwise getting into trouble as a mystery author, I am a reluctantly recovering Furla handbag addict.

My favorite black Furla handbag was purchased in the Rome airport because there are no seats and so travelers are forced to shop in designer boutiques while jazzed on coffee from the standup trattoria. I have similar valid excuses for how the other Furlas came to live in the closet as well.

Photo-op with Furla.

Cinderfurla

Miscellaneous

Originally from upstate New York, I have a BA (cum laude) in history and political science from LeMoyne College and a Masters in International Relations from the University of Virginia, as well as certificates of completion from Institut Catholique in Paris, France, and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

My family tree includes a mayor, a Mensa genius, and the first homicide in the state of Connecticut with an automatic weapon. The perpetrator, my great-grandfather, eluded a state-wide manhunt after killing two people―one of whom was his wife. He was never brought to justice.

With my Career Intelligence Medal on the Great Seal in the CIA Headquarters lobby, shortly before Christmas, 2016