The latest Detective Emilia Cruz mystery!

Narco Noir

NARCO NOIR

Drive into danger with Acapulco’s Detective Emilia Cruz as she goes undercover as a taxi driver to catch a killer.

The case accelerates out of control when Emilia’s worst enemy gets into her cab . . . Next stop, a Hollywood movie set with a devious purpose and a leading role Emilia can’t refuse.

Book #9 in the award-winning series!

“Darkly thrilling and accomplished” – Book Viral

“A thrilling series” – National Public Radio

Mystery Author

Carmen Amato

There’s a piece of my 30-year CIA career in every story.

Expect layers of deception, edgy characters, and authentic details.

As the award-winning creator of the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series, I take readers on a gripping journey through the drug war waged in both Mexico and the US. Based on my own counterdrug experience, it's a place where loyalty is for sale and violence comes cheap.

There’s more intrigue in my standalone thrillers and the historical Galliano Club series, inspired by my grandfather who was a deputy sheriff in New York during Prohibition.

Welcome to the mystery ahead!

mystery author Carmen Amato

Don’t miss out

Mystery Ahead

17 and counting

Books by Carmen

Emilia Cruz series,Galliano Club series,Central Intelligence Agency,mystery series

DETECTIVE EMILIA CRUZ SERIES

Emilia Cruz is the first female police detective in Acapulco, fighting drug cartels, official corruption and Mexican machismo.

2019, 2020 Outstanding Series award, CrimeMasters of America

2019 Silver Falchion Award, Killer Nashville

CLIFF DIVER | HAT DANCE | DIABLO NIGHTS

KING PESO | PACIFIC REAPER | 43 MISSING

RUSSIAN MOJITO | NARCO NOIR | MADE IN ACAPULCO

Murder at the Galliano Club

GALLIANO CLUB SERIES

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

ROAD TO THE GALLIANO CLUB

MURDER AT THE GALLIANO CLUB

BLACKMAIL AT THE GALLIANO CLUB

REVENGE AT THE GALLIANO CLUB

The Hidden Light of Mexico City thriller cover

STANDALONE THRILLERS

Contemporary thrillers featuring complex plots, unforgettable characters and layers of risk, power, and deception.

Longlist, 2020 Millennium Book Award

Progress report

Coming Up

  • BARRACUDA BAY: Detective Emilia Cruz #9 96% 96%
  • AWAKENING MACBETH 2nd edition 50% 50%
  • COLD SHELTER STAR (new series) 15% 15%
  • MOSCOW SYNDROME (contribution) 100% 100%

The Shop Talk Blog

Follow Along

Book Review: THE STREET KING by Mike Ludden

With a propulsive pace, this Savannah, Georgia police procedural delivers a compelling plot and an unlikely duo of cops who will steal your attention and (possibly) your heart. Tate Drawdy is a homicide detective in Savannah, Georgia, by way of Princeton and a wealthy...

read more

Not my CIA

I rarely discuss hot potato topics, but this week it became painfully clear that the CIA I joined in 1985 is not the CIA of today. the nonpartisan rule I entered on duty the day after Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration. At that time, it was made crystal clear to me...

read more

“Come back in 15 Minutes”

“Come back in 15 minutes." When we lived in Mexico, I hated this phrase. The words weren't meant to be taken literally. Nothing would change in 15 minutes and everyone knew it. No, it was a semi-polite brush-off. It really means “Go away. Get out of my face.” The most...

read more

Book Review: THE SPY COAST by Tess Gerritsen

THE SPY COAST by Tess Gerritsen This excellent thriller, with a cast of characters to root for and deft plotting, is one in a recent string of bestsellers built on the trope of retired spies called back into action because of an operation in the distant past that went...

read more
Author Carmen Amato

Top Secret(s) for You

The Mystery Ahead newsletter gives you exclusive news & behind-the-scenes content every other Sunday.

Thank you! Check your email inbox for the first secret. There's more where that came from.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This