Welcome to the opioid crisis
I spent 30 years with the CIA. My official resume says things like “distinguished record of solutions-driven leadership across multiple mission areas,” and “led program responsible for collection, translation, and analysis of breaking events,”...
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Warriors, souls, and the making of AWAKENING MACBETH
My great-uncle Nicky was the second-to-the-youngest of my grandfather’s five brothers. He was missing most of his right index finger. During WWII, while my grandfather turned out copper ship hulls as a foreman at the Revere Copper and Brass rolling mill,...
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The Ayotzinapa tragedy 4 years later
My most recent book, 43 MISSING: Detective Emilia Cruz Book 6, was inspired by the events of September 2014 when 43 students from a teacher's college in the town of Ayotzinapa, near Acapulco in Mexico's state of Guerrero, disappeared in the nearby town of...
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7 Life-changing books to read right now
Fall is here. Our New Year’s resolutions petered out long ago and the holidays, with overspending and family drama, loom on the horizon. In this season between what-might-have-been and what-will-overwhelm-us-soon, dive into one of these life-changing...
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Meet WHEELS UP thriller author Jeanine Kitchel
Do opposites attract? Meet Jeanine Kitchel, author of WHEELS UP 1) Carmen Amato: Jeanine, we first met as collaborators putting together THE INSIDER’S GUIDE TO THE BEST OF MEXICO and now find ourselves writing two halves of the same story set in Mexico. I...
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10 Lessons from Killer Nashville
The Killer Nashville International Writer’s Conference was the first of its kind I’ve ever attended. I didn’t know quite what to expect but tried to put my best foot forward: Served on 3 panels (Writing Spies and Espionage, Settings, Witness Reliability),...
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Heading to Killer Nashville
I'm heading to the Killer Nashville mystery writer's conference, where 43 MISSING, the 6th Detective Emilia Cruz novel, is a finalist for the Silver Falchion award for Best Procedural. The award has multiple categories and many of the finalists are very...
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Department Q and The Keeper of Lost Causes
THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES, the first Department Q novel by Jussi Adler-Olsen, has toppled Jo Nesbo from the top of my Nordic Noir favorites list. And I didn’t even know I wanted to go to Denmark. Some series take a few books before all the pieces are...
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Author Bernard Schaffer debuts new cop series
Bernard Schaffer's new book THE THIEF OF ALL LIGHT is the debut of a tension-filled new police procedural series. This interview first appeared in the Mystery Ahead newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. 1 Carmen Amato: Bernard, thanks...
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Book Review: FOOLS AND MORTALS by Bernard Cornwell
FOOLS AND MORTALS by Bernard Cornwell sets the standard for historical fiction with a touch of suspense and a healthy dose of Shakespeare. But before I gush about how good the book is, let me say that Cornwell is one of my favorite authors....
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Book review: RED SPARROW by Jason Matthews
RED SPARROW by Jason Matthews is a gripping Cold War espionage thriller in the style of John le Carré’s thrillers. Except longer. SPARROW starts with a heart-pounding and authentic scene of spy tradecraft in Moscow. Nathaniel “Nate” Nash is...
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Your VOTE Needed!
The most recent Detective Emilia Cruz novels, PACIFIC REAPER and 43 MISSING, are in contention to win the Reader's Choice award from the prestigious Killer Nashville mystery writer's conference next month. I think PACIFIC REAPER has the best...
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I write mystery and suspense, including the Detective Emilia Cruz police series set in Acapulco. Subscribe below to the Mystery Ahead newsletter and get the exclusive Detective Emilia Cruz Starter Library!
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© 2018 Carmen Amato.
Hello
I'm author Carmen Amato. I write mystery and suspense, including the Detective Emilia Cruz police series set in Acapulco. Expect risk, power, corruption. And relationships with heat. More