Hat Dance: An Emilia Cruz Novel

By Carmen Amato

The first female police detective in Acapulco battles her own worst fears as she hunts for both a violent arsonist and a missing girl.

Emilia Cruz's new lieutenant is a drunk. Her partner vowed to never work with a woman.

And her romantic dinner with new boyfriend Kurt Rucker abruptly ends when the restaurant blows up.

An arsonist is on the loose in Acapulco, targeting high-end restaurants that support the city's all-important tourism industry. When the popular mayor barely escapes a fiery death, Acapulco's citizens take to the streets in protest.

As the city burns and her personal problems mount, Emilia hunts for the firebug but finds enemies instead. A crooked Vice cop delivers a deadly threat. A woman in prison knows more than she'll tell.

Meanwhile, a young girl disappears and the search leaves Emilia empty-handed. How did the girl simply vanish into thin air?

If Emilia wants to find both the arsonist and the missing girl, she'll have to dance with the devil.

"A thrilling series" - National Public Radio

Acapulco, the fabled resort city known for nightclubs and cliff divers, now has the highest homicide rate in Mexico. The Detective Emilia Cruz series takes on cartels, corruption and social inequality. It's not just a walk on the beach . . .

After 30 years as a CIA intelligence officer, Carmen Amato writes mysteries and thrillers loaded with intrigue and action.

Readers who love police procedural series by Ian Rankin, Jo Nesbo, Ann Cleeves, Peter May, and Jussi Adler-Olsen, as well as Don Winslow's cartel and border thrillers set in Mexico, also love Detective Emilia Cruz's complex plots, fast action, pulse-pounding suspense, and exotic location.

2020 Poison Cup award, Outstanding Series - CrimeMasters of America

2019 Poison Cup award, Outstanding Series - CrimeMasters of America

"Emilia . . . is a force to be reckoned with . . . I loved Hat Dance just as much as Cliff Diver" - MysterySequels.com

"A story far richer than the thriller-factories of the big publishing houses. If she continues writing this series, I'll keep reading it."- LibraryThing

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1492791776
• ISBN13: 9781492791775
• Release Date: September 2013
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"