Popular South American Mystery Books
Find mystery books written by authors from South America for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (17)
11.
Poso Wells by Gabriela Alemán EN
Country: South America / 
Ecuador
Ecuador
Description:
Celebrated Ecuadorian author Gabriela Alemán's first work to appear in English: a noir, feminist eco-thriller in which venally corrupt politicians and greedy land speculators finally get their just comeuppance! "In the squalid settlement of Poso Wells, women have been regularly disappearing, but the authorities have shown little interest. When the leading presidential candidate comes to town, he and his entourage are electrocuted in a macabre accident witnessed by a throng of astonished spectators. The sole survivor—next in line for the presidency—inexplicably disappears from sight. Gustavo Va... continue
12.
Red April by Santiago Roncagliolo EN
Country: South America / 
Peru
Peru
Description:
A chilling political thriller set at the end of Peru's grim war between Shining Path terrorists and a morally bankrupt government counterinsurgency. Associate District Prosecutor Felix Chacaltana Saldivar is a by-the-book prosecutor wading through life. Two of his greatest pleasures are writing mundane reports and speaking to his long-dead mother. Everything changes, however, when he is asked to investigate a bizarre and brutal murder: the body was found burnt beyond recognition and a cross branded into its forehead. Adhering to standard operating procedures, Chacaltana begins a meticulous inv... continue
13.
Country: South America / 
Argentina
Argentina
Description:
At last, a noir novel from the Argentine master of suspense and surprises Maxi, a middle-class, directionless ox of a young man who helps the trash pickers of Buenos Aires’s shantytown, attracts the attention of a corrupt, trigger-happy policeman who will use anyone — including two innocent teenage girls — to break a drug ring that he believes is operating within the slum. A strange new drug, a brightly lit carousel of a slum, the kindness of strangers, gunplay... no matter how serious the subject matter, and despite Aira’s “fascination with urban violence and the sinister underside of Latin A... continue
14.
The Hand That Feeds You by Mercedes Rosende EN
Country: South America / 
Uruguay
Uruguay
Description:
The sequel to last year's much-lauded Crocodile Tears ("Reads like a marvellous mash-up of Anita Brookner and Quentin Tarantino." The Times). The attempted robbery of the armored truck in the back streets of Montevideo is a miserable failure. A lucky break for the intrepid Ursula who manages to snatch all the loot, more hindered than helped by her faint-hearted and reluctant companion Diego. Only now, the wannabe robbers are hot on her heels. As is the police. And a private detective. And Ursula's sister. But Ursula turns out to be enormously talented when it comes to criminal undertakings, an... continue
15.
The Name of Death by Klester Cavalcanti EN
Country: South America / 
Brazil
Brazil
Description:
The powerful true-life story of a Brazilian boy who could have been a fisherman but instead became the biggest professional killer known to the world--soon to be a major motion picture. Julio Santana as seen through the eyes of acclaimed investigative reporter Klester Cavalcanti is not a monster--he is a loyal son, a family man, a devout Christian who is tormented by his conscience with every shot. But in a cruel and lawless area of Brazil, where every life has its price, respect for life is a luxury that he can't afford. Trained by his uncle, an assassin, and initiated in murder at 17 years o... continue
16.
The Spanish Daughter : A Gripping Latinx Historical Novel by Lorena Hughes EN
Country: South America / Ecuador
Ecuador
Description:
Inheriting a cocoa plantation in Vinces, Ecuador, that someone will kill for, Puri, after her husband is murdered, assumes his identity to search for the truth of her father's legacy and learn the identity of the enemy who stands in her way of claiming her birthright.
17.
When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo EN
Country: South America / 
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Description:
Darwin is a down-on-his-luck gravedigger, newly arrived in the city to seek his fortune, young and beautiful and lost. Estranged from his mother, he is convinced that the father he never met may be waiting for him somewhere amid these bustling streets. Meanwhile in an old house on a hill, Yejide's mother is dying. And she is leaving behind a legacy that now passes to Yejide- the keeper of the dead. Darwin and Yejide will find one another in the ancient cemetery at the heart of the city, where trouble is brewing and destiny awaits... Embedded with timeless myth and magic, this hypnotic literary... continue