THE RESEARCH BEHIND THE DETECTIVE EMILIA CRUZ BOOKS
Real life in Mexico meets the craft of crime fiction.
“A thrilling series” – National Public Radio
Setting a police procedural in Acapulco requires more than just vivid descriptions of sun-drenched beaches and shadowy alleyways. The Detective Emilia Cruz series explores the highs and lows of life in a beautiful city torn by violence but dependent on a robust tourism industry to survive.
The world of Emilia Cruz combines unique aspects of Mexican culture, the continuing hunt for Mexico’s missing, endemic corruption and the gulf between the haves and the have-nots.
The plots are built using my map collection, personal memorabilia and news sources I first encountered as a CIA intelligence officer focusing on technical collection and counterdrug efforts.
Use the links in this chart to explore the research behind each novel in the Detective Emilia Cruz series.
| CLIFF DIVER | Police corruption, the Maxitunel into Acapulco, hotels in Mexico | See the research notes for this book |
| HAT DANCE | Lucha libre wrestling, high-end restaurants, missing women | See the Research Notes for this book |
| DIABLO NIGHTS | Local militias replacing law enforcement, Mexico's Cristero War, spiral skyscraper | See the Research Notes for this book |
| KING PESO | Casinos, money laundering, new police unit inspired in India, serial killer drama | See the Research Notes for this book |
| PACIFIC REAPER | The cult of Santa Muerte, the folk saint of death revered by cartels, voodoo similarity | See the Research Notes for this book |
| 43 MISSING | Mexico's most notorious true crime, disappearance of the Ayotzinapa 43 | See the Research Notes for this book |
| RUSSIAN MOJITO | Fuel thieves, Mexico's PEMEX oil and gas company, Russian spies | See the Research Notes for this book |
| NARCO NOIR | A news report of a random shooting of a taxi driver, local landmarks | See the Research Notes for this book |
| BARRACUDA BAY | 2024 elections, landmarks in Washington DC, Emilia on the run | See the Research Notes for this book |
| DRAGON CARTEL | Chinese immigration, infiltration of US military installations, commercial shipping | See the Research Notes for this book |