The latest Detective Emilia Cruz mystery!
NARCO NOIR
Drive into danger with Acapulco’s Detective Emilia Cruz as she goes undercover as a taxi driver to catch a killer.
The case accelerates out of control when Emilia’s worst enemy gets into her cab . . . Next stop, a Hollywood movie set with a devious purpose and a leading role Emilia can’t refuse.
Book #9 in the award-winning series!
“Darkly thrilling and accomplished” – Book Viral
“A thrilling series” – National Public Radio
Don’t miss out
Mystery Ahead
Mystery Author
Carmen Amato
There’s a piece of my 30-year CIA career in every story.
Expect layers of deception, edgy characters, and authentic details.
As the award-winning creator of the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series, I take readers on a gripping journey through the drug war waged in both Mexico and the US. Based on my own counterdrug experience, it's a place where loyalty is for sale and violence comes cheap.
There’s more intrigue in my standalone thrillers and the historical Galliano Club series, inspired by my grandfather who was a deputy sheriff in New York during Prohibition.
Welcome to the mystery ahead!
17 and counting
Books by Carmen
DETECTIVE EMILIA CRUZ SERIES
Emilia Cruz is the first female police detective in Acapulco, fighting drug cartels, official corruption and Mexican machismo.
2019, 2020 Outstanding Series award, CrimeMasters of America
2019 Silver Falchion Award, Killer Nashville
CLIFF DIVER | HAT DANCE | DIABLO NIGHTS
KING PESO | PACIFIC REAPER | 43 MISSING
RUSSIAN MOJITO | NARCO NOIR | MADE IN ACAPULCO
GALLIANO CLUB SERIES
Lido, NY. 1926. At the height of Prohibition, an Italian immigrant and a trigger-happy Chicago bootlegger battle for control of the Galliano Club, where trouble is always on tap.
Based on tales told by my late grandfather, a Deputy Sheriff of Oneida County, NY in the 1920's.
2023 Silver Falchion Award, Killer Nashville
ROAD TO THE GALLIANO CLUB
MURDER AT THE GALLIANO CLUB
BLACKMAIL AT THE GALLIANO CLUB
REVENGE AT THE GALLIANO CLUB
STANDALONE THRILLERS
Contemporary thrillers featuring complex plots, unforgettable characters and layers of risk, power, and deception.
Longlist, 2020 Millennium Book Award
Progress report
Coming Up
- VIVA ACAPULCO: Detective Emilia Cruz #9 70%
- AWAKENING MACBETH 2nd edition 50%
- Cold Shelter Star (new series) 15%
The Shop Talk Blog
Follow Along
New Audiobook! Listen to LISTMAKER
The audiobook version of the Detective Emilia Cruz novella, THE LISTMAKER OF ACAPULCO was just released on Audible. This is a “Virtual Voice” audiobook from Amazon. It sounds surprisingly lifelike but the voice is not a human narrator. If you have listened to any of...
Book review: The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose
Molly Gray is the crime-solving Head Maid at London’s Regency Grand Hotel in THE MYSTERY GUEST the second book in the adorable and bestselling Molly the Maid series. Socially challenged, Molly has an eye for details that others miss. The Regency Grand is thrilled to...
Writing advice from a balky mule and a train derailment
Readers often connect with me over the deep point of view style of the Detective Emilia Cruz series. Writer and podcaster Patrick Greenwood specifically asked about this while taping an episode of his Writers on Espresso podcast, which you can find here:...