His entry begins:I’ve recently finished The Twelve [US title: The Ghosts of Belfast] by Stuart Neville, which is something of a classic. I met Stuart over the summer at the Harrogate Crime Festival, and it was great to then go away and read his book with the author’s voice and intonations still in my mind. An Ulster accent is very distinctive, and goes very well with the subject matter. Now that ‘the troubles’ are officially over, it’s harder to get a sense of what life is really like there these days: ‘rumbling tensions’ don’t make for very good headlines. So I learned a huge amount about what Northern Ireland looks like from the inside. It’s not pretty, the wounds still run deep. And Stuart Neville is...[read on]About A Death in Valencia, from the publisher:
A Death in Valencia is the electrifying second Max Cámara Valencian crime novel from Jason Webster, author of Or the Bull Kills You.Learn more about the book and author at Jason Webster's website and blog.
Max Cámara is feeling low. Ominous cracks have appeared in the walls of his flat; the body of a well-known paella chef has been washed up on the beach; there are rows and threatsabout abortion clinics in anticipation of the Pope’s visit to Valencia; and Town Hall officials are set on demolishing El Cabanyal, the colorful fisherman’s quarter on Valencia’s seafront. As Cámara untangles these threads, he stumbles into a web of corruption and violence, uncovering deep animosities and hidden secrets, and forcing him to question his own doubts and desires.
This is the second novel in Webster’s dark and witty series, following his widely praised debut, Or the Bull Kills You. The plot is fast and twisting, the scene-setting vivid, and the atmosphere powerfully authentic. Starring the determined Cámara, with his love of flamenco and brandy, and occasional doped-out high, A Death in Valencia delves into issues that rouse unruly passions and divide the Spanish people today.
My Book, The Movie: Or the Bull Kills You.
The Page 69 Test: Or the Bull Kills You.
Writers Read: Jason Webster (September 2011).
The Page 69 Test: A Death in Valencia.
Writers Read: Jason Webster.
--Marshal Zeringue
Posts
