Carmen Amato

Mystery and thriller author Carmen Amato draws on her 30-year career in the Central Intelligence Agency to craft intrigue-filled crime fiction. Carmen is a recipient of both the National Intelligence Award and the Career Intelligence Medal. \n\t\nStarting with CLIFF DIVER, her Detective Emilia Cruz police series pits 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 series recently won the Poison Cup award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America. \n\nOriginally 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. Her family tree includes a mayor, a Mensa genius, and the first homicide in the state of Connecticut with an automatic weapon. The perpetrator, her great-grandfather, eluded a state-wide manhunt after killing two people--one of whom was his wife. He was never brought to justice.\n\nIf you love international police procedural series by Ian Rankin, Jo Nesbo, Ann Cleeves, Peter May, Louise Penny, and Jussi Adler-Olsen, you'll want to read the Detective Emilia Cruz series. It’s a must-read for fans of Don Winslow’s cartel and border thrillers set in Mexico.\n\nCatch the excitement with a free copy of the Detective Emilia Cruz Starter Library at carmenamato.net.\n\nYou'll see why Amazon Hall of Fame reviewer Grady Harp wrote: \