La reina sin espejo

La reina sin espejo

Novel , 2005

Destino

Pages: 384

5th book of Bevilacqua and Chamorro Series

While Alice crossed through the looking glass and safely lived out her psychodelic adventures, the eponymous reality TV queen of Lorenzo Silva's thriller lived out her adventures without the benefit of a magic mirror and is already dead on page one. The criminal investigators assigned to this case are Ruben Bevilaqua ("just call me Vila") and Virginia Chamorro, both of whom work for the revamped Spanish Guardia Civil that, with the exception of the three-cornered hat still worn by officers assigned to protect official buildings, otherwise operates much like a U.S. federal law-enforcement agency--light years removed from the gypsy harassers in Lorca's foreboding Romance de la Guardia Civil Española (1928).

Along with the thrills that Vila and Chamorro provide with their hunting down of a corrupt cop and brutal pornographers who set up elaborate film studios in Barcelona warehouses, the author also lets us get up close to the two investigators who reveal their most intimate feelings, especially their fears and inadequacies relating to Vila's divorce and Chamorro's delayed maternity. In addition to a more mellowed pair, what's new here is their use of technology and innovative schemes. Computer files, text messaging, and the ubiquitous cell phone that facilitate the prostitution of the eastern girls lead eventually to the demise of their masters.