MYSTERY AUTHOR | CIA VETERAN
Carmen Amato
I learned a few things about danger, deception and resilience during a 30-year career with the CIA. As an author, those lessons play out on the page, especially in the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in Acapulco.
Join me for high-stakes crime fiction fueled by authentic tradecraft and tomorrow's headlines.
"A must-read for lovers of smart, character-driven crime fiction with a global edge." - Reader's House
LATEST RELEASE
DRAGON CARTEL
Acapulco police detective Emilia Cruz is already stretched to the max hunting cartel assassin El Barracuda when she agrees to take on the case of a missing Customs inspector.
At the same time, the interrogation of a mysterious Chinese national turns a local crime into an international puzzle.
A missing inspector. A cartel assassin. And a conspiracy that links Mexico and the United States to China.
DRAGON CARTEL is the 10th mystery in the award-winning Detective Emilia Cruz series. Available at your favorite online book store.
SIGNATURE SERIES
Meet Detective Emilia Cruz, the first female police detective in Acapulco.
Think Narcos meets Hawaii 5-0, as she navgates cartels, corruption and social inequality while hunting for Mexico's missing.
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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
Announcing the Galliano Club new historical mystery series
What??!! A new historical mystery series? But, but . . . Read on. One of my earliest memories is of my grandfather coming home from Revere Copper and Brass, yelling “Ann!” When my grandmother replied, he inevitably came back with “Huh?” the first sign of the...
Detective Emilia Cruz Mysteries Released in Spanish
25 June 2020 CLIFF DIVER, the first thriller in the Detective Emilia Cruz series by Carmen Amato has been released in Spanish as LA CLAVADISTA. Emilia Cruz, the first female police detective in Acapulco, dives into an ocean of secrets, lies, and murder when she...
Mini Masterclass: How to Write a Mystery Series
Did you ever want to write a mystery series? Have an idea for a character but nothing else? Maybe you need a blueprint for finally getting that mystery series written. True Story When I worked for the CIA, diving into real-life mysteries, I loved reading mysteries...
Detective Emilia Cruz Box Set Released for Kindle
26 May 2020 The first six books in the award-winning Detective Emilia Cruz police procedural series set in Acapulco are available as a box set for Kindle entitled DEATH IN ACAPULCO: Detective Emilia Cruz Books 1-6. This box set contains the complete first 6 novels:...
Mystery Author Breaks Down THE 10X RULE at JaneFriedman.Com
May 21, 2020 Mystery author Carmen Amato breaks down the best-selling business book, THE 10X RULE by Grant Cardone, to show how it applies to a writing career. Entitled "What Writers Have to Learn From the 10X Rule," the article appeared as a guest post for Jane...
NARCO NOIR, 8th in the Detective Emilia Cruz series
16 May 2020 NARCO NOIR, the 8th installment in the Detective Emilia Cruz police procedural series set in Acapulco by Carmen Amato, is now available in ebook and paperback formats from Laurel & Croton. A bitter past drives Acapulco’s first female police detective...