43 Missing — Carmen Amato

Acapulco detective Emilia Cruz confronts the shocking disappearance of 43 college students in 43 MISSING, the sixth novel in the series that takes you inside Mexico's drug wars with a fearless style and an unforgettable woman. 43 MISSING is based on the true events of September 2014, when 43 male students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College went missing in Iguala, Guerrero and have yet to be found. Given the choice between resigning or a new assignment, Emilia finds herself on a national task force examining Mexico's most notorious crime. The junior member. The only woman. After 18 months and three inconclusive investigations, the task force is the Mexican government's last attempt to discover what happened to 43 students who disappeared after being seized by police in a small southern city. Yet the effort, comprised of cops from across the country, is primed for failure. More people are concerned with reputations than in finding out the truth. Even as Emilia jumps into the fray, she's on the hunt for the rapist and murderer known as El Acolito, with whom she has an agonizing family tie. Digging into his past life in Mexico City, she'll learn a shocking truth about the man she's determined to kill. As the task force spins into chaos, a diplomat from the United States embassy offers Emilia $50,000 to end the investigation into the missing students. The diplomat claims the task force is delaying the extradition of a famous jailed cartel leader known as the Barrel Bomber, who escaped from prison in Mexico twice before. It's a tempting offer. The money would shift Emilia's hunt for El Acolito into high gear. But is the diplomat really who he claims to be? Does it matter? When the task force heads to the scene of the crime, Emilia knows her loyalty, conscience, and very future will be put to the test. MEET EMILIA CRUZ She's a good liar, a fast thinker, a determined investigator, and a mean kickboxer. An Acapulco native forced to grow up too fast, Emilia has been a cop for a dozen years. She fought her way through the ranks and into a detective squad that didn't want her and is still trying to break her. Being the first female police detective in Acapulco can be a crushing weight, as Emilia struggles against official corruption, threatening colleagues, and drug cartel violence. Despite it all, she knows many women in Mexico don't get the chances she's had. The proof is in a log she tracks of women who have gone missing. The one thing Emilia doesn't know how to handle is gringo Kurt Rucker, the manager of a luxury hotel in Acapulco. A former US Marine, he has the confidence and leadership qualities she admires. A triathlete, he's calm under pressure and knows what he wants. But does Emilia? THE TWO FACES OF ACAPULCO The Acapulco that tourists know has luxury hi-rises, fabulous sunsets, the sweep of the most beautiful bay in the world, and the majesty of the clear blue Pacific. But Acapulco is also a prize to be fought over by drug cartels and is populated by hookers and thieves; a place where life is cheap and poverty is as pervasive as the wind off the ocean. Both of these versions of Acapulco claw at each other and force Emilia to survive between them. No investigation will be easy, no crime will be simple. Grab a margarita and come on down to Acapulco . . . If you can take the heat.