A body in Barcelona

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Tensions in Spain are rising: political violence and social unrest have suddenly re-emerged. Madrid is trying to keep a tight leash on Catalonia, where the call for independence is getting louder by the day. The last time Barcelona moved to break away, in the 1930s, Spain quickly descended into civil war.

Down in Valencia, a shallow grave is found among abandoned orange groves just outside the city. Chief Inspector Max Cámara, now heading up the new Special Crime Unit, is put on the case. But this is no ordinary murder. Behind it, Max uncovers a tangled web that could awaken ghosts from the past, decimate Barcelona and destabilise the whole country

It's all down to Max, but the stakes are higher than anything he's ever known.

'One of the most creative writers working within the field of crime fiction, and one of the most entertaining' Daily Express

'A series that gets better and better' Mark Billingham

'Conveys a wonderful sense of Spain... [Webster] does for the country what Michael Dibdin did for Italy' Daily Mail

'An exceptional writer' Guardian

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

British author Webster's tense fifth Max Cámara novel (after Bloody Med) takes the Valencia-based chief inspector to Barcelona, where the long-held desire of Catalonians for independence from Spain seems to be reaching the boiling point. Commissioner Pardo, Cámara's boss, assigns him and Inspector Torres to investigate the politically sensitive murder of 10-year-old Fermín Capilla Romero, illegitimate son of billionaire Alfonso Segarra. After reading crime scene notes and interviewing Segarra, Cámara and Torres are still clueless, until an intelligence informant called Carlos directs them toward a connection between Segarra's late wife, Dona Francisca Grau, and Col. José Terreros of the Veteran Legionarios' Welfare Association. Political maneuvering, assassination, and a key celebration at Barcelona's iconic basilica, Sagrada Familia, all point toward a violent climax. Webster's thriller plays out like a blind chess match where all the pieces are gray, not black and white. Agent: Peter Robinson, Rogers, Coleridge & White (U.K.). (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.