Death Rites

Alicia Giménez-Bartlett's Petra Delicado detective series has apparently garnered some acclaim and popularity in her native Spain, and she has won the Feminino Lumen Prize for best female writer as well in case there's any doubt as to her abilities.  I hate it when American publishers publish detective novels out of order (which they frequently do). I prefer to get in on the ground floor so to speak when it comes to a series of books and see how characters develop and storylines progress.  It was sheer luck then, when I chose Death Rites to read.  It's the first Petra Delicado mystery, but the third to be published by Europa Editions. 

I've never read any Spanish crime novels and was curious to see what this would be like.  I tend to read a certain type of mystery over and over, so it's good to shake things up a bit and get an entirely new perspective sometimes.  Reading more fiction in translation this year, mysteries included isn't a bad thing either.  I thought Death Rites would be a fairly straightforward police procedural, and it was, but the mystery aspect didn't really kick in until almost two thirds of the way through the book.  It's not surprising that Giménez-Bartlett would spend so much time concentrating on her main characters in a first novel.  They are quirky and mismatched, but by the end of the story they have a rapport that's comfortable and entirely believable and the pair end up very likable for that matter.

Petra Delicado is a forty-something intellectual, twice divorced and trying to settle into her new home and life.  Like her first husband, Hugo, she started out as a lawyer.  They had a successful practice and a perfect lifestyle, but Petra would always take backseat to Hugo.  Caring only for appearances and his own good name Hugo can't understand Petra's desire to be a police Inspector.  Her second marriage was equally disastrous, though Pepe  couldn't be more different than Hugo.  Still somewhat dependent emotionally on Petra, Pepe is her junior in more ways than one, almost a little boy lost but altogether irresistible as well.  

Petra has worked for months in a desk job in Documentation when a string of rapes occur and the department is short handed.  She finally gets to try her hand at real investigative work and is paired with the portly Sgt. Fermín Garzón fresh from the Salamanca police force.  They couldn't be more different.  Fermín is far more apt to toe the line in his work, but is far more savvy when it comes to dealing with the seedier underside of Barcelona.  Older and widowed Fermín lives in a boarding house but spends nearly all his waking hours either working or hanging out at The Ephemerides, a bar owned by Petra's ex, Pepe.  It's also obvious he's uncomfortable working for a woman who's got fixed ideas on how to handle suspects and can be aggressive when she needs to be.      

In trying to track down the rapist the two are dogged by a lack of witnesses, victims who are not forthcoming or helpful in any way, bosses who are ready to pull the pair off the case if they don't see results and a press hostile to Petra and willing to go to any extremes to get their story.  The only real clue they have to work with is a circular floral pattern pressed into the victims forearms.  Delicado and Garzón spend many hours hitting the pavement looking for their suspect and the device used to make the mark.  This isn't a fly by the seat of your pants race to the finish line sort of story.  It's far more about personalities and how they interact and getting just the right clue so that the rest falls into place, but the story does pick up momentum as it goes.  I'm curious if the other two are similar, or if more attention is paid to actual detective work now that the groundwork has been laid.  I'll be sure to find out as I plan on reading Dog Day at some point.  And I have to mention that Europa Editions are lovely books and a pleasure to handle.       

Comments

[Lily]

I am going to order this RIGHT NOW. I think there are many fine European writers who're turning out interesting, literate, highly readable mysteries. She sounds like one of them. (And now I have to stay away from your blog for a while or I won't be able to keep afloat financially.)

[iliana]

I really want to read this one. I haven't read any crime fiction from Spain so I'm curious too and Barcelona as a setting is a definite plus :)

[Kate S.]

Danielle, we're in sync today--I've just posted on Giménez-Bartlett as well. I began at the end with "Prime Time Suspect" and can tell you that it is much more plot-focussed. But I was so intrigued by Delicado and Garzon that I'm now really enjoying getting the back story on their characters and their partnership from "Death Rites."

[Ellen]

I've also decided to no longer limit my reading to books written in English. Inspired by your posts on 'Les Misérables' last year, I bought myself some French classics. I'm tackling 'The Count of Monte Cristo' at the moment.

[Litlove]

I had never even heard of this author before now. You do have such a gift for making books sound irresistible, Danielle! I'll look out for her over here.

[Jenny]

Whenever I go through one of those lists of "books everyone must read," I notice the gaping lack of books from Spain and Latin America. This looks like a good place to start!

[Danielle]

Lily--I hope you do get to read her and that you enjoy her as much as I did. I think there really is a lot of good, international crime/mystery writers out there who should be discovered by American audiences!
Iliana--I'd like to read more foreign crime writers (and not just Scandinavian ones--though some of them as well!). I look forward now to seeing how these two detectives grow into their roles and hopefully hearing more about Spain!
Kate--I wonder if in this case it is almost better to start with one of her later books as the first is really much more character-driven. I thought it was excellent, though, and am really looking forward to seeing how they continue to work together as a pair! I hope Europa Editions publishes more of her work.
Ellen--I Loved The Count of Monte Cristo. I read the unabridged edition several years ago and thought it was great!! I also want to read more international fiction this year (classics included).
Litlove--I'm so glad I came across this author. I read about her on one of the mystery/crime blogs that I check in on. Definitely look for her when you are out and about--I'm sure she must be available in the UK as well!
Jenny--There is lots of foreign lit that I am lacking in as well. If I read foreign authors it tends to be French, but there is so many good books out there to discover. I hope to read some Latin American authors, too.

[Dorothy W.]

Those Europa editions are nice looking books. I've never heard of this author -- another one to keep in mind for my mystery/crime group perhaps?

[Danielle]

Dorothy--They are nice with heavier covers that fold inward and nice paper. If your bookgroup decides to branch out to international authors, do keep her in mind. You might want to start with one of her later works as this one is not so fast moving at the start, but I still really liked it and plan on reading more. Also Kate S. has written about her as well!

[Dorothy W.]

I saw Kate's post and will need to read it more carefully. And we really have no rules for the book group, just that the books be mystery novels. We've already done one Australian author (Charlotte Jay). So Giménez-Bartlett would work well, I think.

[Danielle]

Dorothy--I read so many British authors when it comes to mysteries, it was really nice to get a different take on the genre. I think your group would have a lot to talk about with her as well. I'm not familiar with Charlotte Jay--must check her out now, too! How far in advance do you select your books?