The Crime Fiction Alphabet arrives this week to letter “q”, and my Q is for Quinteto de Buenos Aires, the original title of The Buenos Aires Quintet by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán. It goes without saying that, for me, this was a tough letter to tackle. I couldn’t find any crime fiction writer in Spanish language with a name starting with a Q and, therefore, I begun to search for a best alternative. From my TBR pile I have chosen Quinteto de Buenos Aires.
Synopsis: When Pepe Carvalho’s uncle asks him to find his son, Raúl, in Buenos Aires, Pepe is reluctant. All he knows about Argentina is “tango, Maradona, and the disappeared” and he has no desire to find out more. But family is family and soon Carvalho is in Buenos Aires, getting more caught up in Argentina’s troubled past than is good for anybody. As he gets nearer to finding Raúl, he begins to realise the full impact of the traumas caused by a military junta who went so far as to kidnap the children of the political activists they tortured. A few excellent tangos, bottles of Mendoza Cabernet Sauvignon and a sexy semiotician are no compensation for the savage brutality Carvalho experiences in his attempt to come to grips with Argentina’s recent history. (Serpent’s Tail)
I do hope I’ll find the time to read it soon. Meanwhile I’ll let you some links as an appetizer. Bon appétit! Or it would be better to say: ¡Buen provecho!
- The Buenos Aires Quintet, by Peter Rozovsky at Detectives Without Borders
- The Buenos Aires Quintet, by Simon Parker at Bookgeeks
- Serpent’s Tail
- Melville International
- Planeta de libros
The 2012 Crime Fiction Alphabet 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.
A Crime is Afoot 
José Ignacio – That’s a clever choice for Q. I’ve not yet read this one either so I’m very much looking forward to reading what you think of it.
I have yet to tackle this author José Ignacio but do want to as I understand it inspires Camilleri in his choice of name for Salvo Montalbano, which is a good enough reference for me!