She’s the first female detective
and the last honest cop in Acapulco
Detective Emilia Cruz Series
Experience the raw intensity of Mexico’s drug war through the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series.
Created by former CIA officer Carmen Amato, this gripping police procedural follows Acapulco’s first female detective as she confronts cartels, corruption, and social inequality amid the hunt for Mexico’s missing. Inspired by Carmen’s own counterdrug expertise, the series delivers an authentic, insider look at international crime.
If you crave strong female leads, gritty realism, and ripped-from-the-headlines suspense, brace yourself for an unforgettable journey into the heart of Acapulco.
Explore the books then head over to the Acapulco Archive reader hub for the stories behind the stories.
“A thrilling series” – National Public Radio
2019 & 2020 Poison Cup award, Outstanding Series – CrimeMasters of America
2019 Silver Falchion Award, Best Short Story
Novels
Emilia investigates the death of a dirty cop in Detective Emilia Cruz Book 1.
Emilia hunts for a violent arsonist and a missing girl in Detective Emilia Cruz Book 2.
A rookie cop puts Emilia’s life in danger in Detective Emilia Cruz Book 3.
Emilia gambles it all to save her partner in Detective Emilia Cruz Book 4.
Emiia goes undercover as a worshipper of Santa Muerte, Mexico’s forbidden saint in Book #5.
Emilia confronts a mass disappearance that is Mexico’s most notorious true crime in Book #6.
Can Emilia deliver a dose of Mexican justice to a Russian killer in Book #7?
Emilia plays both a taxi driver and a movie star in the undercover role of a lifetime in Book #8.
Emilia investigates the bizarre murder of the mayor’s sister in Book #9.
Short Reads & Collections
This prequel collection of short stories captures Emilia’s first years as a detective.
Emilia and her partner go undercover in this very unexpected Christmas murder mystery novella.
Emilia discovers a list that could be payments to dirty cops. Or is it something much more sinster?
The first 6 Emilia Cruz novels, plus exclusive bonus content. Kindle format only.
Spanish editions
This bilingual edition of a prequel short story won the 2019 Silver Falchion award for Best Short Story/Collection.
The Spanish edition of prequel short story collection, MADE IN ACAPULCO.
Spanish translation of CLIFF DIVER, the first novel in the Detective Emilia Cruz series.
#EmiliaCruz from the Blog
Countdown to KING PESO, the 4th Detective Emilia Cruz novel
KING PESO, the 4th Detective Emilia Cruz novel, is all about gambling and greed.The high cost of building family and friends. How easy it is to tear them both apart.In KING PESO, Emilia is shocked by the murder partner Franco Silvio's wife, as Acapulco reels from the...
Film Rights to Acapulco Mystery Series Acquired by Screenwriter
I am thrilled to announce, after weeks of negotiations between lawyers, that a contract for the film rights to the Emilia Cruz mystery series has been inked. Screenwriter and director Emily Skopov (ever hear of a little series called Xena, Warrior Princess?) released...
Little Silver Miracles
I’ve been thinking about visual inspiration lately, as I tackle KING PESO, the 4th Emilia Cruz mystery. Thankfully, Mexico is replete with visual cues to creativity, from large (the Basilica of Guadalupe, Mexico City’s Zocalo, assorted volcanoes) to small (shots of...
Entitlement, Mexico style
Over the last few weeks I've been following the news stories about the fate of 43 students who went missing in the Mexican state of Guerrero, in a small town not far from Acapulco, in late September. The students, from a rural teaching college, were mostly men in...
Why Acapulco is an Unforgettable Setting for a Mystery Series
Spenser has all of Boston to roam through, solving mysteries with Hawk at his side and meeting Susan later for dinner at Locke-Ober. Wallander has Sweden's fog and gloom to wander, his melancholy matching the mist. Arkady Renko contends with Moscow; taking us through...
March for the Missing in Acapulco
The road has disappeared under a wave of sorrow and anger. In a case of weather mimicking emotions, it is raining and thousands are unintentionally decorated with multicolored umbrellas. The raingear doesn't hide the posters with faces of the missing. Rather, the...