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
Explore
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
Romantic Suspense Who’s Who: Brilliant Academic Meets Iraq War Vet
AWAKENING MACBETH was recently reviewed by Kirkus Reviews and there was so much emphasis placed on the characters that it read like a Who's Who guide to romantic suspense. The book's premise of an academic falling for an Iraq War vet ("Both Brodie and Joe are...
Travelling in Dreams with AWAKENING MACBETH
AWAKENING MACBETH, is full of secrets. My family secrets become my character's secrets. Their secrets become a frightening truth. "A page turning paranormal romance"-- KIRKUS REVIEWS. Cue the trailer! https://youtu.be/i0JwaqVbEqI Family secrets My grandmother used to...
Romance’s Newest Hero is a Wounded Warrior
Two weeks ago, I posted this picture on my Facebook page. (You can thank me again later, dearest reader Karen) The wounded warrior in the picture is Brian Taylor "BT" Urruela, taken by photographer Michael Stokes, and he serves as visual inspiration for the character...
Mystery and Thriller Trends for 2017
I recently chatted with Mary Rosenblum from New Writers Interface about what we can expect when it comes to mystery and thriller trends in 2017, as well as what really hooks a reader and draws them into a story. She’s an author, editor, and marketer whose services...
#New Release, Take 2
I could call it New Release, Part 2. Or The Case of the Disappearing Thriller. Or I could say that romantic suspense novel AWAKENING MACBETH, is FINALLY alive and well and available for your Kindle on Amazon. Initially published on 9 December, the ebook file became...
NEW RELEASE! Romantic Thriller with a #Paranormal Twist
AWAKENING MACBETH is out now for kindle readers, with the paperback coming 10 January! It's a romantic suspense thriller with a paranormal twist set in Charlottesville, Virginia and Edinburgh, Scotland. Related: Read the first chapter of AWAKENING MACBETH here All...