The Hidden Light of Mexico City

A stunning political thriller from a former CIA officer on the front lines of Mexico's drug war. Expect characters who leap off the page and a chilling border scenario that could be tomorrow's headlines.Longlist, 2020 Millennium Book AwardAs presidential elections approach and violence spills across the US-Mexican border, attorney Eduardo Cortez Castillo discovers collusion between a powerful Mexican official and a dangerous drug cartel.Coded messages . . . A secret website . . . Clever money laundering.With deep state help, a ruthless druglord is poised to buy Mexico's presidency.Eduardo is marked for death by cartel assassins. Instead of abandoning the investigation, he follows the money trail deep into drug smuggling territory where the odds of survival are low.Back in Mexico City, a housemaid who dreams of being an artist faces a painful choice. Try to escape poverty and make a new life alone in the United States. Or believe in Eduardo's promises of a life together, which seem unlikely in status-conscious Mexico.She doesn't know that her time is running out.Eduardo's enemies are looking for her, too.This fast-moving political thriller takes you on a riveting ride through Mexico's rigid class system and the country's spiraling drug violence.Authentic and revealing, much of the action is drawn from the author's own experiences during her 30-year career with the Central Intelligence Agency focusing on counterdrug issues."A rivetingly dramatic tale of politics and corruption, and a man and a woman from opposite ends of the social spectrum who fall in love." - Literary Fiction Review"Captivating and thrilling" - InDTale MagazineA must-read for fans of international thrillers by Nelson DeMille, Andrew Gross, Ken Follett, Lee Child and David Morrell, as well as Don Winslow's cartel and border thrillers set in Mexico.You won't want to miss THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY.Author Carmen Amato is a former US intelligence officer who uses her own counterdrug and espionage experiences to craft intrigue-filled crime fiction that keeps you guessing until the very end. She is a recipient of both the National Intelligence Award and the Career Intelligence Medal. Carmen Amato turns lessons from a 30-year career with the Central Intelligence Agency into crime fiction loaded with danger and deception.

The Detective Emilia Cruz series pits the first female police detective in Acapulco against Mexico's drug cartels, corruption, and social inequality. Dubbed "A thrilling series" by National Public Radio, the series was awarded the Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America in both 2019 and 2020 and has been optioned for television.

Her Galliano Club historical thriller series was inspired by the stories told by her grandfather who was a deputy sheriff during Prohibition.

Originally from upstate New York, Carmen was educated there as well as in Virginia and Paris, France, while experiences in Mexico and Central America ignited her writing career.

She is a recipient of both the National Intelligence Award and the Career Intelligence Medal.

Every other Sunday, Carmen's Mystery Ahead newsletter unlocks her top secrets with exclusive announcements, sneak peeks at her next book and reviews of must-read mysteries.

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