Repentance

"They have come for your brother." In 1981, Argentina is in the grip of a brutal dictatorship. When Inspector Joaquín Alzada receives the call in the middle of the night, he realizes that his brother, Jorge, an outspoken university professor, has been "disappeared." Jorge's wife has also been taken, but their toddler son, Sorollo, has been safely hidden under his bed. Later, in 2001, Alzada, keeping his head down in anticipation of retirement, becomes embroiled in the death of a young woman from one of Buenos Aires' wealthiest families. Argentina is in upheaval once again, and Sorollo has been showing signs of pursuing his radical father's agenda. "The shrapnel of all the secrets" weighs heavily upon him. In her debut novel, an engrossing narrative told backward and forward in time, Díaz, born in Spain of Argentinian parents, painfully yet eloquently describes Alzada's turmoil and how he reconciles the questionable actions he has taken to keep his wife and adopted nephew safe. A dark political thriller guaranteed to satisfy fans of Andrea Camilleri, Donna Leon, and Leonardo Padura.

In 2001 Argentina, the police pension's empty coffers compel world-weary Buenos Aires police inspector Joaquín Alzada, the hero of Díaz's outstanding debut, to stay on the job. Until the day he and his wife can retire to the countryside, Alzada is doing his utmost to avoid becoming entangled in his nation's ongoing political unrest and to keep his idealistic young partner, Deputy Orestes Estrático, out of trouble in a dangerously charged landscape. Alzada, now the oldest inspector on the force, has managed to survive while maintaining his principles. In a country where people disappear--like his brother Jorge 20 years earlier--keeping a low profile can be the difference between life and death. When the body of Norma Echegaray, a wealthy young socialite killed execution-style, is found by a dumpster, Alzada's role in the years known as the Dirty War can no longer remain buried. Flashbacks to the violent upheaval of 1981 provide context for 2001's relentless economic crises, riots, and life under revolving governments as Alzada struggles to deliver mercy when justice is not possible. Aficionados of mysteries with a hard edge will welcome Inspector Alzada. Agent: Maria Cardona, Pontas Literary (Spain). (Oct.)

DEBUT In 1981, Argentina is in the midst of the Dirty War, in which 30,000 so-called subversives were "disappeared" by the military dictatorship; among the disappeared is Inspector Joaquín Alzada's brother Jorge. Twenty years later, Argentina is rocked by civil unrest caused by a plummeting economy. Alzada, known for flouting authority, is relegated to desk duty while the rest of the police are on riot patrol. When a wealthy Buenos Aires woman is reported missing, Alzada defies commands and investigates the case; clues point to her abduction by a prominent politician, but the police commissioner won't investigate without a body. An unidentified corpse, bearing a striking resemblance to the missing woman, turns up in a dumpster. Can Alzada substitute one body for the other and build a case? Chapters dealing with Jorge's disappearance reflect the era's chilling brutality, in this police procedural with social commentary. VERDICT A tense debut thriller with excellent characters and a timely, satisfying plot; knowledge of recent Argentinian history would help readers contextualize the violence Díaz depicts. For fans of Philip Kerr's "Bernie Gunther" novels.--Edward Goldberg, Syosset P.L., NY