Cliff Diver (Detective Emilia Cruz, #1)

Acapulco's first female police detective dives into an ocean of secrets, lies, and murder when she investigates her own lieutenant's death. "Consistently exciting" -- Kirkus Reviews In this explosive start to the award-winning crime fiction series set in Acapulco, Emilia Cruz beat the odds to be the city's first female police detective. Now she has to navigate the corruption that turned the department into a pressure cooker of danger and distrust. Drug cartel money can buy anyone, it seems. Including Emilia's own lieutenant. When he's murdered, Emilia is assigned to lead the investigation. She uncovers an ugly mess no one wants exposed. Both Acapulco's mayor and the head of the police union want Emilia to sweep evidence under the rug and close the case. Male colleagues are ready to sabotage her, resentful of a woman in the squadroom. But Emilia won't walk away because her prime suspect is another police detective. Feeling like one of Acapulco's famous cliff divers praying not to smash into the rocks below, Emilia must choose between truth and survival. Either way, she won't be ready for the impact. Neither will you. "A thrilling series" -- National Public Radio Awarded the National Intelligence Medal for her counterdrug work, ex-CIA author Carmen Amato guides you through a world torn from today's headlines. Detective Emilia Cruz isn't just solving crimes, she's showing you the pervasive darkness of Mexico's narco underworld. Acapulco is ground zero. In today's war on drugs, cartels fight over smuggling routes into the United States for fentanyl and cocaine, homicide rates spiral, human trafficking is on the rise and missing persons are never found. The danger is real, the stakes couldn't be higher and every cop is a target. Yet each day, Emilia Cruz finds another reason to keep fighting for the people of Acapulco. She's a good liar, a fast thinker, and a mean kickboxer in a department that didn't want her and is still trying to break her. Even as she fights to keep what she's earned, Emilia keeps a record of women who have gone missing--casualties of Mexico's drug violence--and is always searching for Las Perdidas, the Lost Ones.

Carmen Amato turns lessons from a 30-year career with the Central Intelligence Agency into crime fiction loaded with danger and deception. The Detective Emilia Cruz series pits the first female police detective in Acapulco against Mexico's drug cartels, corruption, and social inequality. Dubbed "A thrilling series" by National Public Radio, the series was awarded the Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America in both 2019 and 2020 and has been optioned for television. Her Galliano Club historical thriller series was inspired by the stories told by her grandfather who was a deputy sheriff during Prohibition. Originally from upstate New York, Carmen was educated there as well as in Virginia and Paris, France, while experiences in Mexico and Central America ignited her writing career. She is a recipient of both the National Intelligence Award and the Career Intelligence Medal. Every other Sunday, Carmen's Mystery Ahead newsletter unlocks her top secrets with exclusive announcements, sneak peeks at her next book and reviews of must-read mysteries. https://carmenamato.net/mystery-ahead https://www.bookbub.com/authors/carmen-amato https://www.amazon.com/author/carmenamato https://facebook.com/authorcarmenamato/