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