Blackout An Inspector Espinosa Mystery

With no witnesses and no weapon, it seems like the case of the one-legged homeless man found lying in a cul-de-sac on São João Hill, shot through the heart, will remain unsolved. But Chief Inspector Espinosa can't shake thoughts of the hapless victim-who would target a penniless man who posed no physical threat? Focusing his incisive mind and his usual unhurried inquiry on a group of wealthy guests who dined at a nearby mansion on the rainy night of the murder, Espinosa interrogates his way into the lives of his suspects, exposing lies, cover-ups-and another murder. Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza is a bestselling novelist who lives in Rio de Janeiro. His Inspector Espinosa mysteries'” The Silence of the Rain , December Heat , Southwesterly Wind , A Window in Copacabana , Pursuit , and Alone in the Crowd '”have been translated into six languages. Longlisted for the International IMPAC Literary Award With no witnesses and no weapon, it seems like the case of the one-legged homeless man found lying in a cul-de-sac on São João Hill, shot through the heart, will remain unsolved. But Chief Inspector Espinosa can't shake thoughts of the hapless victim'”who would target a penniless man who posed no physical threat? Focusing his incisive mind and usual unhurried inquiry on a group of wealthy guests who dined at a nearby mansion on the stormy night of the murder, Espinosa carefully interrogates his way into the lives of his suspects, exposing lies, cover-ups'”and another murder. "Chief Espinosa, the reflective head of Rio de Janeiro's 12th Precinct, investigates the shooting death of a homeless man identifiable only by his missing leg. The corpse is discovered on a cul-de-sac outside a home whose owners had given a dinner party the night before. Did interior decorator Aldo Bruno, the first to leave the party with his psychotherapist wife Camila, notice anything? Aldo tells Espinosa and his men that he didn't see a thing in the rainy night, but he confesses to Camila that he can't remember what he saw; the whole incident is a blank in his memory. With no witnesses, no identification of the dead man and certainly no link between him and Aldo, the case would probably have languished if Aldo hadn't stumbled on a second corpse. Now Espinosa has to wonder about the coincidence and consider every possible motive for murder. That's a tall order when everyone involved in the case seems to be romantically involved with everyone else'”a state of affairs Espinosa, still carrying on with Irene the graphic designer, can readily appreciate."'” Kirkus Reviews