King Peso — Carmen Amato

Detective Emilia Cruz is the first and only female police detective in Acapulco. Drug money is everywhere. Corruption is as common as the salt breeze off the ocean. Three cops have been murdered. You worked with them all. Your partner's wife is killed in a home invasion. Was he the real target?Are you the next?Emilia is still reeling from the death of Franco Silvio's wife and a shakeup in the detectives squadroom when she's reassigned. Her new police unit is a political time bomb championed by Acapulco's ambitious mayor and overseen by a shady union strongman. Despite the new job, Emilia is determined to crack the so-called El Trio murders before the cop killer strikes again. Unexpected help comes from a frightened attorney and a famous movie star, but each new clue unravels the one before. Meanwhile, Emilia's ongoing hunt for a missing girl from her own neighborhood leads to the infamous El Pharaoh casino. Emilia and Silvio have been there before. They weren't lucky. Certain people want to make sure they won't be this time, either. Emilia doesn't have a winning hand, yet she'll gamble everything to save her old partner. Hold or fold.Which would you choose?“Amato weaves an intricate assortment of themes into a vivid tapestry that depicts both the beauty and ugliness of Acapulco . . . The investigative pace holds steady, with danger and betrayal never more than a few pages away.” --KIRKUS REVIEWSGrab a margarita and come on down to Acapulco . . . If you can take the heat. Get the DETECTIVE EMILIA CRUZ SERIES:Cliff DiverHat DanceDiablo NightsKing PesoPacific Reaper43 MissingMade in AcapulcoGrab a margarita and come on down to Acapulco . . . If you can take the heat.