Seeing Strength as the Earth Shakes

Seeing Strength as the Earth Shakes

Dec 1, 2025 | #truestory

The floor tilted. Pictures crashed to the floor.

Beyond the French doors, water slopped out of the pool as if it was an overfilled bowl about to fall.

Our maid Johanna stood there and screamed.

As the house continued to tremble, I grabbed our passports and dragged the hysterical Johanna outside. I don’t recall how long we waited but things eventually settled down. Apart from our nerves, not much was damaged.

This bit of excitement happened in Nicaragua, nearly 50 years after the huge quake in 1972 that destroyed most of the capital city of Managua and killed upwards of 10,000 people. Dread of another big quake was a common topic of conversation. We had a shovel and pickaxe under the bed and emergency “go” bags by the front door.

Prior to that episode, I was in Mexico when tremors started, visiting the family residence of a NATO ambassador. I vividly recall the huge crystal chandelier in their foyer swinging like a pendulum. We all heaved a sigh of relief when the swinging subsided and the heavy fixture stopped moving.

Another time I was in a remote area of Papua New Guinea when an earthquake struck. The walls of the place we were staying in were basically thatch. I expected them to collapse into a heap of straw.

To my surprise, the seemingly flimsy walls held. They looked weak but their strength was in their ability to flex.

Related post: Land of the Unexpected

Whole lotta shakin’

Sometimes we experience earthquakes even when the ground isn’t moving and the alerts are silent. People get sick. Families break up. Friends are lost. Jobs are lost. Bankruptcy.

October was an earthquake month for me. Several family members got seriously sick. A loved one died. Others suffered comically terrible travel.

Basically, as soon as one wave of tremors subsided, another began.

Yet, like that rugged and remote spot in Papua New Guinea, the walls of our community are sturdier than we realize. Friends and family are there to help.

We lean on each other, shifting to fill the cracks, holding steady through the aftershocks. Kind words, shared memories, and small acts of grace become the reinforcements that keep us upright.

If you’re feeling the tremors too, know that you’re not alone. We’re all coping with an earthquake or two.

The foundation will be stronger for having been shaken.

Note: this content was previously posted on Substack. Join me there to get posts delivered fresh to your inbox every other Sunday: https://mysteryahead.substack.com

MY BACKSTORY— I learned a few things about danger, deception and resilience during a 30-year career with the CIA focusing on counterdrug efforts and technical collection. Now a mystery author, those lessons play out on the page, especially in the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in Acapulco. Starting with Cliff Diver, the series is a back-to-back winner of the Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America. I’ve also written historical and political thrillers, essays about the craft of crime fiction, and live with a very large white dog named Bear.

The next name they stitch could be yours or mine

The next name they stitch could be yours or mine

Oct 30, 2025 | #EmiliaCruz

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 was was all the rage in the mid-80’s, I cross-stitched a cover for a much-coveted Bermuda bag with wooden handles.

Embroidery was charming, creative, fashionable.

How times have changed.

New use for old stitches

At least 120,000 people are missing in Mexico amid the country’s drug wars. That’s a best guess. Record-keeping there is spotty to say the least.

The Mexican social movement Bordando por la Paz y la Memoria (Embroidery for Peace and Remembrance) has held a weekly embroidery meetup in Mexico City since 2012. The group embroiders banners, patches and wearables with the name and likeness of the missing to keep memories alive but also serve as a tool to protest government inaction and denial.

Pippa Cooper, a PhD student at the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies, University of London, documented the group, calling it “a voice of needle and thread that won’t be silenced.”

Last year for the 10th anniversary of the forced disappearance of 43 students from a training college in Ayotzinapa that inspired the Detective Emilia Cruz novel 43 MISSING, members embroidered portraits of each student, along with name and personal details for marchers to wear.

Stitch her name

Between January and June this year, 1,420 women were killed across Mexico. As drug-related violence rises, so does femicide.

Ahead of the International Women’s Day in March in 2020, artist María Antonieta De la Rosa gathered two friends, their mothers and grandmothers in a former women’s shelter in the city of Cuernavaca and began embroidering patches with names.

embroidery,Detective Emilia Cruz

 

Embroidery meetup in Cuernavaca, August 2025, courtesy of drivemexicomagazine.com

The effort grew into the We Name Them by Embroidering collective, which creates quilts to honor the dead and raise awareness. The quilts are carried at funerals and displayed in public places.

embroidery,Detective Emilia Cruz

 

Ana Vásquez and quilt, courtesy of drivemexicomagazine.com

“We’re not going to change the world with this,” says Ana Vázquez, a community advocate. “But at least we’re making noise. At least people are looking at us, at least people are talking about these femicides. They’re not just numbers in a database . . .”

“I can’t stop thinking that my name is going to be up there some day . . . One of the other women is going to be embroidering me.”

I write the Detective Emilia Cruz series because these issues matter to me as a mother, daughter, sister, and friend. I hope that shining a light on them through fiction will touch people in a way that the news does not.

A question for you

Have you ever read something in fiction that made you aware of a real world issue?

 

MY BACKSTORY— I learned a few things about danger, deception and resilience during a 30-year career with the CIA focusing on counterdrug efforts and technical collection. Now a mystery author, those lessons play out on the page, especially in the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in Acapulco. Starting with Cliff Diver, the series is a back-to-back winner of the Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America. I’ve also written historical and political thrillers, essays about the craft of crime fiction, and live with a very large white dog named Bear.

A Crime Fiction Lesson from Jennifer Aniston

A Crime Fiction Lesson from Jennifer Aniston

Oct 21, 2025 | #EmiliaCruz

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 waiting area. After a couple of forgettable segments, the ticker at the bottom announced that the overly-caffeinated hosts would address actress Jennifer Aniston’s struggles with infertility.

My first thought was, why is this relevant? At age 56, is Jennifer Aniston still hoping to have a child?

My second thought was that her PR people call the shots. Nothing is off the table.

“What extremely personal issue can we use to boost her visibility?” one of them probably asked as they brainstormed the thorny problem of Jennifer Aniston being out of the public eye for 30 minutes. “One that hasn’t been used already.”

Now, I don’t know if that’s how Jennifer’s medical problems ended up being broadcast to my local tire shop. But the attention economy has created a hot market for everyone’s private issues and I’m not sure that’s a good thing.

Until I had a revelation

My main character Emilia Cruz has to be the polar opposite of Jennifer Aniston. As a police detective in Acapulco, Emilia knows that cartels target not only law enforcement officials but their friends and family.

A low profile is a survival mechanism.

Sometimes it takes courage to stay quiet when everyone else is shouting for attention. If we don’t get loud, we’re afraid of being left out, of being overlooked.

But noise doesn’t equal strength. Real power comes from within. Inner strength keeps Emilia standing when the rest of the world is crazy.

In the upcoming Emilia Cruz novel, DRAGON CARTEL (#10 in the series) Emilia’s new boss craves the limelight. Captain Cardona believes that attention from Emilia’s investigation will propel him up the ladder of success.

If that attention gets Emilia killed, well, he’ll get some reflected glory off that, too.

Related: See the Detective Emilia Cruz series

For the greater good

P.S. Re Jennifer Aniston, maybe the current buzz will highlight her wonderful longstanding work for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I’m also a supporter of this legendary hospital treating childhood cancers. My mother was one of the first fundraisers for actor Danny Thomas who built the hospital decades ago.

In addition to St Jude, my book sales also support veterans and first responder organizations. When you buy a book or invite me on your blog or podcast, you are helping me help others.

feature photo by Carsten Peters via Unsplash

MY BACKSTORY— I learned a few things about danger, deception and resilience during a 30-year career with the CIA focusing on counterdrug efforts and technical collection. Now a mystery author, those lessons play out on the page, especially in the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in Acapulco. Starting with Cliff Diver, the series is a back-to-back winner of the Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America. I’ve also written historical and political thrillers, essays about the craft of crime fiction, and live with a very large white dog named Bear.

If you went missing, would you want the government or your mother to look for you?

If you went missing, would you want the government or your mother to look for you?

Sep 28, 2025 | #EmiliaCruz

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 rural teaching college in Mexico’s state of Guerrero, they were in the city of Iguala to hitch a bus ride to a student protest in Mexico City, an annual event commemorating the shooting of students in 1968 right before Mexico City hosted the Olympics (not the best public image start to the games, but that’s another tragedy for another day.)

I solved the case in 43 MISSING, a Detective Emilia Cruz Novel, but the true bottom line is that what happened to the missing 43 students is still an incoherent jumble.

In the 11 years since their disappearance, city officials, local police, armed forces, federal politicians, and a string of narco types have been implicated but nothing really sticks. Stories change. Arrests are reversed. Dubious deals lead to dubious testimony.

A new wrinkle

This week narco journalist Ioan Grillo noted that kingpin Abigael González Valencia, or “El Cuini” was one of the criminal narcos sent from Mexico to the US. He’s such a big deal that Terry Cole, head of the DEA, personally escorted him off the plane in handcuffs.

Cuini supposedly provided information to the Ayotzinapa investigation. The problem is, as Grillo notes, “Cuini was a top cartel operator in Jalisco state, the disappearance of the 43 students was carried out by the Guerreros Unidos cartel working with police in the city of Iguala, hundreds of miles away.”

Moreover, former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador reportedly wrote a letter to the parents of the students in which he confirmed holding up the extradition of Cuini because of an arrangement with another cartel kingpin “helping” with the investigation, Gildardo López Astudillo, known as “El Cabo Gil.”

Gil is alleged to be the head of killers for the Guerreros Unidos, the gang thought to be responsible for action against the students. Yet, as Grillo maintains, “for a witness to demand that the government protect a major kingpin of a different cartel would indicate an extraordinary deal.”

Another unsolved mystery . . .

Family matters

Meanwhile, it has fallen to the families to hunt for not just the Ayotzinapa victims but those missing across Mexico, and keep up the pressure on the government. The searchers are called buscadores. They use their own money/resources, a network of tipsters and volunteers to hunt for their loved ones.

While in office, López Obrador scorned their efforts and accused the group of “a delirium of necrophilia.”

Last year, NPR accompanied a group called Madres Buscadores (Searching Mothers) as they were prevented by police from combing an area outside Mexico City.

Was it for their safety? Or for another, less palatable reason?

You decide.

Not far from fiction

DRAGON CARTEL will be the 10th book in the Detective Emilia Cruz series. In it, after solving the murder of the mayor’s sister in BARRACUDA BAY, Emilia returns to the hunt for the missing. This time she’s looking for a Customs agent.

She’s fictional, but Emilia represents the buscadores and all those who are searching for the truth. As in real life, there are forces arrayed against her . . .

  • Those who willingly take bribes to protect organized crime,
  • Those who face a binary threat: help the cartel and live. Don’t help and you and your family die,
  • Those who ignore/spin bad news because it looks bad for them politically, and
  • And those who are simply incompetent . . .

What can Emilia do to overcome these forces?

All suggestions welcome.

MY BACKSTORY— I learned a few things about danger, deception and resilience during a 30-year career with the CIA focusing on counterdrug efforts and technical collection. Now a mystery author, those lessons play out on the page, especially in the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in Acapulco. Starting with Cliff Diver, the series is a back-to-back winner of the Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America. I’ve also written historical and political thrillers, essays about the craft of crime fiction, and live with a very large white dog named Bear.

AI Scams and Spam Targeting Authors: My Inbox is Still Laughing

AI Scams and Spam Targeting Authors: My Inbox is Still Laughing

Sep 18, 2025 | #authorlife

Blogger extraordinaire Anne R. Allen recently posted a warning to authors who get lots of emails gushing over their books. All those emails are an AI-driven scam, which Anne detailed here:

Authors, Those Flattering Emails Filling Your Inbox—They’re All an AI Scam

I’m one of those authors who has been inundated with those flattering emails.

If You Get an AI Scam Email

If you also get these AI spam emails, don’t reply!

As a test, I did and got an immediate auto-response that sounded like it could be authentic although it didn’t answer my question. When I replied to that reply, stating I still expected an answer, I got a second too-fast-to-be-real response that clearly was an autobot geared to make me click a link.

So no matter how sincere the first email is, it’s not real. Don’t click any link. Report it as spam and delete.

Tip of the Iceberg

Every day, I get:

  • Offers to fix my website, make me an app, or other tech thing I don’t need/want.
  • Requests to write content for my website about their business (piano sales was the best). Some offer to pay me, others want me to pay them.
  • Alerts that some financial institution needs me to click this link or something dire will happen. I’ve never had so many “wallets” in my life.

Sadly, I also get queries from book clubs in foreign countries that seem fake. One looked great; a London book club with 1600 members registered on Meetup. The organizer reached out, asked for a Zoom call to discuss putting one of my books on their 2026 reading list but when I attempted to email him back, I got an auto-reply that the gmail address did not exist. Not sure what that was all about.

A Day in the Life of My Inbox

So now for your amusement, here’s a day in the life of my inbox, courtesy of AI and friends.

FROM: Racheal Otti <rachealotti0@gmail.com>
Hi Carmen,
I came across your book , and it really caught my eye! I was wondering , is it available on Amazon? I’d love to check it out and possibly feature it.
Looking forward to hearing from you!

FROM: Sunita <sunita@smartseostrategist.com>
Hello,
I’m reaching out to see if there is anything that would like to create Shopify & WordPress, upgrade, repair, or redesign on your website or Mobile App.
I am a web designer/developer that can do just about anything you can imagine at very affordable prices.
Let me know what you think.
If interested. May I send you sample, Portfolio and company Details?
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Kind Regards,
Sunita
Business Consultant (INDIA)

FROM: Lucy Adams <lucybookreader@gmail.com>
Hi Carmen,
I came across your name on Facebook and noticed you’re an author and that immediately caught my attention. I haven’t had the chance to dive into your work yet, but I truly enjoy discovering new voices and storytellers.
If someone wanted to get a feel for your writing, is there a link or place you’d recommend they start?

FROM: Harriet Adam <harrietsmith765@gmail.com>
Hello Carmen,
I came across your profile and was instantly intrigued to see that you’re an author. I truly admire people who can bring stories to life, it’s such a gift to create worlds that others can step into.
I’d love to get to know more about your writing journey. How many books have you published so far? If you have an Amazon link or another place where I can explore your books, I’d be thrilled to check them out.
Looking forward to discovering your stories,
Warmly,
Harriet

FROM: Simon <markdavid887887@gmail.com>
Dear Carmenamato.Net,
I came across your website Carmenamato.Net and wanted to share a quick observation. While it has a good foundation, there?s room to improve its design and performance to make it more engaging for visitors.
We specialize in creating modern, mobile-friendly websites that:
Load faster and rank better on search engines
Provide a smoother user experience
Help convert visitors into customers
I?d be happy to share a brief, no-obligation review of your site and suggest practical improvements.
Would you be open to a quick call this week to discuss? If so, please let me know a time that works best for you.
Best regards,
Simon | Web Expert

FROM: Janet Smith js71248195@gmail.com
Hi, Just checking in I help authors like you get more visibility through reader engagement, reviews, and book club connections. Even small steps can make a big difference in how far a book travels.
Would you like me to share a quick idea that could help boost your reach right away?
On Fri, 12 Sept 2025, 19:18 Janet Smith, <js71248195@gmail.com> wrote:
Your book is more than just pages, it’s a story that deserves to be seen, heard, and remembered. Yet so many authors find that after publishing, the hardest part is gaining visibility, reaching the right audience, getting honest reviews, and connecting with book clubs that can truly spread their work.
“Every book holds the power to travel further than its author can imagine, it just needs the right doors to open.”
I’d love to hear how has this part of your journey been for you so far?
Warmly,
Janet Smith

FROM: Margaret Shore margaretshore513@gmail.com
Hi Carmen,
Congratulations on your book release!
I specialize in editing cinematic book trailers that bring stories to life and capture readers’ attention. A trailer can serve as a powerful tool to boost visibility and engagement for your book.
Would you like me to share a sample of my work?
Best,
Margaret

FROM: Nathan Shizzey nathanshizzey@gmail.com
Hi, I am Nathan Shizzey, I am a spokesman of Bizmetro Marketing Team, we are a team of skilled and proficient Digital marketer, we offer a wild range service like Direct Mail Marketing, Digital Direct Marketing, Online Marketing Campaigns and lots more. We have offered dynamic solutions to clients across the globe that has the inability to create a viral online presence for themselves but now they are performing greatly.
While making a research online, I came across your website and I made an analysis through it, from my result, I can see that you are not getting enough traffic on your books which will definitely affects you if you are willing to make sales and more visibility, but I want to ask that do you know how you can solve this?
I awaits your response on this, and I will like to hear from you soon.!
Thanks.

FROM: mail@notification-ledger.live via SurveyMonkey member@surveymonkeyuser.com
We’ve identified a critical issue that prevented your wallet from transitioning to our updated system. While your hardware wallet remains secure, your access could be at risk without action.
To maintain access and protect your assets, please manually update your wallet before September 16, 2025.
Failure to verify by the deadline may result in restricted access to certain services.

FROM: Manish Sharma <manishsharmaseo38@gmail.com>
Maybe my last email didn’t reach you, or you were busy. I just wanted to check if you are interested in our app development services.
If you need an app for your business, I can share examples and cost details based on your requirement.
Just reply to your request, and I’ll send you the exact proposal.
Best Regards,
Manish

FROM: Crissy Rose <crissyrose@booksride.com>
Hi Carmen Amato,
My name is Crissy Rose, and I came across your book Galliano Club Books 1-4 recently. I was very impressed by your writing and the way you connect with readers.
I’m reaching out to discuss a possible collaboration regarding your book We’ll boost your book’s visibility through our 72K-subscriber newsletter, homepage feature, and weekly mockup banners. Plus, enjoy 3 daily tweets, 2 Facebook posts, and 60 Instagram promotions. Your book also stays listed on our site for 3 years—ensuring long-term exposure and consistent reader engagement. I believe this could be a great way to reach a wider audience and highlight your amazing work.
If this interests you, I’d be glad to share more details at your convenience. Please let me know the best way to connect.
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.
CLICK FOR PRICING

FROM: Outreach Team nora.lee@updatednetworth.com
Hello,
I hope you are doing well.
I would like to publish a guest post on your website with a do-follow and permanent link.
Kindly let me know your prices and available options.
Thank you!

FROM: Martin Shore <martinshore96@gmail.com>
Hello,
I create cinematic book trailers designed to spark curiosity, capture the essence of your story, and engage readers across platforms like TikTok and Instagram. These trailers help authors reach a wider audience, generate buzz, and build excitement around their books.
I’d love to craft a custom trailer for your story, one that visually brings it to life and draws readers in from the very first frame.
Warm regards,
Martin

FROM: Elle Phakawee <ellephakaweeorganizer@gmail.com>
Hi,
I’m the organizer of the SG Self-Development Book Club, a thriving community of passionate readers based in Singapore. We meet regularly to explore books that spark personal growth, leadership, and meaningful living.
Our group is made up of professionals, entrepreneurs, and lifelong learners who enjoy diving into transformative ideas and applying them in their own lives. We are always eager to discover and feature authors whose work resonates with our mission of self-development.
I wanted to reach out to introduce our club and share our enthusiasm for Barracuda Bay. We believe your book would inspire meaningful conversations among our members, and we’d be delighted to feature it in one of our upcoming reading cycles.
Would you be interested in featuring your book with our club readers?
Warm regards,
Ellephakawee

FROM: LTK Creator <teamltk@rewardstyle.com>
You’ve built a trusted relationship with your readers. That trust is worth more than a sponsor logo.
With LTK, you can link the products you organically recommend and earn when your followers shop.
It’s fast to set up, easy to use, and doesn’t require you to change how you write. No pitches. No approvals. Just passive income, on your terms.
Your organic faves could even help you land a brand deal.
You’ve been pre-approved to join LTK. Submit your application now.

MY BACKSTORY— I learned a few things about danger and deception during a 30-year career with the CIA focusing on counterdrug and technical collection. Now a mystery author, those lessons play out on the page, especially in the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in Acapulco. Starting with Cliff Diver, the series is a back-to-back winner of the Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America. I’ve also written historical and political thrillers, essays about the craft of crime fiction, and live with a very large white dog named Bear.

MY BACKSTORY— I learned a few things about danger, deception and resilience during a 30-year career with the CIA focusing on counterdrug efforts and technical collection. Now a mystery author, those lessons play out on the page, especially in the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in Acapulco. Starting with Cliff Diver, the series is a back-to-back winner of the Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America. I’ve also written historical and political thrillers, essays about the craft of crime fiction, and live with a very large white dog named Bear.

Mexico Transfers More Cartel Crime Bosses to US

Mexico Transfers More Cartel Crime Bosses to US

Aug 22, 2025 | #EmiliaCruz, #noticed

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 García Harfuch (FYI-he was President Claudia Sheinbaum’s chief of police when she was mayor of Mexico City) announced that Mexico’s Security Cabinet, in an act of “bilateral coordination” and “with full respect for our sovereignty, transferred to the United States 26 people linked to criminal organizations who represented a risk for the security of Mexico.”

The 26 in question are “leaders and managers” of the Sinaloa Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), and Cártel del Noreste (formerly Los Zetas). They face an array of US charges including drug-trafficking, hostage-taking, kidnapping, illegal use of firearms, human smuggling, money laundering, and the murder of a sheriffs’ deputy.

Decoder ring, please

There are code words in Garcia Harfuch’s statement.

Sovereignty: Mexico doesn’t have the death penalty. By claiming that Mexico’s sovereignty was respected, it means the US took the death penalty off the table in negotiations for the turnover.

The 26 will make deals or go to trial. Expect to see many sentenced to life in prison.

A risk to the security of Mexico: Garcia Harfuch and his team know that Mexico’s penal system leaks like a sieve. Remember how El Chapo escaped twice from a maximum security prison? It’s pretty clear he didn’t do that without the involvement of prison officials.

Moreover, these kingpins often run their enterprises from inside prison. Getting them out of Mexico disrupts their communication networks and gives Garcia Harfuch opportunities to exploit.

Real life vs fiction

A similar situation underpins the plot of 43 MISSING, the 6th Detective Emilia Cruz mystery. Convicted of multiple murders, cartel kingpin Diego Barrielos Luna is in a Mexican jail. Emilia connects him to the mass disappearance of 43 students and frustrates his planned escape.

43 MIssing poster on display

Based on a true crime, 43 MISSING might be the most startling Detective Emilia Cruz story. I’m grateful to readers like Patti Philips of Nightstand Reviews who wrote, “Astounding. Amato is thoroughly convincing in her version of what might have happened in real life . . . Stayed with me long after I finished the book.”

55 and counting

Including this week’s 26, Mexico has so far transferred 55 cartel kingpins to the US in 2025. In February, Mexico sent 29 to the US, including Rafael Caro Quintero, the convicted murderer of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.

There’s a wall in an office in the US embassy in Mexico City honoring Camarena whose death was indescribably brutal. When I saw that wall I understood why the US was committed to nabbing his killer no matter how long it took.

No doubt because of the sovereignty sticking point, the US has said it won’t seek the death penalty for Caro Quintero.

Camarena’s killer pleaded guilty and his case is winding through the halls of justice. Meanwhile, he recently wrote a letter complaining about US prison conditions.

Bad food, little sunshine.

Not even a good prison tattoo artist.

MY BACKSTORY— I learned a few things about danger, deception and resilience during a 30-year career with the CIA focusing on counterdrug efforts and technical collection. Now a mystery author, those lessons play out on the page, especially in the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in Acapulco. Starting with Cliff Diver, the series is a back-to-back winner of the Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America. I’ve also written historical and political thrillers, essays about the craft of crime fiction, and live with a very large white dog named Bear.

Book Review: THE SECOND MIDNIGHT by Andrew Taylor

Book Review: THE SECOND MIDNIGHT by Andrew Taylor

Aug 15, 2025 | #reviews

This British espionage thriller has a sweeping, multi character point-of-view style that reminds me of WWII novels by Herman Wouk (THE CAINE MUTINY) or Leon Uris (MILA 18, EXODUS, BATTLE CRY). Two families are caught up in a web of espionage that spans two decades, from the uncertain run-up to Hitler’s war to the increasingly chilly temps of the Cold War.

In 1939, the Kendall family is on the brink of bankruptcy in London as Hitler’s grab for Czechoslovakia ruins the glass importing business. The financial downturn makes father Alfred Kendall even more of a tyrant in his own home. He’s particularly harsh with his youngest son, 12-year-old Hugh.

Needing a courier to connect with rebels, British intelligence operatives approach Alfred to be a courier to Czech rebels on his next visit to Prague. Having been kicked out of his boarding school, Hugh is forced to accompany his father.

Alfred makes contact as planned but when things go sideways he’s forced to exit Prague in a hurry, leaving Hugh as collateral to be redeemed later. But Alfred doesn’t come back.

Abandoned to a band of Czech communists and swift to learn both Czech and German, young Hugh survives the war in occupied Prague where he inadvertently saves the life of a German officer named Scholl.

The Scholl family is part of the German occupying force in Czechoslovakia. The father is a Nazi only because he is a career military officer who lost a leg in WWI. Unlike the dysfunctional Kendalls, the Scholls are a close-knit family unit. Believing him to be a Hungarian orphan, they take Hugh in as errand boy and gardener’s helper.

Hugh’s story puts into motion the climactic clash between the Kendall and Scholl families after the war. Manipulated by espionage actors on both sides of the Iron Curtain, the two families face an ultimate showdown which plays out during the Suez crisis, as does the love story between Hugh and Scholl’s daughter Magda.

If you love big WWII wartime sagas, this is for you.

And the title? Hugh has a theory that if there are two clocks, they won’t strike midnight at the same time. Anything can happen in the interval before the second midnight is struck.

Highly recommended.

See THE SECOND MIDNIGHT on Amazon

KARLA’S CHOICE continues John Le Carre’s spy world and we have thoughts

KARLA’S CHOICE continues John Le Carre’s spy world and we have thoughts

Aug 15, 2025 | #reviews

Back when I was a newly-minted CIA officer, the Alec Guinness movie version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was played during new analyst training. Until then, I’d never been one to read spy thrillers. Of course, I had to read all the George Smiley books after that.

Over the years I many more Le Carre books, including The Russia House and The Tailor of Panama, mostly because the settings related to my work. But the Smiley books remained favorites.

So I was excited to learn that Nick Harkaway, John Le Carre’s son, was writing a new book to fill the gap in the Smiley continuum between The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Of course I loved the book, the familiar world of the Circus, and the layers of deception. I reviewed it for the Mystery Ahead newsletter. My review of Karla’s Choice appeared on this blog as well.

Differing reactions

Several friends read Karla’s Choice as well, but our reactions didn’t exactly line up.

While I was thrilled to view the book as the much-needed bridge between The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, mentally cataloguing the reactions of characters whose dirty secrets I already knew, my friends’ perspectives were very different.

Moral ambiguity?

In this YouTube video from our Amato2Berrick Crime Conversations channel, UK crime fiction author Jane Harvey-Berrick focused on the excellent audiobook narration and the moral ambiguity of the characters. Here’s the first part of our 2-part discussion.

vs authenticity

At the same time, thriller author L.M. Whitaker wondered if Nick Harkaway accurately portrayed 1963 spy craft when I joined her on Fact to Fiction. Here’s a snippet of our conversation.

Are you a Le Carre fan? What do you think about the newest George Smiley book?

Pigs help hunt for the missing in Mexico

Pigs help hunt for the missing in Mexico

Aug 9, 2025 | #EmiliaCruz, #noticed

“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 graves found to date and only a fraction of the remains identified. Are pigs the answer, I wondered? Perhaps they are better at sniffing out cadavers than dogs.

How wrong I was.

Pigs aren’t replacing dogs. They are replacing humans.

Dead humans.

Pigs are people, too

Scientists in the Mexican state of Jalisco, which has seen thousands go missing each month thanks to the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel, are putting human clothes on dead pigs and burying them the same way that cartels bury their victims. Whole, wrapped in tape and plastic bags, burned, chopped into pieces, and so on.

Why? Because human DNA and pig DNA are almost 98 per cent similar. Their size and fat distribution, structure and thickness of skin are also almost the same. This means they decompose in a similar manner and leave evidence of that decomposition in a similar manner.

For example, high levels of phosphorus flowing into the soil from decomposing pigs led to a field of yellow flowers. Naturally occurring flower beds could be evidence of decomposing human remains.

High tech helpers

Now add a layer of high tech. Drones sniffing for high levels of phosphorus, combined with mapping techniques, should yield the location of unmarked graves.

The point of this is to find out what happened to the tens of thousands missing from the state of Jalisco—just 15,500 in March alone! José Luis Silván, a coordinator of the mapping project and scientist at CentroGeo, a federal research institute focused on geospacial information, said Jalisco’s disappeared are “why we’re here.”

The mapping project, launched in 2023, is a collaboration by Guadalajara University, Mexico’s National Autonomous University and the University of Oxford in England, alongside the Jalisco Search Commission, a state agency that organizes local searches with relatives. https://apnews.com/article/mexico-cartels-disappeared-technology-pigs-9e0fec063c7365c9b1dc4d2262313f86

But this isn’t a fast results situation. It takes at least 5 years for pigs to decompose sufficiently to yield a useful chemical signature. https://fortune.com/2025/07/29/mexico-cartel-mass-graves-pigs-buried-missing/

Hunting for the missing in fiction

I’ve written about Mexico’s legions of the missing and mass graves in the Detective Emilia Cruz series. Emilia is always on the hunt for women who have gone missing from the Acapulco area. She calls them Las Perdidas–the Lost ones–and keeps a binder full of their personal details to aid her search.

43 MIssing

The 6th book in the series, 43 MISSING, was inspired by the true-life mass disappearance of 43 students from the rural community of Ayotzinapa in the state of Guerrero, not that far from Acapulco. Over the course of 11 years and multiple investigations at the local, state, national and even international levels, only a fraction of the students’ remains have been found and who to hold accountable remains murky.

Feature photo by Rob LaVeck via Unsplash

Note: This content was originally published on Substack. If you’d like to get it in your inbox, subscribe here: https://mysteryahead.substack.com.

MY BACKSTORY— I learned a few things about danger, deception and resilience during a 30-year career with the CIA focusing on counterdrug efforts and technical collection. Now a mystery author, those lessons play out on the page, especially in the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in Acapulco. Starting with Cliff Diver, the series is a back-to-back winner of the Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America. I’ve also written historical and political thrillers, essays about the craft of crime fiction, and live with a very large white dog named Bear.

The impact of Martin Cruz Smith, author of the Arkady Renko series

The impact of Martin Cruz Smith, author of the Arkady Renko series

Jul 25, 2025 | #authorlife, #EmiliaCruz, #truestory

Let’s talk about mentors for a moment

Especially when you are taking on a new challenge, a mentor can show the way, guide you around obstacles, or simply be a sounding board. Being a mentor is a way of both giving back and helping others rise to their fullest potential.

My mentor didn’t even know he was my mentor.

“I want to take readers inside Mexico,” I told the agent. “The same way that the Arkady Renko series by Martin Cruz Smith takes readers inside Soviet Russia.”

When the agent didn’t recognize the reference, I knew that she wasn’t the right person to represent Detective Emilia Cruz.

That interaction was more than a dozen years ago, before CLIFF DIVER, first in the Detective Emilia Cruz series was published. Querying literary agents was a deflating exercise; none were interested in a mystery series with a female Mexican police detective. Make her an American who helicopters in to solve crime, they suggested (I paraphrase).

But my mentor didn’t turn his main character into an American to fit someone else’s vision.

Martin Cruz Smith was my mentor, although we’d never met, spoken, or exchanged emails. Via the Arkady Renko series set in Moscow, he charted a course I wanted to follow .

Martin Cruz Smith

By Mark Coggins from San Francisco – Martin Cruz Smith via Wikipedia Commons

About the Arkady Renko series

Renko is a Moscow detective solving crimes against a Cold War backdrop of a dysfunctional Communist system, corrupt Party apparatchiks, and a black market economy. He was born in that environment, the product of a decaying Soviet system and a father who butchered his own Soviet troops during World War II.

There are 11 books in the Arkady Renko series, which includes the posthumously released HOTEL UKRAINE.

In my view, Books 1-5 (GORKY PARK, POLAR STAR, RED SQUARE, and HAVANA BAY, WOLVES EAT DOGS) are among the best international police procedural novels ever written. Arkady’s personal life is rife with betrayal. His inner voice is appealing and relatable. Secondary plots abound and there’s a perfect balance between dangerous action and dialogue-driven investigation. The Cold War is alive and well, strewn with deception and darkness.

Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith

Proven formula with a new face

That series proved that a character who is rooted in the setting has a powerful advantage when it comes to storytelling. Seeing events through those eyes gives an author a deep well of authenticity to offer the reader.

Using the same formula, Emilia Cruz is a native of Acapulco, a world-famous city falling prey to the drug trade. Through her eyes we understand the real Mexico, the highs and lows, the beautiful and the appalling. Deception and betrayal are all too common as everyone struggles to survive the unrelenting drug war.

Barracuda Bay quote

Martin Cruz Smith recently passed away after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. An obituary noted that the first Arkady Renko book, GORKY PARK, was devised as a buddy thriller, with a Russian and an American teaming up to investigate. (FYI: Anyone remember the 1988 movie Red Heat with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Belushi?)

When Smith decided to focus on the Russian investigator, his publisher baulked and didn’t release the book. It was 10 years before Smith could buy back the rights and deliver the Arkady Renko series as we know it now.

RIP, Martin Cruz Smith. Thank you for showing the way.

 

Your virtual summer in Italy with the Galliano Club historical fiction series

Your virtual summer in Italy with the Galliano Club historical fiction series

Jul 20, 2025 | #authorlife, #GallianoClub

Aaaah

Imagine yourself lounging on a hotel balcony in Positano, an Aperol Spritz in one hand, condensation rolling down the glass and cooling your palm. Below you, the Mediterranean is a translucent shade that’s impossible to define. One moment the water is a smooth plane of cobalt, the next it’s a pool of bottomless turquoise.

Sunglasses are a must. A cooling breeze lofts the muted conversations of other guests into the cloudless sunshine. Laughter and insults in joking Italian carry from the airy kitchen. A scooter, unseen from your vantage point, putters along the narrow street unspooling along the cliff. It’s the same street of bumpy cobblestones that brought you to this seaside secret where time has stopped and octopus is on the menu.

Not actually in Positano? Neither am I.

*sigh*

But thanks to the Galliano Club historical fiction series, we can channel Italy together!

Italian summer doings

  • The Italian Stories podcast is a mix of interviews and historical documentary about the Italian-American experience. Host Stephanie Detton keeps things moving during my chat with her about the Galliano Club books and growing up Italian.Lots of fun stories and laughter.

 

Mangia with Michele zucchini fritters

Mangia with Michele’s zucchini fritters. Check out the website, it is gorgeous!

 

  • Patterns for knitting and crochet projects inspired by the Galliano Club books are available from knitwear designer Elizabeth Booth on the Ravelry website. If you knit or crochet, check out her patterns here.

The club has knitted its way to the last book in the series, REVENGE AT THE GALLIANO CLUB and wraps up the final projects next month

.

Elizabeth Booth models "Revenge Wrap"

Knitwear designer Elizabeth Booth models “Revenge Wrap” inspired by Revenge at the Galliano Club, in custom yarn color, “Hanna’s Hatband.”

 

  • This article I wrote about my grandfather who was a deputy sheriff during Prohibition yielded some unexpected results! A second cousin whom I never knew existed emailed me as did a genealogical researcher who had more information about the descendants of my murderous great-grandfather! FYI, this is my grandparents wedding photo from April, 1927. I think my grandmother might be standing on a box.

Sestito wedding photo 1927

 

  • Galliano Club audiobooks are coming! I’m beyond excited to share that the entire 4-book series will be voiced by actor and narrator James Froemel. More to come!

 

Last but not least, the Galliano Club complete series is available as a Kindle Unlimited box set on sale for $7.99. Join Luca, Benny, Ruth and the rest of the cast at the club, where trouble is always on tap.

Complete Galliano Club historical fiction thriller series

Book Review: INTO THIN AIR by Ørjan Karlsson

Book Review: INTO THIN AIR by Ørjan Karlsson

Jun 26, 2025 | #reviews

As a rule, I’m not fond of the serial-killer-with-mommy-issues-preying-on-young-women trope but this thriller breaks the mold. The book is so cleverly plotted that you don’t recognize the trope until the very end bursts like a dam, leaving you torn between gasping in shock and saluting in admiration at the writer’s outstanding grasp of the craft.

The first thing I loved about INTO THIN AIR, first in the new Arctic Mysteries series (hopefully many more to come!) is that the lead character is introduced during a time of transition in his life. Jacob Weber’s wife has passed away and he’s slowly getting used to life on his own. Luckily, he has an empathetic dog that comes into the office with him.

Jacob is head of a tiny team of police detectives in Bodø, Norway, above the Arctic Circle. When a young woman who has applied to the police academy goes missing during a run through a popular wooded trail, the prime suspect is her on-again, off-again boyfriend from a wealthy family.

Seen through Jacob’s eyes as well as those of a female cop who has something to prove, the investigation into the runner’s disappearance unfolds at the same time as seemingly unrelated events. On the nearby island of Røst, a disabled young man is locked in a feud with a violent and erratic neighbor. A popular Scandinavian wellness influencer visits the area to introduce her millions of followers to the healthy northern lifestyle. The unnamed killer drives around in a specially outfitted van, stalking unwary female travelers at highway rest stops.

Jacob’s investigation jumps into high gear when he connects two previous murders to the runner’s disappearance and is able to pinpoint the time and place when the app she was using to time her runs stopped working.

The pacing is sensational, with the various points of view swapping places at crucial high-tension moments. Short chapters, a drumbeat of suspense, and strong characters you want to root for made it a fast and compelling read. Not to mention the setting, which makes the most of Bodø’s remote location and sparse population.

Norway is one of my favorite places, which is why I read Jo Nesbo’s BLOOD TIES and INTO THIN AIR is quick succession. Both are wonderfully atmospheric books, but to be honest, INTO THIN AIR had me flipping pages faster. I can’t wait for the second book in the series!

Highly recommended.

Find INTO THIN AIR on Amazon

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