Forthcoming 24 May 2012

The Summer of Dead Toys, Doubleday, 2012 (original title: El verano de los juguetes muertos) is Antonio Hill debut novel, the first in the Inspector Salgado series. Inspector Salgado is known for his violent moments. He has a murky emotional past and a runaway wife. So he is moved off his current case to investigate the story behind a young boy’s fall to his death from a balcony in one of Barcelona’s uptown areas. Salgado digs deeper, poking at the the seedy underbelly of Spain’s most popular city, to unearth a case of human trafficking and voodoo. But Hector’s fierce, complex personality (with his passion for cinema) and a seemingly unresolvable case are set to implode under Barcelona’s hot sun… (Fantastic fiction). See also my previous post HERE.

Antonio Hill, Toni Hill in Spanish, was born in 1966, in Barcelona (Spain). He is a Bachelor of Psychology. He has worked for over ten years as a literary translator with Random House Mondadori, S.A. El verano de los juguetes muertos (The summer of the dead toys), his first novel, was released in July 2011. More than 25000 copies of the novel were sold in the first two months.

I’m planning to read it soon, stay tuned.

Review: A Dark Redemption, by Stav Sherez

Esta entrada es bilingüe. Para ver la versión en castellano desplazarse hacia abajo.

Kindle Edition. 540 KB. Faber and Faber Crime (2012). ASIN: B0077D8JHY

I have to acknowledge that thanks to Rhian (aka crimeficreader) I came across this author and this book. A Dark Redemption is Stav Sherez third novel, the first in a series featuring DI Carrigan & DS Miller. The author’s intention, in each instalment, is to explore an area and a particular community of London. Areas and communities that are hardly seen. The second in the series, Eleven Days Before Christmas, should be ready next year. Everything I like in crime fiction is condensed in this book.

A Dark Redemption introduces DI Jack Carrigan and DS Geneva Miller while they investigate the brutal rape and murder of a young Ugandan student. When the book opens we find three young friends, Jack, Ben and David, during a trip to Africa. A traumatic experience will change their lives. Years later Jack Carrigan, a Detective Inspector in London, arrives to a flat in King’s Court, Queensway where a woman’s body has been found. Her name was Grace Okello and she was an African student. 

In the meantime, Superintendent Branch does not trust Carrigan and has appointed DS Miller to Carrigan’s team. Miller receives specific instructions to work closely with Carrigan on this case but reporting directly back to him.  

Carrigan and Miller will disagree during the investigation. For Carrigan it is clearly a sex killing while Miller believes the answer lies in the dissertation on which Okello was working. In the background we will be introduced to the life of illegal immigrants in London and the activities of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). 

A Dark Redemption is a solid and intelligent read with an interesting backstory and well-developed characters. The plot is nicely articulated and keeps the tension until the last pages. This is the kind of book that promotes and stirs the interest in crime fiction. Highly recommended.

My rating: 4/5.

A Dark Redemption has been reviewed by Rhian at It’s a crime! (Or a mystery…), Sarah at Crimepieces, Bernadette at Reactions to Reading, among others.

• Faber and Faber Crime
• Stav Sherez Website
• Carrigan & Miller: The Series Begins

If interested you may check the following information: The Guardian: Kony 2012: what’s the real story?

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A Dark Redemption, de Stav Sherez

Tengo que reconocer que gracias a Rhian (también conocida como crimeficreader) descrubrí este autor y este libro. A Dark Redemption es la tercrea novela de Stav Sherez, la primera de una serie protagonizada por el inspector Carrigan y la sargento Miller. La intención del autor, en cada entrega, es explorar un área y una comunidad en concreto de Londres. Areas y comunidades que apenas son visibles. La segunda de la serie, Eleven Days Before Christmas, debe estar lista para el próximo año. Todo lo que me gusta de la novela negra está condensado en este libro.

A Dark Redemption nos presenta al inspector Jack Carrigan y a la sargento Geneva Miller mientras investigan la brutal violación y el asesinato de una joven estudiante de Uganda. Cuando el libro comienza encontramos a tres jóvenes amigos, Jack, Ben y David, de viaje en Africa. Una experiencia traumática cambiará sus vidas. Años más tarde, Jack Carrigan, un inspector de policía en Londres, llega a un piso en Kings’s Court, Queensway, donde se ha encontrado el cuerpo de una mujer. Su nombre era Grace Okello, una estudiante africana.

Mientras tanto, el superintendente Branch no confía en Carrigan y ha destinado a la sargento Miller al equipo de Carrigan. Miller recibe instrucciones específicas de trabajar  en estracha colaboración con Carrigan en este caso, pero manteniéndole informado directamente a él.

Carrigan y Miller no estarán de acuerdo durante la investigación. Para Carrigan es claramente un homicidio sexual mientras que Miller cree que la respuesta se encuentra en la tesis en la que estaba trabajando Okello. De fondo iremos conociendo la vida de los inmigrantes ilegales en Londres y las actividades del Ejército de Resistencia del Señor (ERS).

A Dark Redemption es una lectura sólida e inteligente con un trasfondo interesante y con personajes bien desarrollados. La trama está muy bien articulada y mantiene la tensión hasta las últimas páginas. Este es la clase de libro que promueve y despierta el interés por la novela negra. Altamente recomendado.

Mi calificación: 4/5.