Synopses & Reviews
This novel marks the long-awaited arrival—in English—of a masterful voice in Mexican and noir fiction Death in Veracruz is a gritty and atmospheric noir centered on the so-called oil wars of the late 1970s, which pitted the extremely powerful and corrupt government-owned oil cartel PEMEX against the agrarian landowners in the coastal regions of Southern Mexico. This novel, translated for the first time in English since its publication 30 years ago, concerns a journalist who investigates the death of a colleague and friend Rojano in a bizarre shooting incident that takes place in a small rural village, and who finds himself up against crooked police and a charismatic and ruthless union boss . But, as he gets deeper into this Mexican Heart of Darkness, he finds Rojano was not all he seemed, and neither was his widow with whom he falls into a doomed affair.
Review
"Among the promising writers making their U.S debuts this year . . . Mexican journalist Héctor Aguilar Camín probes the oil cartels’ takeover of land in southern Mexico through tactics of murder and extortion in his first English-translated noir, Death in Veracruz.” —Library Journal
Review
"Death in Veracruz is not only an extraordinary thriller and love story, but also a heartbreaking critique of Mexican corruption, as relevant today, alas, as it was when it was first published decades ago to great acclaim.” —Ariel Dorfman, author, Death in the Maiden
Review
“Death in Veracruz is a marvel, the book provides us with lyric density we only find in genius. I will immediately read everything he has written.” —Jim Harrison, author, Legends of the Fall and The Big Seven
Review
"Death in Veracruz is a Byzantine knot of friendship, betrayal, love, ambition, politics, money, oil and murder . . . recommended for fans of politics, thrillers, history and Mexico." —Michelle Newby, Foreword Reviews
Review
"This ambitious novel memorably brings together recent history, horrific crimes, and an ever present sense of corruption." —Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Death in Veracruz is a gritty and atmospheric noir centered on the so-called oil wars of the late 1970s, which pitted the extremely powerful and corrupt government-owned oil cartel against the agrarian landowners in the Tabasco region of Southern Mexico. This novel, translated for the first time in English since its publication 30 years ago, concerns a journalist who investigates the death of a colleague and friend Rojano in a bizarre shooting incident that takes place in a small rural village, and who finds himself up against crooked police and petty government officials bought by the oil conglomerate. But, as he gets deeper and deeper into this Mexican Heart of Darkness, he finds Rojano was not all he seemed, and neither was his widow with whom he falls into a doomed affair.
About the Author
Hector Aguilar Camin is a Mexican writer, journalist, and historian. He is the recipient of Mexico’s Cultural Journalism National Award and three years later he received a scholarship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation while he was working as a researcher for the National Institute of Anthropology and History. As a journalist, he has written for La Jornada, Unomásuno, and Milenio. He edited Nexos, one of the leading cultural magazines in the country, and hosted Zona abierta, a weekly current-affairs show on national television. He received the Literature Award for his book Mazatlan: A Breath in the River and is the author of the novels Galio’s War, Los Mujeres de Adriano, and Mandatos del Corazon, and the memoir Adios a los Padres.