Carmen Amato Weaves Intrigue and Authenticity into Crime Fiction

PHOTO: Carmen Amato, acclaimed author and former CIA officer, brings her unique perspective to the world of crime fiction.

Exploring the Detective Emilia Cruz Series

Carmen Amato discusses her journey from CIA to crime fiction, her inspirations, and the strong female protagonists in her award-winning novels.

Carmen Amato is a masterful storyteller whose works have captivated readers with their intricate plots and compelling characters. Her Detective Emilia Cruz series, set against the vibrant yet perilous backdrop of Acapulco, offers a thrilling exploration of crime, corruption, and social inequality. Amato’s unique perspective, honed from a distinguished career with the CIA, infuses her narratives with authenticity and depth, making each novel a gripping read.

Her accolades, including the prestigious Silver Falchion Award for “Murder at the Galliano Club,” underscore her talent for weaving historical intrigue with personal tales of resilience and courage. Amato’s ability to draw from real-life experiences and historical events enriches her storytelling, providing readers with a vivid and immersive experience.

In this issue of Reader’s House magazine, we delve into the mind of Carmen Amato, exploring the inspirations behind her acclaimed series and standalone thrillers. Her insights into the craft of writing and her dedication to portraying strong female protagonists offer invaluable lessons for aspiring authors. Join us as we celebrate the remarkable achievements of Carmen Amato, a true luminary in the world of crime fiction.

Carmen Amato crafts thrilling narratives with authenticity, drawing from her CIA experience to create unforgettable crime fiction.

How did your CIA experience influence Emilia Cruz’s character and the depiction of Acapulco’s criminal underworld?

After a career focus on technical collection and counterdrug efforts, I knew that Detective Emilia Cruz would be up against cartels, corruption and machismo as the first female police detective in Acapulco.

Gorgeous beaches and towering skyscrapers line the most beautiful bay in the world. But there is appalling poverty in neighborhoods far from the water.

Ground zero for the war on drugs, Acapulco has one of the highest homicide rates in the Western Hemisphere.

This tension between high and low continually challenges Emilia to choose between police work and personal life.

“Detective Emilia Cruz would be up against cartels, corruption and machismo as the first female police detective in Acapulco.” – Carmen Amato

In Barracuda Bay, Emilia becomes a fugitive in Washington, D.C.; what inspired this shift from Acapulco?

Barracuda Bay is the 9^th book in the series. It was time to send her out of her comfort zone.

In the US, Emilia faces the worst situation imaginable. Witness to a murder, she barely escaped with her life and is now on the run in a strange country. Killers disguised as cops are hunting her.

It’s November. She has no coat, cell phone, money, car, passport or refuge.

How is she going to survive?

Narco Noir was inspired by a real crime involving a taxi driver; how do real events influence your storytelling?

I keep a file with stories about crime in Mexico and Central America that provide inspiration for the Detective Emilia Cruz series.

Narco Noir was inspired by the murder of a taxi driver in Honduras. A gang was extorting drivers. When the drivers finally filed a police report, the gang retaliated by shooting the first driver in line.

Of course, Emilia goes undercover as a taxi driver to catch the killer.

The Hidden Light of Mexico City delves into political corruption; what motivated you to explore this theme?

Having spent several years in Mexico, I wanted to write about the country’s rigid class system. Adding current events to make a political thriller proved to be a winning formula. The book was Longlisted for the 2020 Millennium Book Prize.

In the book, the Secretary of Public Security colludes with an El Chapo-like druglord to buy Mexico’s presidency. An attorney discovers the collusion even as he becomes involved with a woman from the opposite end of the social spectrum, in a Cinderella-story subplot.

I felt like a psychic a few years after The Hidden Light of Mexico City was published, when Genaro García Luna, the former Secretary of Public Security was found guilty of accepting millions from the Sinaloa cartel.

The Galliano Club series is based on your grandfather’s tales; how did his stories shape the narrative?

My grandfather was a deputy sheriff of Oneida County in the 1920s during Prohibition who told us stories of his escapades that became the foundation for the books.

For example, one night he was sent to a cemetery. Bootleggers had held a funeral complete with a casket thought to be full of illegal booze. My grandfather was supposed to arrest them when they came back to dig it up.

He didn’t want to go alone so he asked his best friend, an insurance salesman, to go along.

It was a cold and blustery night. The night sky over the cemetery was pitch black as they huddled behind a headstone. They waited . . .

Ten or fifteen minutes. If the bootleggers came back for their booze, they were welcome to it!

Murder at the Galliano Club won the 2023 Silver Falchion Award; what elements do you believe contributed to its success?

The book delivers the unexpected. It’s an American 1920s Prohibition tale but not a frothy flapper or Chicago gunsel story. The setting is an industrial town. Immigrants work in the copper mills and want a beer when the whistle blows.

Murder at the Galliano Club centers on the rivalry between Luca Lombardo, a recent immigrant who runs a social hub for Italian men and Benny Rotolo, an ambitious bootlegger who hates Al Capone.

Every character has a secret, including the vaudeville dancer who lives above the club and witnesses the murder that could destroy everyone connected to the Galliano Club.

Your novels often feature strong female protagonists; what drives your focus on women’s experiences in crime fiction?

I joined the Central Intelligence Agency at a time when women were just beginning to rise into positions of greater responsibility. Many times, I was the only woman in the room.

Some of my experiences are in the Detective Emilia Cruz series, such as when a male colleague  said he never worked with a woman before and will make Emilia’s life miserable until she quits.

As with me, this wasn’t exactly news to Emilia!

My female friends are strong women who rose to significant leadership positions at the CIA. My mother and maternal grandmother were both strong women who met life challenges with grit and grace.

Write what you know, as the saying goes.

What advice would you offer aspiring authors aiming to write compelling crime and thriller novels?

First, find role models, read their books and identify what makes them compelling.

Second, learn to outline. Complex plots rarely happen by accident.

Third, don’t fall in love with your first draft. The first draft is just shoveling sand into the sandbox so you can make a castle later.