The Uncomfortable Dead

By Subcomandante Marcos and Paco Ignacio Taibo II

Book Overview

"Taibo's expertise ensures a smart, funny book, and Marcos brings a wry sense of humor." --Publishers Weekly

In alternating chapters, Zapatista leader Subcomandante Marcos and the consistently excellent Paco Ignacio Taibo II create an uproarious murder mystery with two intersecting storylines. The chapters written by the famously masked Marcos originate in the mountains of Chiapas, Mexico. There, the fictional "Subcomandante Marcos" assigns Elias Contreras--an odd but charming mountain man--to travel to Mexico City in search of an elusive and hideous murderer named "Morales." The second story line, penned by Taibo, stars his famous series detective Hector Belascoaran Shayne. Hector guzzles Coca-Cola and smokes cigarettes furiously amidst his philosophical and always charming approach to investigating crimes--in this case, the search for his own "Morales."

The two stories collide absurdly and dramatically in the urban sprawl of Mexico City. The ugly history of the city's political violence rears its head, and both detectives find themselves in an unpredictable dance of death with forces at once criminal, historical, and political. Readers expecting political heavy-handedness will be disarmed by the humility and playful self-mocking that runs throughout the book.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1933354895
• ISBN13: 9781933354897
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Akashic Books, Ltd.
• Length: 302 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.2" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

head spinning

Taibo is a really good writer and an interesting one too. His social views are revolutionary (in both meanings of the word); his detective (Belascoaran) is fun, particularly if you like foreign procedurals with a bit of noir; but in this book the construct of several voices all intermingled is somewhat confusing. I don't think anyone should start with this book, but like all of Taibo, it is worthwhile reading.

What a rarity! What a treat!

Oh, good, good, good! El Sup Marcos and Paco Taibo collaborate to write a contemporary thriller...with a cast of characters straight out of the newspapers. It's neat. It's funny. It's extraordinarily well done: Marcos wrote the odd-numbered chapters, and Taibo wrote the even-numbered ones...and the two of them take the reader from Chiapas to México (the city)and a dozen other places. The two authors grab bits and pieces from the Dirty War in México (about which most [North] Americans remain typically ignorant), and from there through to current times. Surely there is no other revolutionist in all of history who has co-authored a detective story while in the midst of the revolution that he helped create - and that continues to grip peoples from all over the world. Taibo is Taibo, and writes like he always does: very well, and with a canny eye for nuance and flavor. Marcos provides a glimpse into himself that shows another entire facet of this fascinating individual. Together, the two of them accomplish something subtle and rewarding...the reader's surprise is just the gravy. A good, fun read, but it may be difficult for persons without an understanding of contemporary México to enjoy it as much as do others. A WARNING, however: it will make you desperate for good street-corner tacos and warm orange soda, that's for sure.

Spanish Writing At Its Best

This is the different book written in Spanish these days: no biographical notes; no cultural accounts. A novel narrating the story of Hector Belascoaran, an independent detective and Elias Contreras the investigation comissioner for the Frente Zapatista; both of them looking for this Morales a corrupted official. Also double, the authors: two of the best known figures at the Spanish world: Paco Ignacio Taibo-Che Guevara's biographer and Subcomandante Marcos, the leader of a big insurrection at the South of Mexico. A political-crime fiction showing a funny, witty, satirical writing which goes back to the same own roots of Spanish literature. Ironic due to the serious topic it is about. Chapter 1 by itself is a jewel in this book I reccommend without any reserve. A must read.