Oct 20, 2026 | #EmiliaCruz
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 up against Yan Jinping, an intel officer for China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS).
It’s a clash of fundamentally different operating systems, assets and skill sets.
BTW: Check out this review of Dragon Cartel by David Bruns, author of the Command and Control series on Substack: https://authordirectory.substack.com/p/book-review-dragon-cartel-by-carmen
What the cop brings to the party
In DRAGON CARTEL, Emilia’s assets include her local network and insider knowledge. She knows Acapulco inside and out.
Her network begins in the detectives squadroom but also extends to her snitches on the street, other cops like her cousin who runs the Evidence Locker, plus a DEA agents assigned to the US Consulate to help her find the assassin calling himself El Barracuda.
What the spy brings to the party
Yan’s assets include diplomatic protection and high-tech resources. He has access to deep Chinese pockets to buy local officials and make problems disappear. He’s bought everyone from senior military officials to drug-addled hobos living on the street. The money he spreads around buys silence, too.
The crucial difference
Yan knows the whole picture of what China is doing in Mexico. Small episodes of activity are all in support of a master plan.
Emilia experiences one unrelated event at a time. She has no reason to suspect they are connected or that a situation is developing that is completely outside her frame of reference.
DRAGON CARTEL is out now
You can find DRAGON CARTEL (ebook and paperback) in all your favorite online bookstores, including Amazon, Apple books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and lending sites, too. Audiobook coming soon, too!
Featured image: Man in red shadows by Paco Alonso via pexels.com
Behind the Books
I’d love to have you join me over at the Crime Fiction Files, the newsletter for readers.
Subscribe and read previous newsletters at https://carmenamato.substack.com
Oct 18, 2026 | #EmiliaCruz, #newsroom
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 all Detective Emilia Cruz & Galliano Club audio books on
SPOTIFY
AUDIBLE
If you’d like to listen to excerpts right now, there are excerpts from the Detective Emilia Cruz books narrated by Leanne Maksin and the Galliano Club books narrated by James Froemel on this page.
Also, check out this review of ROAD TO THE GALLIANO CLUB audiobook from onereadingnurse.com!
Audio dramatization
Radio shows are new again, with PocketFM
Detective Emilia Cruz is now an audio drama on the PocketFM app, from Pocket Entertainment with 250 million global listeners.
The imagery for the show is exactly how I imagined Emilia and Kurt. He’s even wearing khaki pants!
I’m so excited that Pocket is introducing Emilia, Kurt, and the rest of the cast to a huge new audience. The scripts are based on the first 5 Detective Emilia Cruz novels: CLIFF DIVER, HAT DANCE, DIABLO NIGHTS, KING PESO, and PACIFIC REAPER.
You can find the show homepage here and listen to the first episode for free right now:
Be the first to know
If you’d like to be the first to know about Detective Emilia Cruz, next books and get the inside scoop on what happens behind the scenes when a 30-year veteran of the CIA writes crime fiction, join me on Substack. Subscribe here: https://carmenamato.substack.com.
Featured image: Cottonbro studio via pexels.com
Oct 17, 2026 | #authorlife, #EmiliaCruz
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 books/movies, SLOW HORSES by Mick Herron, and LONDON STATION, the newest from fellow CIA alum David McCloskey. They abound with gray characters, operations gone wrong, betrayal, deception, and nail-biting danger.
When I retired from the CIA after 30 years, I felt strongly that I had something to say about Mexico, its social structure and those who were fighting the drug war spilling across the US-Mexico border.
BUT I refused to write anything that might reveal/jeopardize real counterdrug operations. As a result, I never contemplated writing contemporary spy fiction set in the region.
But writing about the first female police detective in Acapulco incorporates many of the same elements beloved by spy fiction fans: deep deception, danger in dark places, allies-to-enemies and enemies-to-allies plots, and outcomes that are rigged but outwitted some of the time, but not all.
Doesn’t modern tech make it hard to write police thrillers?
Not really.
The law enforcement environment in the Detective Emilia Cruz series has less to do with CCTV cameras and advanced forensic work than it does with the authenticity of many Mexican police investigations: lost evidence, intentional delays, corruption, scapegoats, and bribery.
As the federal investigation into the local investigation of 43 missing students from Ayotzinapa has revealed, both phone records and bags of evidence were ignored. Cover-up trumped technology, as it does in so many other cases there.
That being said, I spent most of my career in the CIA’s Directorate of Science and Technology and seed the Detective Emilia Cruz books with bits and pieces of work we did then, including:
Speech-to-text video search in 43 MISSING,
Video surveillance in NARCO NOIR and RUSSIAN MOJITO (which featured a Russian spy),
Hidden audio files in BARRACUDA BAY, and
Vehicle tracking device in DRAGON CARTEL.
That being said, police detective Emilia Cruz is mainly a HUMINT (human intelligence) collector. She is asking questions, observing, and reaching for context. Crimes and villains are revealed through her tenacity, resilience and analytic skills, not because a lab achieved a forensic breakthrough or AI spit out the correct answer.
The rest of the story
This post is an excerpt of my newsletter, which is hosted on Substack. Join me there!
Check out past newsletters and subscribe at https://carmenamato.substack.com.
Oct 2, 2026 | #booknews, #EmiliaCruz
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 as a short story 15 years ago. At that time I couldn’t begin to imagine that it would grow into a franchise described as “Hawaii 5-0 meets Narcos with the character depth of Vera.”
From Spanish translations to audiobooks, Detective Emilia Cruz is on her way. What will happen next?
Having sold the film rights 3 times, the rights are now back with me.
Could that be Emilia Cruz’s next milestone?
Oct 2, 2026 | #booknews
To refresh your memory, on the night of 26 Sept 2014 students from the Ayotzinapa rural teaching college commandeered buses in Iguala, Guerrero for a joyride to Mexico City. The buses got stopped and the students were kidnapped, never to be seen again.
As the initial investigations turned into clown shows, I wrote 43 MISSING, a book with a similar crime that reviewers have called “Haunting . . .a real pageturner” (Nightstand Reviews) and “Brilliantly plotted and magnetic” (Readers’ Favorite). My goal was to show what might have happened and also to raise awareness of the real crime.
The federal government tried to pin the blame for the disappearance on a local drug gang but so many others had to be involved that the so-called “historical truth” story fell apart fast. Now it appears that local police, narcos, civil and judicial authorities, and the Mexican Army were all involved in either the initial crime and/or the cover-up that followed.
President Claudia Sheinbaum has released a new report that outlines the investigation going forward. Her administration is apparently taking a scientific approach, looking at whatever factual and scientific evidence exists to try and close the case, but also to “Identify those who benefited from unsupported narratives during earlier stages of the process.”
ICYMI: Here are my research notes behind the book 43 MISSING and the Ayotzinapa tragedy
Leading up to the announcement, this happened
20 previously “overlooked” trash bags containing human remains from a funeral home in Iguala are now of interest. The bags were on the premises of a funeral home with 3 crematorium ovens.
The former governor of the state of Guerrero, Ángel Aguirre, was arrested last month on charges that he ordered security camera footage related to the case to be destroyed. Aguirre resigned in 2014 a month after the mass disappearance. Last year a judge in Guerrero was arrested for the same reason.
In June of this year, US immigration authorities in California arrested fugitive Enrique Martínez Chávez, a former Mexican Army soldier wanted in Mexico for his role in disappearing the 43 students.
In March, a federal judge in Mexico ruled the Mexican Army must make public 853 documents related to the Ayotzinapa case. The military fought hard to avoid having to produce the files, claiming that they are missing, never existed, etc. Still waiting to see if this actually happens.
Four new focus areas
As outlined in the new government report released 28 September, 12 days and 2 days after the mass disappearance, the federal investigation is focusing on 4 areas:
1. Analysis of calls and locations indicate that students’ phones were used by the owner of funeral homes and a crematorium in Iguala days after the disappearance. This led to 17 more “targets” i.e. people involved in doing away with the students including members of the Guerreros Unidos cartel, municipal and state police, officials, and people related to the funeral sector.
2. Initial searches of the funeral home premises netted human bones, weapons and a previously undocumented crematorium. Additional searches between March and June 2026, turned up hundreds of bone fragments, dental prostheses, biological remains, cartridges, casings, and documents, all of which are being analyzed.
3. Three phones owned by missing students were used by local officials, including a municipal police officer. Tracing also led to pinpointing a student phone in a local police station, suggesting that the students were in custody in the police station before disappearing. This line of investigation led to a witness who was a minor–aged 14–at the time.
4. Footage from security cameras of the Superior Court of Justice of Guerrero from the night of September 26 and the early morning of September 27, 2024 may have captured action. While the footage itself may have been destroyed, court and municipal officials almost certainly are guilty of colluding to keep the footage secret. So far, the former president of the Court and the former inspector of the judicial body have both been arrested. Now they need to talk.
New Lies and Old Clues
A friend jokingly said that it was easier for me to write contemporary police procedurals set in Mexico than if I was writing the same genre set in the US. He was right.
The Mexican law enforcement landscape isn’t particularly troubled by crime, or so it seems, because there are more favors to be gained and money to be made by going along with corrupt civil authority and their narco partners. For the most part criminal behavior has been protected.
Writing 43 MISSING, a fictionalized account of a troubled investigation into a crime that mirrored the Ayotzinapa tragedy, allowed me to create closure for a crime that may never actually have one in real life. As an audiobook, it has an even impact, as you puzzle out the crime listening to Detective Emilia Cruz’s inner thoughts.
I applaud President Sheinbaum’s approach, bringing technical tools to bear but it also feels like too little, too late. Nibbling around the edges of a sprawling coverup.
Anyone involved has had 12 years to dream up new lies and argue that old clues are too timeworn to be relevant.
Get 43 MISSING on AMAZON
Featured image credit: Graciela López Herrera / Cuartoscuro, via sdpnoticias.com
Sep 1, 2026 | #reviews
As well as writing thrillers like the Detective Emilia Cruz series set in Acapulco, I love reading and watching noir thrillers set in unexpected places. When I needed down time during what became a super busy summer, I turned to the best noir shows on Netflix. These three kept me on the edge of my seat!
Two are adaptations of two of my favorite Nordic Noir authors: Jo Nesbo and Jussi Adler-Olsen. The third takes me to both England and France so I could also relive college travels!
Not only are these shows visually arresting, but the plotting is absolutely world-class and the casting is superb.
Detective Hole
Courtesy filmafinity.com via Netflix
Detective Hole captures Harry Hole (pronounced ho-LAH) exactly as I imagined him.
I love the Harry Hole books by Jo Nesbo set in Oslo. I’ve visited the city several times and can picture in my mind’s eye where the action takes place. For those who aren’t (yet) a fan, Harry is a brilliant cop whose specialty is tracking serial killers BUT he’s a self-destructive SOB who flouts rules, has a drinking/drug problem and is in love with a single mother to the point of obsession. His relationship with booze, drugs and the long-suffering woman ebbs and flows through the entire book series. You are as much riveted by the crimes he investigates as by his self-destructive tendencies.
Jo Nesbo wrote the screenplay for the Netflix series, which is based on THE DEVIL’S STAR, the 5th book in the series. A vigilante cult is scouring Oslo at the same time it is selling weapons to gangs to create an excuse for ridding the city of undesirables. Harry’s fellow cop Tom Waaler is part of it. At the same time, a serial killer is targeting women and leaving star-shaped diamonds on or near their bodies. Oh and the killer cuts off a finger, too. The killer and the gang war appear to be connected.
Early on, a female colleague is killed–ostensibly by a gang member–and Harry falls into a bottle. He’s fired, then reinstated, then fired again. Waaler, of course, is the fair-haired boy of the department. Always first on the scene. Tireless. Squeaky-clean. And he drives a Lotus.
Tobias Santelmann stars as Harry, which is brilliant casting helped along by the raspy English-language voiceover. He’s tall and lanky, just like the descriptions of the character in the book, wearing mangy band tee shirts and a stained blazer. As Waaler, Joel Kinnaman is an unforgettable combo of buff cop, solicitous peace officer, and beyond creepy killer.
Confession: I binged the last 5 episodes all in one night, something I NEVER do. There are so many details that all come together that I simply had to keep watching. The visuals deliver lots of secrets, too. Someone put lots of time and effort to not only layer the story but make sure the audience sees hints along the way.
One season, 9 episodes. The last frame gives you hope of a second season. Fingers crossed.
Department Q
By Flitcraft, Left Bank Pictures & Sony Pictures Television
I wasn’t prepared to be engrossed in this series because the setting moved from Copenhagen where the books by Jussi Adler-Olson are set, to Edinburgh. But the first season perfectly captured the drama and nail-biting suspense of the book it is based on, THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES. In a strange bid for revenge, a rising female barrister is kidnapped and held hostage in a pressure-testing tank. She has no idea who or why is holding her . . . and it goes on for years.
Edinburgh detective Carl Morck is still reeling from a shooting that killed a fellow cop and left his best friend paralyzed. Needless to say, he’s in a bad mood, which gets him put in charge of a tiny cold case unit in the police HQ basement with a pile of old file boxes. He builds a very motley team, slowly transforms the basement into something resembling a work space, and sifts through the file boxes.
The case of the missing barrister piques interest but it’s a very, very cold case.
Matthew Goode stars as Morck and gives a resounding performance. Like Tobias Santelmann in Detective Hole, he’s tall, lanky, and long-legged with a “Don’t f*** with me” chip on his shoulder who threw on clothes from the dirty laundry hamper. (Note: Goode got progressively leaner as the episodes went on, until I wanted to hit Pause and give him a sandwich.) As Akram Salim, a Syrian former policeman, Alexej Manvelov does a marvelous job creating the enigmatic character from the books who has a mysterious past and a host of unusual skills.
Department Q is another case of brilliant casting and twisting plot lines with plenty of red herrings. I really liked the way the story is a cold case, not a whodunit, and shows how tough it is to close them.
A second season is in the works and I’m there for it.
The Tunnel
The Tunnel from filmafinity.com
I’m not sure how I stumbled onto this bi-lingual French-English series, which is a wild serial killer chase that spans 2 seasons. Stephen Dillane and Clémence Poésy as British and French police detectives Karl Roebuck and Elise Wassermann who end up working together when the upper half of a French politician and the lower half of a British prostitute are found together at the exact midpoint of the Channel Tunnel.
Clémence Poésy is the stand-out here, as the workaholic Elise who has few social skills, lives like a monk and doesn’t care who she offends or when she needs a bath. A fantastic acting job, especially if your frame of reference for her is Fleur in the Harry Potter franchise. Dillane is great as the English detective who is a bit past his prime but dedicated to the job. BUT he’s also a womanizer who loves his wife and kids but can’t seem to help himself.
.I really liked the interplay between the French and English cops. The two develop a wary friendship, curious about their different lifestyles. They make an investigative odd couple that works very well on screen. Some of their best conversations take place when they are stuck in a car on the auto train chugging through the tunnel.
Besides the riveting serial kill plots of both seasons, you really get a sense of the engineering marvel that is the Chunnel, how much time it takes to get from England to France and the whole ecosystem that has been built to support the tunnel.
Aug 19, 2026 | #authorlife
My author newsletter has a new name and a new home!
Crime Fiction Files
For years the newsletter was Mystery Ahead but as my writing universe has expanded, the name no longer fit. The newsletter is now the Crime Fiction Files, hosted on the Substack platform.
I like Substack because it gives you the opportunity to read past editions AND comment, something the old way of sending out newsletters never did. You can still reply via email, so now you have more options.
The Substack platform also has a space for teasers, called Notes where I occasionally post writing updates.
What’s New
Aside from the new location and design, I’m sharpening the focus. In every edition you’ll see
Unfortunately I don’t have time to do the lengthy book reviews any more but still recommend must-read mysteries and thrillers that I’ve enjoyed and think you will, too.
If you are not yet a subscriber, I hope you’ll join me on Substack. Every other Sunday–with the occasional extra announcement–you get fresh insights in your inbox.
Recent newsletters
Check out some of the new format newsletters. Don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already!
Your Guide to the Ghosts that Haunt my Crime Fiction
Ebay Assassins
Are Mexican Politicians in the Sinaloa Cartel’s Pocket?
Aug 8, 2026 | #authorlife
Will you be at Killer Nashville this month? If so, join me for great panels and presentations 19-23 August at the Embassy Suites by Hilton-Cool Springs, Franklin, TN.
This is my favorite author conference, which gets bigger every year!
Interested in going? Check out the full schedule here: https://www.killernashville.com/schedule
Here’s where I’ll be.
AUTHOR PANELS
Friday, 21 August @ 0900: Strategic Blogging for Authors: why, how and where
Saturday, 22 August @ 0900: Getting and Keeping Newsletter Subscribers (I’m the panel chair so don’t miss this one)
Sunday, 23 August @ 1130: Dealing with Dismal Dialogue: how to make every conversation sing
SPEED DATING
Saturday, 22 August @ 3:55
For the third year, I’m co-hosting the Author Speed Dating event sponsored by the Dangerous Pens Society. Ticket holders get the chance to have 5-minute conversations with 10 different experienced authors. Every time the bell rings, they move to the next author.
It’s a popular event and always sells out.
PURPOSE FOR GOING
Why go to an author conference, especially if you aren’t looking for an agent or a traditional publishing deal? I mean, just sit at home and write. Right?
Every once in a while, a working writer needs to refill the tank. Grouse about the state of the publishing industry. Trade plot ideas. Toast successes and commiserate over failures.
Basically, I go every year to meet people, compare notes on the publishing world, and learn from others’ experiences and perspectives. I always leave with a renewed sense of purpose, a couple of fresh plot ideas, and new friends.
The bar in the hotel is everyone’s favorite watering hole, where we stay up talking long after the bartender wants us to leave. Those conversations are some of the brightest highlights of my author career.
Connections made IRL are invaluable.
AWARDS
I’ve also won the conference’s prestigious Silver Falchion Award twice.
2019 for THE ARTIST/EL ARTISTA in the Short Story/Collection category
Wearing my Silver Falchion medal for THE ARTIST at Killer Nashville 2019 with R.G. Belsky and conference founder Clay Stafford
2023 for MURDER AT THE GALLIANO CLUB in the Historical Fiction category.
Wearing my Silver Falchion medal for Best Historical for REVENGE AT THE GALLIANO CLUB at the Killer Nashville awards dinner, 2023.
Three of the Detective Emilia Cruz novels have been finalists in the Best Investigator category: 43 MISSING, RUSSIAN MOJITO, and NARCO NOIR.
BARRACUDA BAY didn’t make the cut this year, but I’ll still be at the Awards Dinner, cheering on my friends.
WHY SO SPECIAL
Over the years I’ve blogged about what makes this conference so special and why I keep going back:
They Want you to Succeed.
Wrapping up another Great Conference
Jun 16, 2026 | #booknews, #EmiliaCruz
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 #10 in the Detective Emilia Cruz series. Can you believe what this crime fiction franchise has grown to be 10 books?? (plus novellas and short stories)
In DRAGON CARTEL, Detective Emilia Cruz is already stretched to the max hunting the cartel assassin calling himself El Barracuda when she agrees to take on the case of a missing Customs inspector.
The only clue to his disappearance is a list of commercial shipping containers.
During an operation to find El Barracuda, Emilia finds an identical list. Is there a connection between the cartel killer and the missing Customs inspector?
At the same time, the interrogation of a mysterious Chinese national turns a local crime into an international puzzle.
A missing inspector. A cartel assassin. And a conspiracy that links Mexico and the United States to China.
The ebook includes a note about the background research which started with a startling statistic. As always, there’s a recipe from a meal eaten in the book, and sample chapters from previous Detective Emilia Cruz books in case you’re new to the series.
If you love gritty crime fiction, sharp female leads, and plots ripped straight from real-world intelligence headlines, this is the ride you’ve been waiting for.
Amazon: https://geni.us/Daragon2026
All other stores: https://books2read.com/u/bz0V19
May 17, 2026 | #EmiliaCruz
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 Maksin will narrate, continuing her fantastic voicing of the series.
What it’s all about
The initial concept for DRAGON CARTEL was sparked by reports that the number of Chinese nationals arriving at the US-Mexico border went up 8500% between March 2021 and March 2024.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, 24,300 Chinese nationals arrived “without authorization” at the U.S.-Mexico border in FY2023, and 38,200 arrived in FY 2024. The numbers of Chinese at the US-Canada border doubled to 12,400 during the same time period.
Although an increase of 8500% is eye-popping, the overall number of Chinese migrants is still a drop in the bucket compared to the estimated 6.3 million Border Patrol encounters with migrants of all nationalities at the US-Mexico border in the same time frame.
Was it possible that Beijing, knowing how overtaxed US border officials were, purposely funneled Chinese spies into the migrant flow?
In mid-2023 reports about Chinese men of military age with military haircuts crossing Panama’s Darien Gap en route to the US southern border raised concerns.
Some speculated that these migrants were part of a Chinese espionage operation with “deep insertions” similar to how Russia inserted operatives before invading Ukraine.
Chinese spying on US bases
Washington has tracked about 100 recent incidents involving Chinese nationals gate-crashing American military installations, including a launch site in Key West, Fort Wainwright in Alaska, and a missile range in Missouri.
When caught, they offer scripted language and stock excuses. They have a reservation at a hotel on the base. Google directed them this way. They are lost tourists.
Very innocent mistakes.
Recipe for a Chinese dragon
For the sake of fiction, let’s combine these ingredients:
- A giant increase in unauthorized Chinese migration over the US-Mexico border, and
- Chinese nationals attempting to access and photograph restricted US military facilities.
Now add another ingredient, one that Detective Emilia Cruz all far too familiar with:.
This is the recipe for DRAGON CARTEL. Mark your calendars for 16 June!
Mar 17, 2026 | #booknews, #EmiliaCruz, #GallianoClub
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 waiting for you at the Hub
I’ve taken all the cool details behind the stories and built an immersive archive for those who love to get lost in the details.
This archive is where the atmospheric grit of my 30 year career in the CIA meets the high-stakes drama and deception of both the Detective Emilia Cruz series set in contemporary Acapulco and the Prohibition-era Galliano Club historical fiction trilogy. Basically, it’s a backstage pass full of image galleries, character dossiers, and background research into my crime fiction world.
Beyond the background information, the Hub provides practical tools for readers, including book club guides and recipes from the books.
Visitors can choose their own investigation by exploring the different series.
Choose the badge badge for the Acapulco Archive
For fans of the Detective Emilia Cruz police procedurals, the Reader Hub’s Acapulco Archive offers a treasure trove of resources, including detailed profiles on characters like Emilia Cruz, Kurt Rucker, Franco Silvio and Victor Obregon (that’s him in the featured image) alongside a travelogue that explores the real-world Mexican locations featured in the books. Plus the Mexican Noir library and more.
Follow the car for the Prohibition Files
For readers of historical fiction who love the smoke-filled rooms and bootlegging tension of the 1920s, the Reader Hub’s Prohibition Files holds the Galliano Club menu, era-appropriate crime slang, and hidden character histories.
Why I Created the Hub
As a 30-year veteran of the CIA, I’m used to working with physical project boxes—what I call my “book-in-a-box” system. These boxes are filled with maps, research articles, and photos that help me build authentic worlds. The Reader Hub is my way of opening those boxes for you.
Start Your Investigation
Whether you’re a long-time fan of the 18-book catalog or just starting your first investigation, the Hub is designed to make your reading experience cinematic.
What should I add next? Is there a character you want a deeper dossier on, or a place missing from the gallery? Let me know in the comments—the Archive is always growing!
Enter the Archive: carmenamato.net/reader-hub
When you’re done exploring, stay connected by joining the conversation on my Substack: Crime Fiction Files.
Feb 24, 2026 | #authorlife, #newsroom
For 7 years, mystery readers and I have connected under the banner of Mystery Ahead. That newsletter was a fantastic journey with so many readers cheering me on as I navigated the move from CIA intel officer to crime fiction author.
But as my writing has evolved, even as my 30-year CIA career continues to influence every page I write, it’s time for a newsletter name change that reflects how this community has evolved.
Sooooo . . . I am thrilled to announce that my newsletter is officially rebranding to Crime Fiction Files.
Why the Change?
While “Mystery Ahead” hinted at what was coming, Crime Fiction Files tells exactly what captivates our imaginations. This newsletter isn’t just about whodunit books but also the intersection of real-world intelligence, current events, and high-stakes fiction.
I’ll be writing more about what impacts your world and how authentic crime fiction (and the occasional dose of CIA tradecraft) can make it make sense.
Hey, if fiction can’t, what can?!
The newsletter has also moved to Substack. Here are the latest posts in the fresh new format:
WHY YOUR GAS PRICE IS A GEOPOLITICAL CRIME SCENE
DID I WRITE OMAR GARCIA HARFUCH INTO EXISTENCE?
RECIPE FOR A CHINESE DRAGON
If you were a subscriber to Mystery Ahead, you may have noticed that the name of the newsletter is no longer in the title, too. It was a redundancy that gobbled up too much space in your inbox.
What Stays the Same?
Don’t worry—the core of what you love isn’t going anywhere. Subscribers are still the first to get all the good stuff, including:
- Exclusive Sneak Peeks: Be the first to hear about upcoming new releases including audiobooks.
- Subscriber-Only Giveaways: From signed copies to digital extras.
- Crime Reads: My personal recommendations for the best international crime fiction and noir.
Don’t forget
Not yet a subscriber? Just add your email to the form below. No lines, no waiting to sign up for the Crime Fiction Files newsletter and join more than 6,600 fellow crime fiction fans. I’ll see you there!
