King Peso
by Carmen Amato
Rights Sold
Description
Awards & Endorsements
Author(s)
Carmen Amato
Related Titles
| Publisher | Author Carmen Amato |
| Publication | Aug 17, 2016 |
| Format | EBook |
| ISBN | 978-0985325664 |
| Pages | 312 |
| Age | 18 - 99 |
| Price | $4.99 |
King Peso
Is Acapulco's first female police detective the next target of a ruthless cop killer? It's a serial killer thriller with a spicy Mexican twist.
Someone is killing law enforcement officers who worked with Detective Emilia Cruz.
When her partner's wife becomes the victim of a brutal home invasion, Emilia suspects that her partner was the intended target of the notorious El Trio killer.
Who will be next?
KING PESO is the 4th book in the Detective Emilia Cruz series featuring the first female police detective in Acapulco as she confronts cartels, corruption and social inequality amid the hunt for Mexico's missing. The setting, characters, and connection to current events in Mexico make this a highly appealing series for international readers.
Author Carmen Amato learned a few things about danger, deception and resilience during a 30-year career with the CIA focusing on counterdrug and technical collection. Now those lessons play out on the page, especially in the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in Acapulco. Starting with CLIFF DIVER, the series is a back-to-back winner of the Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America.
"A thrilling series." -- National Public Radio
Reviews, Awards & Endorsements
"Amato weaves an intricate assortment of themes into a vivid tapestry that depicts both the beauty and ugliness of Acapulco. Her attention to clothing, food, and other details of the cityscape brings life to her characters. In one memorable moment, for example, Emilia encounters a band of young street boys with plastic soda bottles hanging around their necks, just below their chins; the bottles are filled with glue, which the boys sniff throughout the day: “The high from the glue cut hunger pangs and diluted the misery and loneliness of being homeless in a combat zone.” There’s as much dialogue and pondering as there is action in this novel, but the investigative pace holds steady, with danger and betrayal never more than a few pages away."
Author
Carmen Amato
CIA veteran Carmen Amato is the author of the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series pitting the first female police detective in Acapulco against Mexico's cartels, corruption, and social inequality amid the hunt for Mexico's missing. Starting with Cliff Diver, the series is a back-to-back winner of the Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America. Optioned for television, National Public Radio hailed it as “A thrilling series.”
Carmen is also the author of the Galliano Club historical fiction thrillers inspired by her grandfather who was a deputy sheriff in New York during Prohibition. Murder at the Galliano Club won the 2023 Silver Falchion Award for Best Historical. Revenge at the Galliano Club, was a finalist for the same award in 2024.
Her standalone thrillers include The Hidden Light of Mexico City, which was longlisted for the 2020 Millennium Book Award.
A 30-year veteran of the CIA where she focused on technical collection and counterdrug issues, Carmen is a recipient of both the National Intelligence Award and the Career Intelligence Medal.
A judge for the BookLife Prize and Killer Nashville’s Claymore Award, her essays have appeared in Criminal Element, Publishers Weekly, and other national publications.
Originally from upstate New York, Carmen's experiences in Mexico and Central America ignited her writing career. After years of globetrotting, she currently resides in Tennessee.