The detective Tijuana needs, but doesn’t want.
Tomás Peralta is a red-haired detective with a brandy-like voice. He’s not handsome like the characters in True Detective, nor as smart as Sherlock Holmes, or as elegant as Sam Spade. He defines himself as “ugly, but with a good body.” He was born on a Tuesday the 13th, a day of bad luck, ill omen, and the devil in Mexico. This is why he’s nicknamed “Malasuerte.”
“Malasuerte in Tijuana” is the first installment of this trilogy. It introduces us to a young Malasuerte, ostracized by his town after he has just killed members of a powerful local family. On his flight to Tijuana, he meets several peculiar life mentors who steer him towards his new profession. Thus, despite not passing the school exam, he manages to enter the Public Security Secretariat, train as a detective, and, more importantly, speak Spanglish fluently.
At this stage of his life, he will discover the lights and shadows of Tijuana and the mysterious Cult of Bugalú, a group of people who worship Sandkühlcaán, an ancient alien over two meters tall that feeds on human lust and suffering. Sandkühlcaán has faithful followers like the Desnarigado, a priest with the appearance of a mobster and pimp, and Benito Esparza, a sociopath. Both will end up becoming his enemies.
Malasuerte will move through the streets of Tijuana with the aim of fighting crime and the supernatural forces that invade the city.
In “The Wife of the Reyna Brothers,” we delve even deeper into a delirious and psychedelic Tijuana, full of mysterious inhabitants and with a stormy past. Malasuerte discovers the genesis of Sandkühlcaán, the Cult of Bugalú, and how they took over the city. He also learns the story of Lorena Guerra/”La Morena” – an enigmatic femme fatale and former field assistant of a baseball team – who had the tenacity to overcome adverse origins and become the mayor of Tijuana.
“Juan Three Sixteen” is the name of a boxer, named after a verse. Juan seems blessed by the success he enjoys. His career is smooth sailing until one night, he wakes up in a hotel room next to the corpse of his young partner.
Being the main suspect in the crime, Juan must turn to the peculiar Malasuerte to find the real killer of his woman.
RELEVANT DATA: The detective Malasuerte encompasses the titles “Malasuerte in Tijuana,” “The Wife of the Reyna Brothers,” and “Juan Three Sixteen,” which were published separately and now compiled in the same volume.
Malasuerte is not the typical unattainable and mysterious detective. On the contrary, he is a colorful, funny, endearing, and accessible character that you can’t help but grow fond of. With this work, its author pays tribute to the detective genre, includes touches of science fiction, and demonstrates the richness and complexities of the border world, without neglecting humor and action.
Hilario Peña, pseudonym of Alejandro Pedro González Garduño, is a writer originally from Mazatlán, Sinaloa. He currently lives in Tijuana, the city that inspires the writing of his novel. He has received the “José Rubén Romero” Bellas Artes Award and received an honorable mention at the X International Literature Contest “Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz”
What critics have said:
“A further demonstration of the quality of contemporary Mexican crime novels.” El Universal, Élmer Mendoza.
“In his second novel, the Mexican Hilario Peña introduces into the wild landscape of Tijuana an anti-hero detective named Malasuerte, who meticulously follows the steps of the noir genre elevated by Raymond Chandler, without neglecting the clichés.” La Prensa.
AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Miniseries, Film, TV Movie.
AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish.
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