Explore The South American Stories
Inivisble Country
Paraguay, 1868
A war against Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay has devastated Paraguay. Ninety percent of the males between the ages of eight and eighty have died. Food is scarce. In the small village of Santa Caterina, Padre Gregorio advises the women of his congregation to abandon the laws of the church and get pregnant by what men are available. As he leaves the pulpit, he discovers the murdered body of Ricardo Yotté, one of the most powerful men in the country, at the bottom of the belfry.
Suspects abound; Eliza Lynch, a former Parisian courtesan now the consort of the brutal dictator Francisco Solano López. She had entrusted to Yotté the country's now-missing treasury of gold and jewels. López himself, who may have suspected Yotté of an affair with the beautiful Eliza. Comandante Luis Menenez, local representative of the dictator, who competed with Yotté for López's favor. And a Brazilian soldier who has secretly taken up with a village girl.
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To avoid having an innocent person dragged off to torture and death, a band of villagers undertakes to solve the crime. Each carries secrets they seek to protect from the others, while they pursue their quest for the truth.
Lyrical, complex, and meticulously researched, Annamaria Alfieri's Invisible Country is an ingenious cross between Isabel Allende and Agatha Christie.
Critical Acclaim for Invisible Country
"An engrossing, fast-paced mystery packed full of historical fact that illuminates the story but never overshadows it; a great read, highly recommended."
- Historical Novel Society |
"Alfieri has written an antiwar mystery that compares with the notable novels of Charles Todd."
- Kirkus Review |
"[Alfieri's] excellent historical mystery has...heartache and sorrow, but it also has romance and humor...The mystery is the icing on an already delicious cake...people with whom I fell in love...Invisible Country is a mystery that will nearly impossible to forget."
- Gumshoe Review |
"The author's recreation of Paraguay in the 1860s is perfectly entwined with the plot and never comes off like a travelogue or historical research. Fans of historical mysteries should not pass this one up."
- Mystery Scene Magazine |
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City of Silver
Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru, 1650
The city of Potosi is under investigation from the King of Spain for producing counterfeit silver coins. Meanwhile, the Grand Inquisitor of New Spain is also investigating an abbess Mother Maria Santa Hilda, who has allowed an apparent suicide, a young woman who died inside her convent, to be buried in sacred ground. But Mother Maria does not believe the death was suicide, and to save herself from burning at the stake, she must uncover the murderer. Her investigation reveals some extremely dangerous secrets that intensify the threat to her life.
An atmospheric historical mystery set in an unusual locale with a strong female protagonist, City of Silver will please both history and mystery buffs alike with its stunning sense of authenticity. Library Journal described it as a "nail-biting thriller in which Latin American history comes alive," and The Washington Post compared it to The Name of the Rose.
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Blood Tango
Buenos Aires, 1945
The most dramatic and tumultuous period in Argentine history: Colonel Juan Perón, supremely powerful and despised more than any man in the country, has been forced out of office. Many people fear that his mistress, radio actress Evita Duarte, will use her skill at swaying the masses to restore him to power.
When an obscure Evita lookalike is brutally murdered, police detective Roberto Leary concludes that someone out to eliminate the popular star mistook the girl for Evita. The search for the killer soon involves the girl's employer, who is Evita's dressmaker, her journalist lover, and Pilar, a seamstress in the dress shop and a tango dancer. The suspects include a leftist union leader and a young Lieutenant who feels Perón has dishonored the Army. Their stories collide in this thrilling and sensuous historical mystery.
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