Bill Ward's Reviews > Hat Dance

This is a really good crime thriller. It captured my interest within a few pages and then I couldn't put it down! The main character is Emilia Cruz - a female police detective and we meet a wide range of other characters from bent cops to hookers, politicians and soldiers, all of whom are very well described.
The plot is good and we have a combination of a bombing campaign and a search for a missing girl, which keeps the story moving at a fast pace. The story is set in Mexico and the author brought the local culture vividly to life, which for me was the outstanding attraction of the book. Without being heavy handed in her writing, the author illustrates many of the challenges of being an honest and committed female police detective in Mexico. The author also highlights the problems the country faces with bribary, corruption, drugs and the role of the army.
I really enjoyed the main characters and look forward to reading the other books in the series. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good crime story with the added bonus of it revealing an insight to life in Mexico.