2012 Crime Fiction Alphabet, J is for Jimenez, Georgina Jimenez

This week the Crime Fiction Alphabet makes its stop on letter ” j”. Despite Kerrie’s opinion that this week’s  letter J is probably fairly easy, I found extremely difficult to come up with a Spanish crime fiction writer whose surname begins with a “J”.

Finally I found a Cuban writer, whose book I have not read, called Jimenez, Georgina Jimenez. The interesting thing is that she is a late writer and wrote her first and only book, as far as I know, based on her childhood memories, which should have certainly haunted throughout her life.

Georgina Jimenez lives in her native Havana, where she was a professor of History and Philosophy until she became a journalist specializing in education and publishing various essays and a book on the subject. After leaving journalism, she wrote Habana Negra,  her first novel, which was published in Spain by Texto Editores in 2007.  She has also been published in Holland, Sijthoff, and in Italy, Kowalski Editore.  She is currently working on another novel, the story of which takes place in Havana before 1959, the year of the revolution. (Dos Passos agencia literaria y comunicación in collaboration with Guillermo Schavelzon & Asociados Agencia Literaria)

Book Description: The passionate, turbulent, bewitched lives of Caridad Wong and her daughter, Patricia Logan, represent much more than two successive generations: they tell about life in the first half of the twentieth century in the city of Havana, which fosters many myths, ghosts, and all superstitions possible. From the happy 1920’s, with the merry lightheartedness of a certain economic bonanza, through the decade following the Second World War, Habana negra takes the reader through a unique space with the vibrant story of two women who always want what they do not have, love those who do not love them, and pledge themselves to the most occult and ominous forces. Georgina Jiménez combines her restless, rhythmic style here with a suspenseful story full of surprises.The result is a powerful narrative that deals with the mafia, black magic, spectacular cabaret shows, the attraction and rejection of the Cuban spirit, and also betrayals, secret loves, and loves that destroy. (Guillermo Schavelzon & Asociados Agencia Literaria)

Dossier de Prensa pdf. (in Spanish)

The Crime Fiction Alphabet 2012 is a Community Meme hosted by Kerrie at Mysteries in Paradise. By Friday of each week participants try to write a blog post about crime fiction related to the letter of the week. Click HERE to visit the contribution of other fellow bloggers.

Deep Down by Lee Child

Esta entrada es bilingüe, desplazarse hacia abajo para ver la versión en castellano

Transworld Digital, 2012. Kindle edition. 306 KB. ASIN: B008DVVLYW.

Deep Down is the second short story by Lee Child after Second Son. It is available in electronic format and it was published on 16 July 2012. The action takes place during the years when Reacher was still in the army. It includes a preview of Lee Child’s next Jack Reacher novel, A Wanted Man.

Summary: Reacher is called to Washington, D.C. to investigate who is leaking key arms data. The suspects are four women on a fast track up the military chain of command. Real Type-A personalities: smart, busy, focused—not the type to waste time on a hulk, no matter how hunky. How’s Reacher going to charm secrets out of anyone and catch the culprit when there’s no time to waste? (At Lee Child official site)

I must admit I made a mistake by downloading this short novel into my Kindle. It is too short, less than 100 pages, and doesn’t provide any information about Jack Reacher’s character. It is an easy read, though not the best way to start reading this series, as in my case. You can read it in one sitting, Lee Child knows perfectly well his craft and how to keep the reader’s attention, but only for his die-hard fans, in my view.

My rating: 3/5.

Jim Grant (born 1954), better known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British thriller writer. His wife Jane is a New Yorker. His first novel, Killing Floor (1997), won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel. Each of Child’s novels follows the adventures of a former American Military Policeman, Jack Reacher, who wanders the United States. Child was elected president of the Mystery Writers of America in 2009.

The Official Lee Child & Jack Reacher website

Reacher across America: Author Lee Child on why the US is an ideal crime tale setting

Lee Child by Ali Karim at January Magazine (An interview)

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Deep Down de Lee Child

Deep Down es el segundo cuento que publica Lee Child después de Second Son. Está disponible sólo en formato electrónico y se publicó el 16 de julio de 2012. La acción tiene lugar durante los años en que Reacher todavía estaba en el ejército. Incluye una vista previa de su próxima novela A Wanted Man.

Resumen: Reacher ha sido llamado a Washington, DC para investigar quién puede estar filtrando datos clave sobre armamento militar. Los sospechosos son cuatro oficiales, los cuatro son mujeres ambiciosas que quieren escalar los puestos más elevados en la cadena de mando. Verdaderas personalidades del tipo A: inteligentes, ocupadas y centradas, no de las que van a perder su tiempo con un tipo grande, sin importarles lo guapo que sea. ¿Cómo va a poder Reacher utilizar sus encantos para descubrir su secreto y atrapar a la culpable cuando no hay tiempo que perder? (De la página oficial de Lee Child).

Debo admitir que he cometido un error al descargar este cuento en mi Kindle. Es excesivamente breve, no llega a 100 páginas, y no proporciona información alguna sobre el personaje de Jack Reacher. Es una lectura fácil. Es una lectura fácil, aunque no la mejor manera de empezar a leer esta serie, como en mi caso. Se puede leer de una sentada, Lee Child conoce perfectamente su oficio y cómo mantener la atención del lector, pero sólo para sus fanáticos, en mi opinión.

Mi valoración: 3/5.

Jim Grant (nacido en 1954), más conocido por su seudónimo de Lee Child, es un escritor británico de misterio. Su mujer Jane es de Nueva York. Con su primera novela, Killing Floor (1997), ganó el Premio Anthony a la Mejor Primera Novela. Cada una de las novelas de Lee Child cuenta las aventuras de Jack Reacher un ex-policía militar estadounidense, que recorre errante los Estados Unidos. Lee Child fue elegido presidente de los Escritores de Misterio de América en el 2009.