#EmiliaCruz
Blogging about the Detective Emilia Cruz police series.
Spy vs spy vs spy vs cop
I lived spy fiction. Now I write police procedurals. The newest Detective Emilia Cruz thriller, DRAGON CARTEL, bridges the gap between the two. Think police detective mystery meets spy novel . . . in Acapulco. Emilia, the first female police detective in Acapulco, is...
Listen up! Latest audiobooks and audio drama news
Audiobooks on Spotify Listen to these thrillers today! All of the Detective Emilia Cruz books narrated by Leanne Maksin and the Galliano Club books voiced by James Froemel are now on Spotify as well as Audible, the Apple books app, and other audiobook platforms. Find...
The 2 FAQs I get as a spy writing crime fiction
As a 30-year CIA veteran now writing fiction, the questions I most often get are really two parts of the same equation. Why don’t you write spy fiction? We love spy vs spy books. TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY by John LeCarre, RED SPARROW by Jason Matthews, the BOURNE...
Detective Emilia Cruz audio drama series on PocketFM
Detective Emilia Cruz is now an audio drama from Pocket Entertainment. You can listen on the PocketFM app, with 250 million global listeners, which you can get here: https://listen.pocketfm.com/2IE7/8lkbyac5 It's amazing to think the Detective Emilia Cruz started off...
New Book Release: DRAGON CARTEL offers torn-from-the-headlines scenario
The wait is over! The ebook edition of DRAGON CARTEL is out and available on all platforms, including Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble and lending platforms, too. The paperback edition releases 30 June. The audiobook will hit Audible later this year. DRAGON CARTEL is...
DRAGON CARTEL, the next Detective Emilia Cruz mystery, coming 16 June
Get ready for the next Detective Emilia Cruz mystery set in Acapulco! DRAGON CARTEL releases 16 June 2026 in ebook format on all platforms. Look for the paperback edition on 30 June in all your favorite online bookstores. No date yet for the audiobook, but Leeann...
New Reader Hub! Crime fiction lovers, this is for you
If you’ve ever finished one of my books and wished you could see a map of the place? Find out more about the characters or even taste the cocktails served at the Pasodoble Bar . . . Well, now you can. Presenting the new Reader Hub here on carmenamato.net! What's...
The next name they stitch could be yours or mine
When I was growing up, embroidery was a common craft. Everyone knew the basics: chain stitch, blanket stitch, satin stitch. My mother made cocktail napkins decorated with tiny daisies and embroidered geometric designs on clothing and hand towels. When preppy fashion...
A Crime Fiction Lesson from Jennifer Aniston
The low tire pressure light came on. I pulled off the highway, found a gas station and put air in the tire. But air continued to bleed out all the way home. So I watched tv Twelve hours later, I stared dully at a chirpy morning show in my local Firestone shop’s...
If you went missing, would you want the government or your mother to look for you?
If you go missing in Mexico, your family becomes the search party. If the government looks, chances are high someone will fumble the search. Out of incompetence? Or something more sinister? Eleven years ago this month, 43 students disappeared. From the Ayotzinapa...
Mexico Transfers More Cartel Crime Bosses to US
In my previous career as a CIA intel officer, I focused on counterdrug efforts. Bringing Mexican cartel kingpins to justice was a big goal. So I gave a silent cheer when Mexico transferred 26 organized crime figures to the US this week. Federal Security Minister Omar...
Pigs help hunt for the missing in Mexico
“Pigs in human clothes are helping unearth the missing in Mexico.” The image of pigs dressed in Burberry plaid snuffling for truffles came to mind as I skimmed the headline. Over 130,000 people have gone missing in Mexico since 2006 with around 6,000 clandestine...