Dying Gasp

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From Publishers WeeklyChief Insp. Mario Silva does battle with not only criminals but also incompetence and corruption within the Brazilian bureaucracy in Gage's darkly violent third mystery to feature the wry, competent Silva (after 2009's Buried Strangers). The case of a missing teenage girl normally wouldn't involve the Brazilian Federal Police, unless the girl, Marta Malan, is the granddaughter of Deputado Roberto Malan, a powerful politician. Marta's disappearance is tied to a kidnapping and to a vile but lucrative international trade in underage girls, prostitution, and the making and distribution of snuff films. The trail leads to Manaus—the worst city in Brazil for crooked cops, poverty, and crime. While Marta, resourceful and brave, tries to avoid her fate, Silva and his small team of top cops try to ferret out her whereabouts before it's too late. Ruthless when necessary and under no illusions about the broken system within which he works, Silva is the right man in the right place. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistLeighton’s third mystery starring Brazilian cop Mario Silva finds the chief inspector searching for the missing granddaughter of a prominent politician who happens to control the funding for the federal police. The search soon takes Silva to one of Brazil’s poorest provinces, deep in the Amazon basin. Meanwhile, a case involving a Dutch snuff-film distribution ring leads back to Brazil, and Silva’s nephew uses his international expertise to refine the search. As the investigation progresses, Silva begins to suspect that his nemesis from Buried Strangers (2009), Dr. Claudia, may be behind the snuff films. This story line makes Dying Gasp best for readers who are already familiar with Silva’s investigations. As with the previous books, Gage writes an engaging and fast-paced story with a strong sense of place, this time evoking the heat and humidity of the drenched jungle, where everyone eats and smells like fish. An outstanding series. --Jessica Moyer