by Paula Rodriguez
Translated from the Spanish by Sarah Moses
Published by Pushkin Vertigo
an Imprint of Pushkin Press
Cover design by
Strap yourself in - this is an *electric Argentinian literary noir* & we are quickly immersed in the action by the chaos of a train crash in the Buenos Aries suburbs.
We're introduced to an eclectic group of strong characters & their reactions to the shock of the crash will lead us down numerous intricate threads of a twisting mystery.
Hugo, a crimial on the run, is one of the survivors but tries to leave the coughs, moans & panic of the injured AND his identity in the wreckage along with his possessions.
A wallet containing personal identification would usually be a key piece of evidence, a gem of a find, but will this one even be recorded at all? It could be one of many in a string of questionable steps we see.
Detective Domínguez seems to be the only one to make a connection between a murder case & current circumstances. He has his suspicions & has to decide how he's going to manage this investigation. Who can he trust? Can HE even be trusted?
Police & Government corruption is a very real issue in many countries & definitely has a role in this story. Actions of the detectives might not match the details in their notebooks or final reports - but that seems to be the norm in a lot of sketchy cases.
Religious elements & strong belief in the power of prayer abruptly butt up against the tight family ties & this disaster. Even these could be more about deception than anything else.
With DNA test results providing less than useful or desired information, frustration grows & the time factor can only hinder investigations - but might help others.
There is always a possibility of running into an unusual flow or characteristics with a translation but in this case the writing style is superb, pulls us in & we feel the energy of the drama & jeopardy on every page.
An excellent book with sharp detail & there's even room for some cultural nuance & humour. I hope more work from Paula Rodriguez is translated in the future.
Thank you Pushkin Press for including me on this tour.
Originally published as *Causas urgentes* by Alfaguara in 2021
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