MYSTERY AUTHOR | CIA VETERAN
Carmen Amato
A former CIA intelligence officer, Amato brings authenticity and grit to every page.
A must-read for lovers of smart, character-driven crime fiction with a global edge. – Reader’s House
Signature Series
Detective Emilia Cruz
Narcos meets Hawaii 5-0 in this award-winning police series set in Acapulco.
With a fierce, unforgettable female cop who’s looking for Mexico’s missing.
Latest Release
BARRACUDA BAY
Political corruption sends Acapulco’s first female police detective on the run in Washington, DC.
Emilia’s investigation into the murder of the mayor’s sister is interrupted by a second, seemingly unrelated killing. Sent to inform the widow, Emilia becomes a fugitive, hunted by killer disguised as cops.
The only person who can help is a man Emilia once swore to kill . . . her brother.
“A thrilling series.” – NPR
Praise for DETECTIVE Emilia Cruz
Carmen Amato has created a character that deserves to be recognized as an equal alongside well known favorites by created by by Hammett, Larson and Padura. I can’t wait to spend more time with Detective Cruz. – Felix Contreras, host, ALTLatino, National Public Radio
Amato brings her characters to life with her vivid writing style and sets them on the streets of a Mexico steeped in Catholicism and corruption . . . Unique and gripping. – OnlineBookClub.org
Amato weaves an intricate assortment of themes into a vivid tapestry that depicts both the beauty and the ugliness of Acapulco . . . with danger and betrayal never more than a few pages away. -Kirkus Reviews
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DETECTIVE EMILIA CRUZ SERIES
Emilia Cruz is the first female police detective in Acapulco, fighting drug cartels, official corruption and social inequality amid the hunt for Mexico’s missing.
2019, 2020 Outstanding Series Award, CrimeMasters of America
2019 Silver Falchion Award, Killer Nashville
GALLIANO CLUB TRILOGY
Lido, NY. 1926. At the height of Prohibition, an Italian immigrant and a trigger-happy Chicago bootlegger battle for control of the Galliano Club, where trouble is always on tap.
Based on tales told by my late grandfather, a Deputy Sheriff of Oneida County, NY in the 1920’s.
2023 Silver Falchion Award, Killer Nashville
STANDALONE THRILLERS
Contemporary thrillers featuring complex plots, unforgettable characters and layers of risk, power, and deception.
Longlist, 2020 Millennium Book Award
Latest Posts
New Audiobook! Listen to LISTMAKER
The audiobook version of the Detective Emilia Cruz novella, THE LISTMAKER OF ACAPULCO was just released on Audible. This is a “Virtual Voice” audiobook from Amazon. It sounds surprisingly lifelike but the voice is not a human narrator. If you have listened to any of…
Book review: The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose
Molly Gray is the crime-solving Head Maid at London’s Regency Grand Hotel in THE MYSTERY GUEST the second book in the adorable and bestselling Molly the Maid series. Socially challenged, Molly has an eye for details that others miss. The Regency Grand is thrilled to…
Writing advice from a balky mule and a train derailment
Readers often connect with me over the deep point of view style of the Detective Emilia Cruz series. Writer and podcaster Patrick Greenwood specifically asked about this while taping an episode of his Writers on Espresso podcast, which you can find here: The…
The Forgotten Masters of World War II Thrillers
In the aftermath of World War II and horror of the Holocaust, the now-forgotten masters of World War II thrillers including Herman Wouk, Ken Follett, and Leon Uris wrote sweeping sagas of lives torn apart by war for an audience that had lived through the violence and…
I think of you
This week, the Rome Arts Hall of Fame from my hometown sent out their annual call for nominations to previous inductees, including me (Hall of Fame Class of 2019.) The letter came from Maria Rich, who scribbled a note in the margin of the letter: “I think of you every…
2023 in Review: Highs, Lows and Turning Points
How did your 2023 go? Mine went something like this. High I won the 2023 Silver Falchion award for Best Historical at the Killer Nashville International Writer’s Conference this year. The award banquet was Saturday evening, after 2.5 days of non-stop seminars,…