MYSTERY AUTHOR | CIA VETERAN
Carmen Amato
Hello, I’m Carmen. I learned a few things about danger, deception and resilience during a 30-year career with the CIA. Now a mystery author, those lessons play out on the page, especially in the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in Acapulco. All declassified, of course 🙂
“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 now on all ebook platforms. Look for the paperback and audiobook editions later this summer.
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.
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
7 Teeny Tiny Illustrated Instant Book Reviews
Every other Sunday, my Mystery Review newsletter carries a review of a book I loved and think you will, too. Basically, I’m recommending what to read while you wait for my next book! But if you’re a big reader like me, one book every two weeks is not going to cut it….
How to Add a Book to Goodreads Lists
Goodreads is a great resource for readers. One part review platform, one part social sharing, all parts clunky and hard to navigate. Yet it is worth taking the time to navigate the platform because you’ll discover great new reads and reader friends. Putting…
BARRACUDA BAY Needs You
All books are born alone . . . without any reviews. Given that about 1% of readers actually take the time to write a review, those who do are truly rock stars. BARRACUDA BAY, the latest Detective Emilia Cruz novel, came out last week. The first reviews are in, too….
New Release! BARRACUDA BAY is the latest Detective Emilia Cruz mystery
The long-awaited continuation of the award-winning Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series is out now, taking you into the dizzying, dangerous world of money laundering and cross-border intrigue. BARRACUDA BAY is the 9th book with Emilia Cruz, the first female police…
Book Review: The 8th Detective by Alex Pavesi
This is a Russian nesting doll of a book, with multiple literary devices nested inside a wider puzzle. The pundits have called it a thriller, which is stretching the definition in my view, but it sure drips with intrigue and deception! The book has a mathematical…
She was Emilia Cruz. So was she.
The top question I get from readers? “Is Detective Emilia Cruz based on a real person?” Yes, sort of. Emilia is a composite of three different people. All contribute in unique ways to the character, including Emilia’s analytic skills, innate suspicion of others’…