"A dry, sharp x-ray of the horror of life in the Gulf, the network of
complicity, the scope of tragedy. A gritty, direct, exciting novel that
is a must-read for anyone who wants to look at the hell that the Gulf
(and Mexico at the same time) has become." -Antonio Ortuño
From a writer whose work has been praised by Junot Díaz as "Latin
American fiction at its pulpy phantasmagorical finest," Don't Send
Flowers is a riveting novel centered on Carlos Treviño, a retired
police detective in northern Mexico who has to go up against the
corruption and widespread violence that caused him to leave the force,
when he's hired by a wealthy businessman to find his missing daughter.
A 17-year-old girl has disappeared after a fight with her boyfriend that
was interrupted by armed men, leaving the boyfriend on life support and
the girl an apparent kidnapping victim. It's a common occurrence in the
region - prime narco territory - but the girl's parents are rich and
powerful, and determined to find their daughter at any cost. When they
call upon Carlos Treviño, he tracks the missing heiress north to the
town of La Eternidad, on the Gulf of Mexico not far from the US border -
all while constantly attempting to evade detection by La Eternidad's
chief of police, Commander Margarito Gonzalez, who is in the pockets of
the cartels and has a score to settle with Treviño.
A gritty tale of murder and kidnapping, crooked cops and violent gang
disputes, Don't Send Flowers is an engrossing portrait of contemporary
Mexico from one of its most original voices.
