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
From Acapulco’s beaches to the streets of Washington, DC, the stakes couldn’t be higher in this electrifying, page-turning thriller.
Acapulco’s latest homicide is the sister of the city’s mayor. It’s up to Detective Emilia Cruz to find the killer. The victim’s ex-boyfriend has motive but no link to the crime scene, which has a sinister past complicating Emilia’s investigation.
Before Emilia can solve the case, she’s given a task in Washington, DC where a deadly gave of political intrigue awaits.
Her only chance to survive lies with a man she once vowed to kill.
Praise for 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
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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
9 Mystery and Thriller Authors Tell All
These 9 friends are all at the top of their game when it comes to fast-paced mystery and thrillers that veer toward the dark side.Check out their original interview link, and what they’ve been up to since appearing on this blog and/or in the Mystery Ahead...
Killer Nashville 2019: An excellent bunch of murderers
He put the cord over my head. It scratched against my neck, heavier than I expected. My heart was beating too fast. The noise buffeted me, my vision a blur . . . Nope, I wasn't strangled, but won the Silver Falchion award for THE ARTIST/EL ARTISTA in the...
Carmen Amato Wins Killer Nashville’s Silver Falchion Award for “The Artist”
August 24, 2019 Carmen Amato has won the 2019 Silver Falchion Award in the Short Story/Collection category from the Killer Nashville International Writers Conference for THE ARTIST a Detective Emilia Cruz short story published in the bilingual illustrated volume THE...
Carmen Amato Receives Poison Cup Award from CrimeMasters of America
August 1, 2019 Mystery author Carmen Amato received the 2019 Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America for the Detective Emilia Cruz police series set in Acapulco. As the first female police detective in Acapulco, Emilia Cruz confronts...
Criminal Element Publishes Joint Discussion of Women in Narco Noir Lit
July 31, 2019 In "The Women of Narco Noir," thriller authors Carmen and Amato discuss the four female character types prevalent in narco noir genre literature for Criminal Element, one of the leading websites devoted to crime fiction. The article is available here:...
The road between the storms
Storm vs lull = success The storm called RUSSIAN MOJITO has ended. The lull has arrived, allowing me to catch my breath and attend to all the housekeeping chores that built up while my brain was whirling with MOJITO. The modern do-it-yourself author has a...