Thanks to an introduction from Mike Faricy, I was able to connect with Carmen Amato for this week’s episode of “And the Murders Began.”
Amato draws inspiration from her 30-year career in the Central Intelligence Agency to craft mysteries and thrillers loaded with intrigue and action. Carmen is a recipient of both the National Intelligence Award and the Career Intelligence Medal.
Her Detective Emilia Cruz police series includes Cliff Diver, Hat Dance, Diablo Nights, King Peso, Pacific Reaper, 43 Missing, Russian Mojito and, most recently, Narco Nior. These crime thrillers pit the first female police detective in Acapulco against Mexico’s cartels, corruption, and social inequality.
Described as “A thrilling series” by National Public Radio, the Detective Emilia Cruz series was awarded the Poison Cup for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America in both 2019 and 2020 and has been optioned for television.
I asked her what make Acapulco such a great setting for her storytelling. She shared that Acapulco, with a population just over 600,000, had 733 murders in 2019. Escambia County, Fla. had 27 homicides with a population of half of the Mexican city.
“It kind of tells you the gruesome story of what’s happened to Acapulco, which was, of course, Hollywood playground for years,” Amato said. “That glamor geography has diminished to a little rim around the Bay and the mountainous areas outside of that immediate coastal area.”
She said the contrast from the resort image with the rough side of the city gives her much to work with in her writing.
“People recognize Acapulco have a mental image of what that means, whether it’s Elvis singing and dancing or whatever,” she said. “I felt I could do so much with that. Plus I’ve been there a couple of times, and I just loved it.”
Amato described Cruz as “very tenacious.”
“She is the first female police detective in the city of Acapulco,” she said. “She literally had to fight her way into the detective squad room. They don’t want her at the same time. She doesn’t want to leave.”
Amato added, “She’s kind of a Mustang. She didn’t go to college. She went to, six months security school, and she is good at her job when she gets the chance to show it..
Emilia Cruz’s fatal flaw? “She’s very analytic, but she’s not very good at being honest. This gets her into trouble because she’s not always honest with herself.”
To learn more about Carmen Amato, visit carmenamato.net.