Detective Emilia Cruz Series
Emilia Cruz is the first female police detective in Acapulco, confronting cartels, corruption and social inequality in plots torn from today’s headlines.
“A thrilling series” – National Public Radio
2019 & 2020 Poison Cup award, Outstanding Series – CrimeMasters of America
2019 Silver Falchion Award, Best Short Story
Novels
CLIFF DIVER
“Consistently exciting” – Kirkus Reviews
Unexpectedly put in charge of the investigation when her lieutenant is found dead, Detective Emilia Cruz uncovers his sordid sexual past as well as his role in a kidnapping double-cross and counterfeit money scheme.
Reputations are threatened by her discoveries and truth is for sale. Emilia becomes a pawn in an ugly game of power and corruption played by Acapulco’s ambitious mayor and the powerful police union. A norteamericano hotel manager, Kurt Rucker, has some helpful advice for Emilia but the heat between them is too hot to handle.
Feeling like one of Acapulco’s famous cliff divers hoping not to crash on the rocks below, Emilia must choose between truth and survival. But no matter what choice she makes, she won’t be ready for the shock of the water.
Formats: ebook | paperback | audiobook
HAT DANCE
Emilia races to catch a violent firebomber but as Acapulco burns, she must also keep a promise to find a missing girl.
Neither investigation is easy, because the influence and impact of Mexico’s drug war is everywhere, just like the salt breeze coming off the ocean. Emilia’s police work is soon hijacked by savage political rivalries, a corrupt Vice cop, and a woman in prison who knows more than she’ll say.
Meanwhile, the missing girl’s trail leads to Acapulco’s famous lucha libre fighters. Inside the coliseum, the heat of the investigation ignites into an inferno. If Emilia’s only chance to survive is to dance with the devil, will she take it?
Formats: ebook |paperback | audiobook
DIABLO NIGHTS
“Amato has taken the classic mystery and given it a contemporary Mexican twist” – Fantastic Fiction
Emilia stumbles upon a religious relic from Mexico’s Cristero War at the same time as she and partner, senior detective Franco Silvio, find a murder victim aboard a cruise ship. The victim’s pockets are lined with Ora Ciega, a rare heroin strain from Colombia that promises more drug war violence for Acapulco’s already bloody streets.
The destinies of Ora Ciega, the religious relic, and a rookie detective merge into a fateful trip into the hills above Mexico’s Costa Chica coast south of Acapulco. In a lonely place where vigilante groups have replaced civil authority and the crash of surf competes with gunshots, Emilia will face the biggest challenge of her police detective career.
But it’s nothing compared to what’s waiting for her back in Acapulco.
Formats: ebook | paperback | audiobook
KING PESO
“Danger and betrayal never more than a few pages away” – Kirkus Reviews
When partner Franco Silvio’s wife is killed, Emilia is convinced he was targeted by a serial killer known as El Trio who is systematically murdering law enforcement officers.
Instead of heading up the investigation, Emilia is reassigned. Her new police unit is a political time bomb championed by Acapulco’s ambitious mayor and overseen by shady union strongman Victor Obregon Sosa.
Meanwhile, Emilia’s ongoing hunt for a missing girl leads to the infamous El Pharaoh casino, a place she and Silvio know only too well . . . Corruption and paranoia rule the day. Each spin of the wheel could be Emilia’s last.
Formats: ebook | paperback | audiobook
PACIFIC REAPER
“A brilliant character-driven detective story” – Artisan Book Reviews
In the remote Coyuca Lagoon reserve, Detective Emilia Cruz Emilia and her partner Franco Silvio find an elaborate altar to Santa Muerte next to the body of a known gang member. Prayers to the so-called Skeleton Saint deliver a dire warning to the death saint’s enemies. When a rival gang retaliates with mutilations and public messages, warfare sweeps across the city.
Emilia’s investigation is soon a maze of unholy clues. At the same time, everyone close to her has a brush with death. Bad luck? Or is the Skeleton Saint’s curse coming true?
From a beachfront hostel to a voodoo market, the closer Emilia gets to the truth, the worse things get. When she goes undercover as a Santa Muerte worshipper on the eve of the Day of the Dead, her life will be stripped of everything she holds dear.
Formats: ebook | paperback
43 MISSING
“Astounding” – Nightstand Reviews
Based on the true events of September 2014, when 43 college students disappeared after a night of violence in the Mexican state of Guerrero, Emilia is detailed to a national task force to investigate such a crime. She’s the junior member and the only woman.
As tensions within the task force soar, a diplomat from the United States embassy offers Emilia $50,000 to end the investigation into the missing students. The diplomat claims it is delaying the extradition of a famous jailed cartel leader known as the Barrel Bomber, who escaped from prison in Mexico twice before. If the extradition doesn’t happen soon, chances are he’ll escape again.
The money could help Emilia hunt the criminal El Acólito. But it ends any chance of bringing the truth to the families of the 43 missing students. When the task force heads to the scene of the crime, Emilia knows her loyalty, conscience, and very future will be put to the test.
Formats: ebook | paperback
RUSSIAN MOJITO
Finalist, Best Investigator – 2020 Silver Falchion Award
After surviving a deadly ambush, Emilia is back in Acapulco trying to put her life back together. But when her mother’s husband is kidnapped and a Russian guest is murdered in the luxury hotel managed by boyfriend Kurt Rucker, Emilia faces both a family and a job crisis.
Digging into the dead Russian’s true identity leads Emilia and her former partner-now her boss-Franco Silvio to the fuel thieves stealing from Mexico’s network of oil and gas pipelines.
Russian collusion leads to a crime no one expected . . . with explosive results.
Formats: ebook | paperback
NARCO NOIR
“Darkly thrilling and accomplished” – Book Viral
Finalist, Best Investigator – 2021 Silver Falchion Award
Emilia goes undercover as a taxi driver to catch a killer from an elusive extortion gang, but is soon driving in circles trying to find out anything about it.
Before she can wrap the assignment, her worst enemy hops into the back of her taxi. She has a score to settle with him, despite the fact that they share a dark family secret.
Soon Emilia is not just undercover as a taxi driver. She’s in front of a movie camera, playing the role of a lifetime.
Formats: ebook | paperback
Short Reads
MADE IN ACAPULCO
“Amato has taken the classic mystery and given it a contemporary Mexican twist” – Fantastic Fiction
Five stories chronicle Emilia’s first experiences as the first and only female police detective in Acapulco, including “The Beast” which previously appeared in The Huffington Post’s Huff/Post 50 Featured Fiction showcase curated by actress Rita Wilson.
Formats: ebook | paperback | audiobook
BUY IT: Amazon
THE LISTMAKER OF ACAPULCO
Detective Emilia Cruz finds a black notebook filled with names after she stops a gang attack in an upscale neighborhood. Is it a list of dirty cops? How long until they come for her?
Sooner than you think.
Formats: ebook | audiobook
BUY IT: Amazon
FELIZ NAVIDAD FROM ACAPULCO
Detective Emilia Cruz and her partner Franco Silvio go undercover as an elf and Santa Claus to catch a dangerous drug smuggler. With unexpected humor and lots of action, Christmas will never be the same.
Emilia’s first holiday novella takes place within the series between DIABLO NIGHTS and PACIFIC REAPER.
A Kindle Single novella.
Cooking with Detective Emilia Cruz
Grab this free collection of recipes from the novels!
Download 7 recipes from the series in one free PDF download.
Spanish editions
HECHO EN ACAPULCO
The Spanish translation of MADE IN ACAPULCO, the prequel collection of 5 Detective Emilia Cruz stories.
Formats: ebook | paperback
LA CLAVADISTA
The Spanish translation of CLIFF DIVER, the first novel in the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series.
Translation by Karen Ayestas, edited by Gabino Iglesias.
Formats: ebook | paperback
BUY IT: Amazon
THE ARTIST/EL ARTISTA
The English/Spanish dual language version of the short story “The Artist” from MADE IN ACAPULCO, intended as a language learning resource.
Winner of the 2019 Silver Falchion Award for Best Short Story/Collection.
Collections
BUY IT: Amazon
DETECTIVE EMILIA CRUX BOX SET, BOOKS 1-6
This Kindle box set features the first 6 complete novels combined into one discounted ebook!
You get CLIFF DIVER, HAT DANCE, DIABLO NIGHTS, KING PESO, PACIFIC REAPER and 43 MISSING.
Perfect for Kindle Unlimited readers.
Format: ebook
BUY IT: Amazon
SHE DIDN’T RUN BOX SET
This Kindle box set features 3 complete thrillers, each with a strong female protagonist, including Detective Emilia Cruz.
Meet Emilia in CLIFF DIVER, along with the women in AWAKENING MACBETH, exciting romantic suspense with a paranormal twist, and THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY, a political thriller with a Cinderella story romance amid shocking twists and turns.
Perfect for Kindle Unlimited readers.
Format: ebook
Behind the Books
COVER ARTIST MATT CHASE
The clever art and sun-drenched colors of the Emilia Cruz covers help it stand out in the crowded mystery genre, thanks to graphic designer and artist Matt Chase.
Learn how we met and the process for creating the covers.
DREAMCAST
Q: Who should play Emilia on screen?
A: I have no idea!
This dreamcast and playlist was created a few years ago as I began the series. A bit dated, but you get the idea.
#EmiliaCruz from the blog
Elections This Year are the Stuff of Fiction
In BARRACUDA BAY, the upcoming Detective Emilia Cruz mystery set in Acapulco, elections for mayor are coming up fast. Incumbent Carlota Montoya Perez, an enigma to Emilia, wants another term but faces a determined and well-funded rival. This is the second election...
What you can expect from Organized Crime in Acapulco after Hurricane Otis
With winds of up to 165 mph, Category 5 Hurricane Otis tore through Acapulco in late October, leaving a trail of unprecedented devastation. It strengthened so quickly there was little time to prepare for the strongest storm to ever hit Mexico's Pacific coast. In just...
A Different Point of View
She Said, He Said A CLIFF DIVER scene from Franco Silvio’s Point of View The Detective Emilia Cruz series is written from Emilia's point of view as the first female police detective in Acapulco. She's got some tricky geography to navigate in that position. Not only...
Arrests made in the next chapter of 43 MISSING
Mexico’s Truth Commission investigating the mass disappearance of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College may finally solve the 8 year old crime that inspired the Detective Emilia Cruz novel 43 MISSING. As more details are uncovered, it appears that...
Could Gas Prices Make You a Victim of Fuel Thieves?
A month ago, the catalytic converter was hacked out of my daughter’s car as it was parked on a street in Chicago. Apparently, thieves troll at night for older cars with catalytic converters because the precious metals inside--palladium, rhodium, and platinum—now fetch...
President Trump vs Mexican drug cartel labs
Mark Esper has written about his stint as secretary of defense during the last year of President Donald Trump’s administration in A SACRED OATH. Before the book came out this month, excerpts published in the New York Times revealed that President Trump, frustrated by...
