Bloody Shame

Bloody Shame, the second book in the series starring Miami PI Lupe Solano, is an exciting read. The plot twists just enough, and Garcia-Aguilera paces the novel well with the series of interviews with the suspects. Her references to the Mercedes and over-active sex life can be tiresome, but the environment places the reader right in the heart of Miami and Coconut Grove. A good read and a good series!

In "Bloody Shame", Carolina Garcia-Aguilera reveals the most accurate portrayal I've ever come across in fiction of the inner workings of the Cuban-American Miami psyche. Granted most Cuban-Americans in Miami are not P.I.s and are not as extravagantly wealthy as Lupe Solano. But when Lupe sits down and relishes her freshly made cafe con leche, or when she is harassed by her worried sisters for not having phoned home in the last 24 hours, the reader is introduced to the small things of daily life that make the Cuban-American culture unique.

All Cuban-American Investigator Lupe Solano wants to do is to escape for a much needed, long overdue vacation with an old flame. However, her current love interest, Defense Attorney Tommy McDonald, manages to fast talk her into delaying her trip by one day. Tommy wants Lupe to visit his client in prison so that she provides her impressions of the case and the person to him. She does this and then takes off to the Keys, but returns when she learns that her best friend was killed in and automobile accident. Since she spoke to her friend just before the accident, Lupe knows that the incident is somehow tied into Tommy's present case. As such, she agrees to become the official investigator on record. The defendant, jeweler Alfonso Arango, has been charged with second degree murder in the wrongful death of Gustavo Gaston. The suspect swears it was an act of self-defense. Both Tommy and Lupe know that their client is lying. As Lupe begins an in depth investigation, she discovers almost everyone else associated with case is also lying. Everyone seems to be hiding secrets that no one wants revealed. As Lupe closes in on the truth, she places herself in grave danger from someone desperate enough to resort to violence to insure that certain skeletons remain interred. Even without an exquisitely juicy mystery, Bloody Shame is a unique and enjoyable tale. The protagonist, Cuban-born Lupe Solano allows readers a very rare and enriching cultural glimpse into the complexities, infrastructure, and family life of the Southern Florida Cuban-American community. Of course, the fast-paced story line populated with intriguing characters goes a long way towards making Carolina-Garcia-Aguilera's second novel a first rate reading experience. HARRIET KLAUSNER

This is the first book I've read by this author but I am going to read her previous book soon. I really enjoyed this book and didn't have it figured out until almost the very end. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good mystery. I'm looking forward to more by Ms. Garcia-Aguilera