Music and Mystery with NPR’s Alt.Latino

My turn as a guest DJ on National Public Radio’s Alt.Latino show with host Felix Contreras has aired!

Click below to listen to the show or find it here on the NPR webpage which includes expanded audio excerpts of books we discuss on the show, including HAT DANCE, the second Detective Emilia Cruz novel.

I’d never taped a radio show in a sound booth before but it was easy to follow Felix’s lead as he sat in the sound booth on the other side of the glass wall. In this episode of Alt.Latino, Felix and I discuss Latino noir authors as well as music that reflects the genre and more specifically, the Detective Emilia Cruz series, of which he’s a fan.

We had a great conversation about some terrific Latino noir authors including:

Manuel Ramos, an attorney and author of the series featuring Denver lawyer Luis Móntez.

Ernesto Mallo, author of the Inspector Lascano series about Argentina under the ultra-rightwing junta in the 1970’s.

Leonardo Padura, the Cuban author of the Havana series crime novels featuring the detective/writer Mario Conde.

Paco Ignacio Taibo II, the Mexican author of a multitude of books including MEXICO CITY NOIR and the series featuring private investigator Héctor Belascoarán Shayne.

and me, Carmen Amato, author of the Detective Emilia Cruz series set in Acapulco.

Playlist for Emilia Cruz

I brought a playlist of music for the Detective Emilia Cruz series to the Alt.Latino show and asked Felix to pick a theme song for Emilia. He nailed it with Maná’s Eres mi religion.

Listen to NPR

Click the link at the top of this post or go to the page for NPR’s Alt.Latino show. Listen to the episode and surf other episodes for compelling music and discussion. The show ranges across the Latino cultural landscape with guest DJ’s who are on the cutting edge of television, music, and literature. I’m thrilled to be in such good company.

Thank you, Felix for inviting me and for such a great experience.