Miami-based private eye Willie Cuesta is feeling good. It’s a clear, crisp January day, and he has a new client. And she’s not just any old client; she’s from Key Biscayne, a posh part of town. And when she insists on meeting at the Ritz-Carlton, Willie knows this case could be good for his bottom line.
While Willie admires Carmen Vickers de Estrada’s elegant, expensive jewelry, she quickly gets down to business. Colombian by birth, she—like so many others from her country—has suffered at the hands of kidnappers. Her husband was killed while resisting abduction. Her son José was held for seven months before she was able to pay a small fortune for his release. And now, though they are living in Key Biscayne, she fears that someone may try to snatch her son again. She wants Willie, a former Miami Police Department detective, to provide protection for José and his gorgeous girlfriend Catalina whenever they leave the estate.
After several boring days of scrutinizing waitresses, hairdressers and grocery store clerks, Willie is ready to find Doña Carmen another security service. But when four men toting automatic weapons take Catalina in broad daylight, Willie is left to explain how she was kidnapped on his watch.
As the Estrada clan waits anxiously for the ransom demand, Willie discovers that things don’t add up about the family he has been hired to protect. Does Catalina, a poor but beautiful guajira, or country girl, have ties to Colombia’s guerrilla factions? Could José’s cousin Cósimo, rumored to be a paramilitary leader in Colombia, be involved in the kidnapping? And is there a connection between the Estrada family’s fortune, cocaine bosses and construction projects?
Before long, Willie is on the receiving end of automatic weapon fire from goons running the gamut from narcos to leftist guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary groups. Finding himself tied up in the trunk of a car, Willie can’t help but wonder if he’ll soon be on hallowed ground—the place where he will meet his end.
2012, Winner – International Latino Book Award for Best Mystery Novel-English
2008, Honorable Mention – Mystery Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award, for The Lady from Buenos Aires: A Willie Cuesta Mystery
2008, Winner – International Latino Book Award for Best Mystery Novel-English, for The Lady from Buenos Aires: A Willie Cuesta Mystery
2021, Nominee – Private Eye Writers of America Shamus Awards in the Best Original Private Eye Paperback category, for Remember My Face
“The fast-paced action is well matched by concise prose, making this a treat for Elmore Leonard devotees.”—Publishers Weekly
“This thoroughly entertaining crime novel flirts with a number of the genre’s central themes—kidnapping for ransom, drug dealing, betrayal, revenge, the silky seductiveness of a whole lot of money…a real find for crime-fiction fans.”—Booklist, Starred Review
“Cuesta, introduced in 1999’s Player’s Vendetta, is a noirish kind of chap, and the novel is appropriately atmospheric, with a large cast of villainous types and a beautiful client who may not be entirely what she seems. Readers familiar with the Cuesta series will note that, with this novel, the author is tackling a theme of greater sociohistorical importance than previously; but even though the story centers on a politically volatile period in recent history, Lantigua never forgets he’s writing a mystery, not a polemic.”—Booklist on The Lady from Buenos Aires
“Miami private eye Willie Cuesta is sent to central Florida to track down a missing person. Maybe persons. A heartfelt account of the risks Latinos face in modern America whether or not they’re undocumented.”—Kirkus Reviews on Remember My Face
“The rich and varied characters in this intriguingly twisty tale spring organically from the sandy soil of South Florida. This intelligent, timely novel is sure to win Lantigua new fans.”—Publishers Weekly on Remember My Face
“Keeps detective fans eager for the next page….Welcome to the world of vendetta, intrigue, and double-cross.”—The New York Times on Heat Lightning
“Lantigua gives us a fresh, clever cast in a taut and authentic tropical thriller.”—Carl Hiaasen on Burn Season
“…another darkly gripping read.”—Publishers Weekly on Burn Season
JOHN LANTIGUA is an award-winning journalist and novelist. His novels include The Lady from Buenos Aires (Arte Público Press, 2007), The Ultimate Havana (Signet, 2001), Player’s Vendetta (Signet, 1999), Twister (Simon and Schuster, 1992), and Burn Season (Putnam, 1989). His first novel, Heat Lightning (Putnam, 1987), was a finalist for the Edgar Awards Best First Novel. He is the recipient of numerous awards for his journalistic writings, including two Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Journalism Awards (2004, 2006) and the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting (1999).
