Award-Winning Author Carmen Amato Unleashes High-Stakes Thriller ‘Barracuda Bay’

Nashville, Tennessee Mar 11, 2025 (Issuewire.com) Imprint: Laurel & Croton

On sale: February 20, 2025

Price: $17.99

Pages: 393

ISBN: 979-8-9891403-7-4

Critically acclaimed crime fiction author Carmen Amato takes readers on a heart-pounding journey in Barracuda Bay, the ninth electrifying installment in her award-winning Detective Emilia Cruz series set in Acapulco.

With plot elements inspired by recent presidential elections in both the US and Mexico, Barracuda Bay follows Acapulcos first female police detective, Emilia Cruz, as she investigates the murder of the mayors sisteronly to become a fugitive hunted by killers disguised as cops in Washington, DC. The stakes couldnt be higher as Emilia is forced to seek help from a man she once vowed to kill . . . Her own brother.

Amato, whose counterdrug and espionage expertise from a 30-year CIA career informs every page, delivers a relentless thriller where corruption, political ambition, and justice collide. Fans of international crime fiction, including works by Ian Rankin, Jo Nesbø, and Don Winslow, will find Barracuda Bay an unforgettable read.

The Emilia Cruz series has already garnered prestigious accolades, including back-to-back Poison Cup Awards for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America. With Barracuda Bay, Amato cements her reputation as one of the most compelling voices in modern crime fiction.

Critics and fans alike praise the series:

Amato brings her characters to life with her vivid writing style and sets them on the streets of a Mexico steeped in Catholicism and corruption. OnlineBookClub.org

A thrilling series. National Public Radio

Intricate and fast-paced . . . replete with authentic touches. Dr. Michael Hogan, author of Abraham Lincoln and Mexico

Given today's uncertainty over the future of the US-Mexico relationship and the popularity of international crime fiction in general, Barracuda Bay arrives at the perfect moment. This isnt just another detective novelits a visceral, immersive dive into the war on drugs and the official corruption it enables from someone who has been on the front lines.

Barracuda Bay is available from major booksellers worldwide. For more information, interview requests, or review copies, please contact the author.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A 30-year veteran of the CIA where she focused on technical collection and counterdrug issues, Carmen Amato is the award-winning author of the Detective Emilia Cruz series pitting the first female police detective in Acapulco against Mexico's cartels, corruption, and social inequality. Starting with Cliff Diver, the series is a 2-time winner of the Outstanding Series award from CrimeMasters of America and was hailed by National Public Radio as A thrilling series.

Her standalone thrillers include The Hidden Light of Mexico City, which was longlisted for the 2020 Millennium Book Award.

Carmen is a recipient of both the National Intelligence Award and the Career Intelligence Medal. A judge for the BookLife Prize and Killer Nashvilles Claymore Award, her essays have appeared in Criminal Element, Publishers Weekly, and other national publications. She writes the popular Mystery Ahead newsletter on Substack.