Paradise City

The São Paulo Quartet #1

by Joe Thomas

Mario Leme is a low-ranking detective in the São Paolo civil police. Every day on the way to work he sets off early and drives through the favela known as Paraisópolis - Paradise City. It's a his wife Renata was gunned down at an intersection here a year ago, the victim of a stray bullet in a conflict between drug dealers. One morning, parked near the place where Renata died, he sees an SUV careen out of control and flip over. The driver Leo is killed, but before his body is removed, Leme is sure he sees bullet wounds. Leo's death wasn't an accident, he was murdered. Soon, his girlfriend turns up dead too. And if they were killed deliberately, perhaps Renata was too... Leme finds himself immersed further and further in the dark underbelly of Brazilian society, as corruption seeps from the highest to the lowest echelons, and the devastating truth about Renata begins to emerge.

Genres: Thriller, Crime

300 pages, Paperback

Published December 19, 2016

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This well plotted story begins in a Brazilian favela in Sao Paulo. A youngish police officer, Mario Leme, is often found regularly patrolling a specific area in his car, even though it’s dangerous for a policeman. He has a reason, though. His wife, Renata, was murdered here, probably by a drug gangster with an automatic weapon, and Mario wants to find the man responsible.

Renata was a devoted worker looking after the welfare of the poor in this part of Sao Paulo. When corrupt building companies started bullying people, she was on the side of the under-dog. But to Mario, she represented much more. She was the new life he had always wanted; affection, laughter and a home. Now, with her gone, he wants to make sense of her death.

His partner, the son of another cop, Lisboa, is trying to keep him straight. Lisboa has a number of children, a wife who feeds him and keeps the home nice, but he finds it hard to get through to Mario.

There is a rich kid in a car, driving erratically, and Mario sees the car suddenly crash. It is a heavy car, bulletproof, and the boy is the son of a wealthy Sao Paulo couple, and when Mario goes to see how the occupant is, he is kept back by two Military Police officers, who explain that there was a bad accident and the occupant died in the crash. This could be considered standard procedure, if Mario hadn’t seen the bullet holes in the boy’s chest.

The narrative becomes a good, fast story about corruption and how it affects all, from the poorest to the richest in a country. It has a number of twists and an ending I hadn’t expected. It was a really good book, an easy read and with red herrings galore, and I really enjoyed it

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was mightily impressed by Paradise City by Joe Thomas, which takes us deep into the throbbing heart of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and the violent favela known as Paraisopolis. Low ranking detective Mario Leme drives through this favela everyday, as this is where his wife, Renata, a lawyer, was gunned down a year previously, the victim of a bala perdida– a stray bullet. One morning at the same spot, Leme witnesses a car careering out of control, but sees that the driver has several bullet wounds, although the incident is written off as a traffic accident. Leme finds himself embroiled in a tale of murder and corruption at the highest level, which puts him at odds with his superiors, and onto a dangerous path. What I liked most about this book was the colour and exuberance that Thomas injects into his vivid realisation of the pulsating favela, albeit suffused by violence. There is a wealth of local vernacular sprinkled throughout the book, and for those, like myself, who know little of Brazil, Thomas paints a broad and wide reaching picture of the social and financial chasm that exists between the different stratum of San Paulo society. Also, Leme, is an incredibly empathetic character, regularly overcome and clouded by grief by the loss of his wife, but also portrayed throughout as a decent man, a fair detective, and more importantly feeling his way back to normality, and the recovery of a life torn apart. Highly recommended.

[Wal.li · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kommissar Witwer

Mario Lerne arbeitet bei der Polizei in Sao Paolo. Im Moment ist er nicht immer bei der Sache, denn seine Frau Renata ist vor einiger Zeit vor ihrem Büro umgebracht worden. Sie wurde als Zufallsopfer betrachtet und Lerne kann das nicht so richtig glauben. Zudem ist er von einem Fall abgezogen worden, in dem er weiter ermitteln wollte. Und die nächste Sache, die er nicht fassen kann: Der Tod eines jungen Mannes wird als Unfall hingestellt, obwohl Lerne von dem Rechtsmediziner erfahren hat, dass das Opfer an einer Schusswunde gestorben ist. Und er war eines dieser Rich Kids.

Dies ist der erste Band einer vierteiligen Reihe um Kommissar Mario Lerne aus Sao Paolo in Brasilien. Lerne ist nach dem gewaltsamen Tod seiner Frau in Trauer. Es ist einige Zeit vergangen, aber überwunden hat er das tragische Ereignis noch nicht. Immer noch fährt Lerne nachts zum Tatort, um irgendwelche Hinweise zu finden oder Beobachtungen zu machen. Gleichzeitig ermittelt er in Fällen, die von den Vorgesetzten eigentlich ad Acta gelegt wurden. Als eine Studentin verschwindet, gibt es endlich einen Grund, echte Ermittlungen anzustellen. Lerne findet dabei Dinge heraus, mit denen er überhaupt nicht gerechnet hat.

Brasilien in den Jahren vor der Fußball Weltmeisterschaft 2014. Es soll viel gebaut werden und die Favelas sollen am besten verschwinden, damit die ausländischen Gäste nicht vor den Kopf gestoßen werden. Außerdem wird viel gebaut, was dubiose Baufirmen auf den Plan ruft. Bis dahin könnte die Handlung überall angesiedelt sein. Wenn man allerdings mitbekommt, wie relativ ungeniert das läuft und selbst die Polizei Ermittlungen einstellt oder gar verhindert, dann hofft man doch, dass es hier anders laufen möge. Dennoch entspinnt sich aus der Ausgangslage ein spannender Fall, bei dem Lerne mit seiner Hartnäckigkeit zu einer Lösung kommt, mit der nicht zu rechnen war. Gegen alle Widerstände macht der Kommissar weiter und erwirbt die Sympathie der Leser. Man wünscht, dass sich sowohl seine Verhältnisse als auch die in der Politik verbessern.

[Pierluigi · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 non di più

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a specific kind of fevered, conspiracy-addled, crime fiction that only works in the right hands. Told in a postmodern, often repetitious style that many find grating (including, often, me). And the endings are often ambiguous, incomplete, or complete in a way that you cannot possibly accept or understand. You have to be willing to go along with the ride in order to get where you need to be because large parts of it will frustrate you. But the end result will spin you off your axis.

James Ellroy and David Peace are the masters of this genre and I’ve sung both of their praises on this here site, most recently for Peace’s indelible Tokyo Trilogy, which I finished this past week. I had a back-and-forth with former Gawker scribe Max Read, whose newsletter I subscribe to and who enjoys a lot of the same kind of books. He recommended Joe Thomas’ São Paulo Quartet as being in a similar vein. And wouldn’t you know…these books were literally rereleased last week! I wasted no time in getting the first and finished it to check off the “South America” square on my bingo card.

I’d like to say I was blown away by this book but Thomas isn’t as manic as Ellroy or Peace. Which is not a bad thing as both of those guys are Don’t Try This At Home types. But he does know how to tell a fast paced, layered story in jittery fashion, having the protagonist (inevitably a Wounded Man) bouncing back and forth through his particular favela of São Paulo in order to solve a puzzling crime that is, naturally, more than it seems.

Thomas’ first book in the series showed real promise. I enjoyed being along for the ride for the most part. I also liked how São Paulo feels real, not just a cipher for a story or a Gotham-esque place that needs a man to deliver it salvation. It has its issues, and those issues are well explored, but Thomas doesn’t try to make the city more or less than what it is.

The shortcoming is the protagonist. He’s somewhat interesting and his backstory is kind of teased out but I don’t know that Thomas developed his character enough for me to be fully invested. He’s an interesting guy and I definitely found myself rooting for him but I just couldn’t be as invested as I would’ve liked. Even when the intensity of the crime ratcheted up, I found myself drifting for no other reason than I just didn’t care about the Lead.

Nevertheless, this is a fun crime read in a familiar niche vein that I will definitely follow up on.

[Anne Siddell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was interested to read this book , having visited Brazil a number of times. It evokes the ambience of Sao Paulo very well, particularly the heat and clamour, the juxtaposition of wealth and extreme poverty and the undercurrent of menace and corruption. However, I found it hard to engage with the story: the plot didn't seem to hang together very well and I had difficulty remembering who the various characters were and what their motivation was.
I didn't particularly warm to Leme, who showed surprising levels of naivety for a police officer, and the incessant use of the f*** word, while no doubt authentic, jarred somewhat.
The ending felt rather inconclusive: possibly this is because the story continues to develop in the next books in the series, but I don't think I shall be reading them to find out.

[Mary Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

The atmosphere of São Paulo is described evocatively, I felt I could be sitting at any number of bars watching Leme, the detective trying to find some understanding about the murder of his wife, Renata. She had acted as an advocate for people who found themselves squeezed when the political system was intent in clearing slum dwellings. Was her death planned or accidental? Leme weaves himself in and out of precarious situations while coping with his sometimes crippling grief. I would have liked a glossary for the Portuguese that was used - I liked the device but wanted to know what was being said. Also editing needs to be tighter. Looking forward to reading the whole series.

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Officer Mario Lemme has lost his wife in a shootout as she leaves work one evening. Wrong place, wrong time they say but Lemme doesn't believe this. A short time later a young , rich male is killed in a car accident at the same intersection. Mario is there when they remove the body from the car, he sees gunshot wounds as they rush the body away. A car accident they say but Mario knows better. He is out to find the killer and perhaps his wives. I found the first half of this story very slow, boring. Part 2 the pace picks up.

[Stewart Cotterill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It took a while to get used to the names of people and places having never been to Brazil but once i got used to it, the story flowed really well.

The way in which Joe Thomas has written these characters made me really want to invest in what happens to them and I'll certainly be buying his second book.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed the story, the questionable grammar (which may have been like that on purpose for style, I'm not sure) and lack of a few much needed commas made the book difficult to read at times and some of the plot points barely made sense.

[Sam Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading books based in locations that are new and exciting. This was definitely one of those times.

A good detective story and a great main character. The city of Sao Paolo really comes alive in this one.

[Rocky Flintstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I spend some time in Brazil and it was really great to appreciate the difference between the Policia Militar and Policia Civil. Detective Leme is a great character and the portrayal of Sao Paulo is spot on... fortunately I don't need to visit there too much these days. Loved the heat, the sweat, the corruption, the food, the beer, the turmoil and exasperation that is Brazil. Keep writing Joe!

[Giacomo Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/7

[Tolkien InMySleep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atmospheric and politically charged, an exciting opener to a Brazilian trilogy

[Tony O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good solid work of crime fiction, with the added attraction of being set in Paraisópolis, a favela in the city of São Paulo in Brazil. O que não te mata te fortalece.

[Stephanie Shepherd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad I read this book after Brazilian Psycho, as it is set after Brazilian Psycho but written before it.

Paradise City is an easier read because it only follows one character, Leme.

[Katy Walsh · Rating 1 out of 5]

average

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holiday read - quick airport purchase but a good one. An recommend and will read the second when it comes out in 2018.

[Jeff Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Good:

- Writing: Brilliant and vivid, beautiful colour writing.
- Story: Strong and engaging.
- Plot: Follows the well-trodden crime/thriller genre, which is a good thing.
It is engaging and complex, also.
- Location: Great portrayal of an exotic location: Sao Paulo; the place is alive on the page.
I have only visited for a few days so can't vouch for the accuracy, but it reads great.
- Political backdrop: Brilliant given the story shows the city ahead of the Olympics and World Cup, so shows the dirty politics at play: people getting forced out of their homes to make way for hotels etc
- Characters: Protagonist is a detective hellbent on finding out who really killed his wife, not what the police report says. That quest for the protagonist is strong and primal.

* SPOILER *
- Protagonist development: Nicely done through the romance between the protagonist and his ‘bit on the side’. She helps him overcome his ultimate goal: to let go of the past, as we see in the final sentence.

The Annoying:

- Writing: The author is a great colour writer (vivid scenes etc) but sometimes he gets carried away with it at the expense of the story, i.e. the author fell so in love with the colour scenes (showing a location, for example) that he forgot to move the story forward.
- Character names: Many were too similar (the first letters, at least) which became confusing. Eg Ana and Aline; a Leme, Lisboa (two previous guys are cop partners), Lagnado (Lagnado is their cop boss), and there’s a Leonardo. It’s all a head scratcher if you put the book down for a few days.

The Ugly:

- Portuguese language: It is peppered throughout the book, and not just the odd words, whole sentences without explanations. Personally, I find that it gives the story authenticity, like you’re really in Sao Paulo/Brazil.

However, a lot of the Portuguese is wrong. I know this because I was excited to show a Brazilian friend from Sao Paulo the Portuguese sentences and they pointed out where the grammar was wrong. I hold the publisher to fault for this, not the author. Publisher should have hired a Portuguese proofreader. I’m sure they did, but they should have found one who cared.

** SPOILER**

- I lost all empathy for the protagonist when he effectively joined a police hit squad to stamp to death a man suspected of killing his wife. For me, the hero lost all moral high ground. From here on in, from the midpoint/halfway mark of the novel, I had to put it out of my mind that the hero is basically a killer himself, one who exploits his badge to stamp a man to death and get away with it.

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Polícia Civil detective Mario Leme is trying to find out whether his wife was really killed by a stray bullet or if she was murdered. When the murder of a rich young man in the favelas is covered up and presented as an accident, Leme starts to find connections between the two deaths. Setting his atmospheric crime novel in modern day Sao Paulo between glossy building developments and the favela of Paraisopolis, Joe Thomas transports the reader into a world of corruption, murder, drugs and real estate deals.