Under the Skin | In the Blood| Better Dead
There is no mystery that can resist Inspector Pieldelobo.
Marcela Pieldelobo, originally from the Aragonese Pyrenees, has been an inspector in the National Police Corps in Pamplona for ten years. She struggles with alcohol and frequently operates outside the law to advance her investigations. Her life is marked by painful romantic losses, including the betrayal of her corrupt husband, and a deep fear of not being enough. These emotional scars are etched into her skin in the form of a large tattoo, visible only to a few. Her family past is turbulent, with an abusive father, shadows that still haunt her in her daily fight for justice.
Her professional life confronts her with all kinds of crimes: murders linked to religious sects, police conspiracies, and kidnappings motivated by economic interests.
In “Under the Skin,” Marcela Pieldelobo must investigate the abandonment of a baby in a car with blood stains, suggesting a hit-and-run accident. The woman who was driving the car led an exemplary life as an executive. Now her whereabouts are unknown, and there are no witnesses. Simultaneously, Marcela has to deal with the death of her mother and the reappearance of her abusive father.
The investigation, which Marcela shares with her partner and lover Miguel Bonachera, leads them to consider the case as a kidnapping and possible murder, involving one of the most powerful families in the area, linked to Opus Dei. This implication causes her superiors to remove her from the case, but Marcela decides to continue on her own, despite the risk, and becomes the victim of an attack. In the end, she solves the case, uncovering not one but three murders.
In “In the Blood,” Marcela is on thin ice, closely monitored by her superiors due to the irregularities committed to solve her last case. In this context, after an anti-narcotics operation carried out by the police force, a young woman appears murdered in Bera, a town near the French border. The victim is Elur Amézaga, a police informant and partner of a local Basque nationalist leader.
All evidence points to Inspector Fernando Ribas, an undercover agent in the anti-drug operation, as the possible culprit. Fernando is a friend of Marcela and was her mentor and lover at the beginning of her career.
Marcela refuses to believe her friend is responsible for the murder. Once again, she begins to investigate on her own, ignoring advice and threats, and confronting local politicians. The inspector puts her life in danger once more, this time in both France and Navarre.
In “Better Dead,” real estate developer Francisco Sarasola disappears in Pamplona, and there are no clues about his whereabouts. The family, a few hours after filing the report, receives a video in which the businessman appears injured. The kidnappers demand a ransom of one million euros. After the money is delivered, the company’s deputy director disappears, and the body of the developer’s lover is found in a station bathroom.
Marcela Pieldelobo leads the investigation and soon discovers that the developer had accumulated numerous enemies, increasing the number of possible suspects. His family is no exception: the eldest son longs to take control of the company, and the second is completely dominated by his ambitious mother. As for his wives, it is known that the first hates him, while the second fears him. The entire family is caught in a web of violence, hatred, and blackmail, complicating the search for the businessman.
For her part, Marcela, already recovered from her divorce, her mother’s death, and her turbulent relationship with her father, will have to face her fears and insecurities with the new people who appear in her life. This will be the case with Sub-Inspector Diego Vila, her partner in this new investigation, who will have to deal with our inspector’s rigidity, individualism, and tendency to solitude.
RELEVANT INFORMATION: The Marcela Pieldelobo Trilogy is a powerful detective saga that brings together all the elements to become a long-running TV mystery and intrigue series. It is set in the Basque Country and Navarre and has a distinct local flavor. The second installment takes place between Spain and France, opening opportunities for organic co-production.
Susana Rodríguez Lezaun is a journalist and writer awarded the Barañain City Journalism Prize for her professional career. She is also the director of the Pamplona Negra festival.
What the reviews Say:
“A powerful and disturbing writing that goes far beyond the genre novel.” Rosa Montero
“A heroine with a complex, strong, and absolutely magnetic personality.” Mikel Santiago
“Addictive, you can’t stop reading because you have to confirm your suspicions, which undoubtedly are not what you thought.” Goodreads
AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Miniseries, Film, TV Movie.
AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish.
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