En La aguja en el pajar, Ernesto Mallo utiliza el género policial, más específicamente un procedimiento policial, para dar cuenta de algunas de las atrocidades cometidas durante la “Guerra Sucia“, un período de violencia patrocinada por el Estado en Argentina. Lo que es notable y vale la pena destacar es su capacidad para evitar escribir un libro sesgado, ya que él era miembro de un movimiento revolucionario durante esos años. En menos de 200 páginas Mallo nos ofrece una historia compleja e intensa al mismo tiempo que nos proporciona el retrato de una época.
Pero Mallo es también un excelente narrador, y como alguien ha dicho ya Mallo no sólo sabe muy bien sobre lo que está hablando, pero sobre todo lo que sabe es cómo narrarlo. El libro está muy bien escrito y sus diálogos tienen una estructura original y muy interesante. El libro ha sido inteligentemente trazado y está contado desde puntos de vista diferentes, un interesante dispositivo que ayuda a mantener la atención del lector. Hacia el final del libro el tamaño de los capítulos se van reduciendo gradualmente proporcionando así un buen ritmo. Como ha señalado acertadamente Maxine en Petrona es también una historia de amor. Hágase un favor y léalo, no se arrepentirá, es un libro excelente.
La segunda entrega de la serie Lascano se llama Delincuente Argentino y Mallo está escribiendo actualmente la tercera de la serie.
In Needle in a Haystack Ernesto Mallo uses the crime fiction genre, more specifically a police procedural, to account for some of the atrocities committed during the ‘Dirty War’, a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina. What is remarkable and it is worthwhile to highlight is his ability to avoid writing a biased book, since he was a member of a revolutionary movement during those years. In less than 200 pages Mallo offers a complex and intense story providing, at the same time, the portrait of an era.
But Mallo is also an excellent storyteller, and as someone has already stated Mallo knows very well what he is talking about but above all he knows how to narrate. The book is beautifully written and its dialogues have an original and very interesting structure. The book is cleverly plotted and is told from different points of view, an interesting device that helps keep the reader’s attention. Towards the end of the book the chapters’ size are gradually reduced providing the right pace. As correctly observed by Maxine at Petrona it is also a love-story. Do yourself a favour and read it, you won’t regret it, this is a superb book.
The second novel of the Lascano series, “Delincuente Argentino“, is being translated into English. It means “Argentinian Criminal” but this might no be the English title. Mallo is currently writing his third book in the series.
Entrevista con Ernesto Mallo (In Spanish)
Author: Ernesto Mallo
Title: La aguja en el pajar (Needle in a Haystack)
Planeta Argentina, 2006
Number of pages: 216
ISBN: 978-950-49-1457-0
A Crime is Afoot 
>That is a very good, insightful summary of this book, Jose Ignacio. The novel has stayed with me since I read it a few weeks ago, I agree that it is not just a good story but also an analysis of those awful times that people should read, if they did not know that this sort of thing could happen. For example the laconic way that the murders of the two young people simply can't be looked at – this acceptance speaks volumes of a truly awful reality.