Blood of the Wicked

From Publishers WeeklyAt the start of Gage's bloody debut, Chief Insp. Mario Silva is asked by his boss, the director of the Brazilian Federal Police, to solve the murder of Bishop Dom Felipe Antunes, who was assassinated at a church consecration in the remote Brazilian town of Cascatas. However, tensions between landowners and the Landless Workers' League embroil Silva in local politics when he must put equal resources into solving the disappearance of a local landowner's son, Orlando Muniz Junior. Priestly pedophilia, kidnappings and more murders punctuate the escalation of the conflict between landowners and reformers, while Silva also grapples with his personal demons, having tracked down and killed both his father's and brother-in-law's murderers. By the end of this brutal novel, it's hard to care who killed whom. It's also a miracle that Silva, who seems increasingly ineffectual, survives the mayhem. This ultraviolent mystery is not for the faint of heart. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ReviewBlurring the distinction between literary fiction and crime fiction, this is a book that will inform readers, and needs to be read. Gage has done himself proud. --Sherbroke Herald. (Quebec, CA)...emotionally charged debut...vividly evokes a country of political corruption, startling economic disparity, and relentless crime, both random and premeditated. --Booklist... a gripping and brutal tale of murder and vengeance. Gage's inspector is a fascinating character. Highly recommended. --Library Journal (Starred Review)Leighton Gage achieves both a powerful political thriller and gripping crime fiction in his fascinating debut... Blood of the Wicked is the ultimate story of the haves vs. the have-nots. --Florida Sun-Sentinel"Irresistible" - The New York TimesPraise for Leighton Gage's Mario Silva series:"Top notch ... controversial and entirely absorbing."—The New York Times Book Review"A dark, violent book with characters that seethe on the page ... compelling writing. Readers will smell the steam and stench of the Amazon and recoil from the torture and depredation from which Gage averts his lens, barely intime."—Boston Globe