Minos

Romilia Chacon #2

by Marcos M. Villatoro

Life has not handed anything to Romilia Chacon. A detective with the Nashville Homicide Unit and Salvadoran by blood, she's a bilingual cop who is a magnet for murder. It's in her her mother fled the death squads of their native El Salvador, and her sexy older sister Catalina was murdered when Romilia was in college. Now, six years later, the killer is back as the self-styled Minos, the mythical demon of Dante's Inferno who decides into which circle of hell the soul of the damned must fall. Adulterers in the third circle. Traitors in the ninth. And a whole slew of souls in between. The FBI has nicknamed him the Whisperer, due to the cryptic messages he leaves near his victims' bodies. He has a purpose, but no one can make sense of his need to kill in such artistic fashion, leaving a wake of bodies from Atlanta to Los Angeles. As she follows the trail of the Whisperer, Romilia does not notice how the path spirals more tightly around her. The more she learns, the more obsessed she becomes. But Minos is not her only problem. Romilia must also deal with the handsome and elusive drug lord Tekun Uman, and with the obsessed DEA agents trailing him, and her, from the shadows. Completely focused on tracking Minos - on temporary assignment to the FBI, and against the wishes of her boss in Homicide - Romilia doesn't see how her need for revenge has taken control.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Paperback

First published September 25, 2003

About the author

Marcos M. Villatoro is the author of the Romilia Chacon crime novels. The Los Angeles Times Book Review listed his Home Killings as a Best Book of 2001. It won the Silver Medal from Foreword Magazine and First Prize in the Latino Literary Hall of Fame. The other Romilia novels include Minos and A Venom Beneath the Skin.

Random House publishes the Romilia Chacon crime fiction novels in mass-market paperback (under Dell). Germany, Japan, Russia and Brazil have acquired foreign rights of all the Romilia books. Cypress Productions of Los Angeles has bought the film rights for Minos.

His autobiographical novel The Holy Spirit of My Uncle's Cojones was an Independent Publishers Book Award Finalist and nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

His other books include They Say that I am Two (poems), On Tuesday, When the Homeless Disappeared (poems), A Fire in the Earth (novel), and the memoir Walking to La Milpa: Living in Guatemala with Armies, Demons, Abrazos, and Death. In the 80s and early 90s, Villatoro lived in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Alabama, doing grassroots community work in Central America and with migrant farm workers. After graduating from the Iowa Writers� Workshop in 1998, he and his family moved to California, where he holds the Fletcher Jones Endowed Chair in Writing at Mount St. Mary's College. He's also a regular commentator for NPR.

Villatoro lives with his wife and four children in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will definitely be reading number 3 in this book series!

[John Dainton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Book

[Lindsay Wilcox · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked the connections with Dante's "Inferno" and absolutely nothing else. My professor pointed out that this would make a good airport novel, something to pass the time between New York and LA. I wouldn't have been invested enough to turn that many pages if I hadn't been reading it for class. Even then, I probably could have skipped a few dozen.

[Pickleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really good. Just like the first Villatoro book, with protagonist Romilia Chacon, "Home Killings", you are through before you know it! I've always regarded reviews of books that use "you can't put it down", as way over the top. Well, I stand corrected. I read both of these books in less than 4 days. Great fun!!

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic drawing upon allegories. Great story. If you like Thomas Harris, this is one not to miss. Beautifully woven, and written, well thought out, in other words you won't figure it out if you try to solve these books in your head like I do.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this up off the recommended mystery's shelf at the library.

A dark story about Romilia, a police officer who is tracking down the serial killer that killed her sister. Involving story, but not my style. Violent. Bad Language. Dark storyline.

[Tsubasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG this is the 1st mystery book I've read and it's awesome. . . totally a must read since it mentions Dante's 9 circles!!!!
Not to mention that Romilia is an awesome charcter!!!!
(GIRL POWER. . .yAHOO!!!)

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great second novel in the Romilia Chacon series!! Makes me want to read more. The protagonist is one gutsy lady.

[Kokia · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this series, it's the first crime novel i've ever read. and i LOVE tekun oman!