Crocodile Tears

Úrsula López #2

by Mercedes Rosende, Tim Gutteridge (Translator)

The setting: Montevideo’s Old Town, with its dark alleys, crumbling facades and watchful residents. The gig: an armoured truck robbery. The cast: Diego, a failed kidnapper with weak nerves, Ursula Lopez, an amateur criminal with an insatiable appetite, the Hobo, a notorious hoodlum with excessive self-confidence. Dr Antinucci, a shady lawyer with big plans. And finally, Leonilda Lima, a washed-out police inspector with a glimmer of faith in justice.

Genres: Crime, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery

248 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 2016

About the author

Mercedes Rosende is a Uruguayan author, lawyer, and journalist.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of us crime fiction aficionados have never sampled Uruguayan crime fiction and, indeed, some would be hard-pressed to find the tiny country on the map. "Crocodile Tears," now translated into English, changes all that. It's a heist novel and, of course, like any heist novel, it's all about the crew gathered up, their loyalties, and how it all plays out and who gets the loot. But, most of the novel offers us an in-depth study of the characters and their surprising inter-relationships. Diego is trying to survive prison for a botched kidnapping ransom plot. Ursula is reliving her childhood, stealing from the refrigerator and facing her father's twisted punishments. The Hobo is the prison mastermind with all the connections. Captain Lima is slowly methodically making her way up the ranks. Each character developed so thoroughly. What makes this sing is the wonderful prose which demands that you leave no paragraph, or perhaps no sentence, unread. Many translated works are simply awkward in a new language. Here, the translation is so good you might think it was originally written in a English. And, most importantly, when it's done, the reader wants more.

[dianne b. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told entirely in hilarious present tense by a mostly reliable narrator; each chapter details the inner and outer goings on of a band of ridiculous characters - all kind of believable in a White Tiger sort of way. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and who isn’t desperate?

I enjoyed my vicarious experience of:

Antinucci, the ridiculously rich and corrupt attorney arranging the caper. He is struggling with not smoking in his current obsession, an Audi A3, because it “...still smells of the new leather of its upholstery. This smell drives him crazy with delight, we think.” He murders, lies, cheats, but it’s okay because he goes to confession and admits he has taken the Lord’s name in vain. “It’s not easy to keep oneself unblemished, but He understands and forgives, always.”

Our completely suggestible dupe, Diego, in one of his less confused, more cogent moments is being released from prison, now being transported, stuffed in a car playing loud cumbia - which he hates: “...he’d like to escape, of course he would. Who doesn’t want to escape, from prison, from routine, from reality?”

Our antihero murderess, one of the Ursula Lopezes in the book, spends her days taking actions she sees as just and fair because of her suboptimal childhood. She constantly converses with those no longer living. Her father incessantly insults her, seeing her failures everywhere, although she rid herself of him long ago, made him pay for all her weeping, and reminds him of that: "...you old bastard...now get back in your grave.."

The plot comes together, or doesn’t, beautifully. I was reminded of A Confederacy of Dunces, a book i really must reread soon.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heist caper solidly built on flawed characters with tragi-comic elements that make you laugh and cry and worry at the same time.

I might not like Antinnucci but I'm still imagining his anger and all his subsequent confessions. I still imagine Ursula patiently waiting and I can see the cogs in Leonilda's brain chugging away. I see Diego dithering here and there until he finally called.

I'd like it very much if more of Rosende's work is translated to English.

[Miriam Smith (A Mother’s Musings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mercedes Rosende is a Uruguayan writer, born and bred in Montevideo, the setting for the hard-hitting crime novel “Crocodile Tears”.
I loved the way this story was narrated, exactly as if you were a voyeur, like Ursula in the novel. Starting in an overcrowded Uruguayan prison, Diego is being held on a charge on kidnapping. When his fastidious lawyer secures his release, it comes at a price. Diego must join forces with a brutal psychopath, the Hobo - and hold up an armoured truck. However, the robbery does not go to plan, descending quickly into chaos. Witty, timeless, sometimes brutal, this story carries a powerful message, never underestimate women.
Translated seamlessly by Tom Gutteridge, nothing is lost in translation and as a different avenue of crime thrillers to discover, this was refreshing, entertaining and addictive. Would happily recommend.

3.5 stars

[Andy Weston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just released from prison for kidnapping a Montevideo businessman, Diego is soon involved in criminal activity again.
He got off because the businessman’s wife denied to the authorities that Diego demanded a ransom for her husband’s safe return, but only because Diego accidentally called a different person, but with the same name.
Once free, he hooks up with a murderer nicknamed the Hobo, recently escaped from prison, and they plan to ambush an armoured truck.

The plot is so secondary significance as the strength of Rosende’s writing is the dark humour she writes with. The key characters, and the police involved, all have flaws, and much of the fun is at their expense. The result is something of an entertaining farce.

The Montevideo she depicts is one of incompetent authorities and corruption, a society affected by great disparities in wealth and a crumbling infrastructure - ideal for a crime novel.

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non sono riuscita ad apprezzare questo secondo volume della serie come il primo, forse perché le parti narrate da Ursula sono molte meno, forse perché i collegamenti con il volume precedente sono tanti da rendere il romanzo quasi incomprensibile per chi non ricorda bene cosa è accaduto in precedenza (e io l'avevo letto più di due anni fa, che per me sono tantissimi). Comunque ci sono sempre tantissimi equivoci ancora collegati all'omonimia della - non più tanto - protagonista e della moglie dell'uomo rapito nel romanzo precedente, e un po' di ingenuità da parte della polizia, ma anche dei malavitosi uruguagi.

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the joys of reading is being transported to countries you will in likelihood never visit, and equally know little about, so it was a really satisfying experience to read Mercedes Rosende’s Crocodile Tears set in Montevideo in Uruguay- a country I have never read about before. Not only was I assailed by the environment of a city I knew nothing about, but even more enjoyable was that this proved to be a deliciously dark, and well-constructed thriller from start to finish…

I don’t know where to begin as there are many facets of this book that really appealed to me as a reader, so I’ll begin with Rosende’s writing itself. I loved the way she played with the structure with the book, seamlessly merging the differing styles of narration with good hearty doses of authorial intrusion. This served to toy with our perception of the characters, being privy to little vignettes of information that altered what we held true about the characters, or just inserted as little teasing asides about the person we were encountering, whether through this authorial voice or through the character’s inner monologue. This effectively dispelled the book as a linear reading experience, and I found myself awaiting the intrusion of Rosende’s voice to give more heft to the background of some of these protagonists, and manipulating her reader slightly as to how to perceive the character she was depicting. It was extremely cleverly done and refreshingly different.

I was also blown away by Rosende’s use of description which pivoted beautifully between stone cold fact, and a really lyrical and sensuous feel, particularly in relation to her descriptions of Montevideo itself- the good and slightly more seamy. There was an almost dreamlike, philosophical quality to some of her descriptions which are short but hint at emotional themes, ” Today is one of those pale sepia days when everything makes you feel like crying.” Her descriptions of the city along with the interiors of other buildings and locales are precise and vibrant, bringing each environment into stark clarity for the reader, and rooting the onlooker into this largely unfamiliar location.

As much as the book has quite a male muscular feel to it, opening in a prison and with us quickly encountering a failed kidnapper and a psychopathic hoodlum, the weight of the book really comes from the two main female characters, Captain Leonilda Lima, and Ursula Lopez, with her criminal tendencies, and a whole heart of darkness at the centre of her character. We see Lima’s dogged determination and steely resolve when set against her macho police colleagues, her wry, self-deprecating assessment of herself, and her razor sharp intuitiveness which leads her to embark on a long game of cat and mouse to achieve her aims. Lopez is a truly bizarre character, with a gradually unfolding back story of strange familial tension that has truly marked her as a person, but somehow makes us conflicted towards her until the truth about her formative years are slowly revealed. Both characters are rich and fulfilling in their depiction and can safely say that Ursula in particular will play around in my head for some time to come.

Cut through with wry dark humour, compelling female protagonists and bumbling male criminals, the comparison to Fargo is totally justified. However, the sheer quality and diversity of Rosende’s writing throughout, lifts Crocodile Tears above this straightforward comparison. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, with its perceptive translation by Tim Gutteridge, and cannot wait for the next to be translated. Highly recommended.

[Oscar Lozano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mercedes Rosende nos trae una nueva aventura de Úrsula. En esta ocasión, se centra en los traumas que presenta una persona adulta relacionado con su infancia. De la misma manera, nos habla del miedo al fracaso y su gestión para que no altere la vida de las personas.
En esta segunda novela de la serie Úrsula, se puede resumir en que la protagonista se verá envuelta en un atraco donde también están involucrados personajes de su pasado.
Centrándonos en los distintos temas que desarrolla la novela, se puede decir que ya desde el comienzo el lector puede ver y sentir como la obra gira en torno a los miedos y traumas que todas las personas tenemos. En este sentido, se puede encontrar un punto de unión entre todos los protagonistas, sin embargo, también enseña que cada cual gestiona sus emociones de diferente manera, desde el que se atiborra de comida para calmar su ansiedad (aun a riesgo de sentirse peor por no saber controlarse) hasta la persona que cae en una espiral de miedo paralizante, pasando por aquel que se acoge a la violencia para templar (y expresar) sus nervios. Todas ellas son formas lícitas, incluida la violencia cuando no es contra las personas y/o las propiedades privadas, es decir, cuando se rompe papeles, platos, o cualquier otra cosa de manera controlada, por ejemplo.
Luego de esto, y centrados en Úrsula, vemos cómo la educación y represión de los pequeños defectos o fallos de comportamiento recibida en la infancia, termina floreciendo para inhabilitar ciertas conductas. Aunque también hace que no se pueda afrontar ciertas situaciones con la capacidad y voluntad necesaria para conseguir superarla. Incluso provoca que se tengan alteraciones mentales, y se siga sintiendo la necesidad de culpar al causante de ese trauma. También inspira una vida llena de venganza y deseo de estar a la altura de lo que los demás esperan de ti.
Por otro lado, hace crítica mordaz a todas esas personas, que, de una manera hipócrita, de cara a la galería se muestran respetuosas y religiosas. También aplicable a los que son lobos disfrazados con piel de corderos, es decir, que tienen una doble cara, amables, buenos y humildes ante la Sociedad, y tiranos, egoístas y perversos en la intimidad.
También saca a la luz la corrupción dentro de la policía uruguaya.
Todo esto con el estilo irónico y el humor negro que la autora ya mostró en la primera entrega.
Personalmente tengo que decir que me ha llenado de placer volver a reencontrarme con Úrsula y todo su universo. He disfrutado con su lectura; que es ágil, aunque te lleva a importantes reflexiones éticas. Por ello considero que es una obra muy recomendable para leer.

[Craig Sisterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read several Latin American crime writers over the years, from a variety of countries (even Bolivia), but never anything from Uruguay (a country I briefly visited in 2008). Until now.

So it was with some excitement I began reading CROCODILE TEARS recently, hoping to be dazzled rather than disappointed. Fortunately this first tale by Uruguayan lawyer and storyteller Mercedes Rosende to be translated into English is a real cracker. A darkly comic story of weak men, strong women, and a heist gone horribly wrong. A sort of Latin American calamity noir; shades of Fargo - though shifted to the grimy heat of Montevideo rather than the icy climes of the American Midwest.

Diego is in prison, awaiting trial for a bumbling kidnapping plot that went awry. He's trying to survive the dangers of Uruguayan incarceration, only to be unexpectedly released thanks to a shady lawyer. The price? He has to team up with the notoriously violent Hobo to hijack an armoured car.

What could go wrong?

Meanwhile Ursula Lopez is a voyeuristic woman with big dreams and big appetites. She's looking for a better life, by any means. Inspector Leonilda Lima is trying to keep her faith in justice while scrabbling among the misogyny and corruption of her police colleagues.

Lives collide, mayhem ensues.

I thoroughly enjoyed CROCODILE TEARS. It's a deliciously dark thriller that gives readers a bit of a wink as it careens along, slipping between the perspectives and viewpoints of a variety of characters - as well as an authorial aside or two. Rosende, ably translated by Gutteridge, has some pizazz to her prose. There's an undercurrent of energy that suits the mayhem of the events that unfold. There's also something of a voyeuristic quality to the way Rosende takes readers into these characters lives, while commenting on them here and there. We're like Ursula, peering into the lives of others, fascinated.

CROCODILES TEARS is a very good read that immerses us in the seamy world of some unusual, and quite memorable characters. If you enjoy darkly comic thrillers or stories of bumbling criminals and plans gone violently asunder, then I'd highly recommend you take a look. Another welcome addition to the global crime writing landscape. I'm hoping for more (in translation) from Rosende.

[Sirene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Schwache Fortsetzung von "Falsche Ursula" - was sehr gut war - und erst zum Ende hin wieder richtig gut wird. Und kann mir irgendwer erklären, wie der Verlag es geschafft hat zuerst Band 2 (Krokodilstränen) rauszubringen und dann ein Jahr später den ersten Band (Falsche Ursula)? Ernsthaft?!

[Rachel (not currently receiving notifications) Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crocodile Tears is the English language debut of Uruguayan author, Mercedes Rosende, and takes place in Montevideo’s Old Town. Essentially the story of a very chaotic heist with a hefty dose of gallows humour it is populated by a cast of dysfunctional characters. Big girl’s blouse Diego is in jail for his part in the kidnapping of a local businessman and is baffled when the man’s wife claims she never received a ransom demand and he is released posthaste. The simple reason for this soon becomes apparent with Diego having mixing up two women both called Ursula López in the city and having demanded money from the wrong (unmarried) one! Indebted to his shady lawyer, Antinucci, and without the means to pay his fees, Diego finds himself lined up to take part in the heist of an armoured truck, playing second fiddle to cocksure prison escapee Ricardo Prieto, aka “the Hobo”. When unmarried amateur criminal Ursula meets compliant Diego, and despite their entire conversation being at cross-purposes, she spots an opportunity to get in on a big job.

Several narrative strands tell the story with not only that of Diego but no-nonsense and dumpy Ursula López, still simmering from her tyrannical father making his disappointment in her clear. A third narrative focuses on mature female police detective, Captain Leonilda Lima and her determination to act on the tip-off of an informant and leapfrog the male colleague that her Inspector keeps overlooking her in favour of. The story is relatively slow to get into its stride, largely due to the multi-stranded narrative and Rosende clearly likes to keep her readers in suspense until the very last minute possible. The issue for me was that I often felt like I was groping about in the dark and struggling to grasp the full intricacies of the plot on several occasions, with a few chapters leaving me completely non-plussed. Ursula wants to prove herself to her father, Captain Leonilda Lima wants to see justice done and get a slice of the recognition reserved for her male colleagues and Diego just wants to curl up in a dark corner! What could possibly go wrong?! The novel is definitely more subtle that your run-of-the-mill farce but be prepared for some unexpected happenings as well as a few very convenient coincidences. Whilst I smirked at various points I did not find the novel had me rolling in the aisles.

Rosende’s style of writing is wonderfully conversational and her prose slips down a treat with a healthy number of snarky asides and implied references to endemic corruption in the country’s police force. It certainly proved engaging and the casual subtle digs laced throughout the rather deadpan prose were a highlight. The atmosphere throughout the novel is first-class and unremittingly bleak from the forbidding inside of the overcrowded prison to the impoverished surroundings of the Old Town and the translation flows well and reads fluently. Furthermore Crocodile Tears is also a cautionary tale on never underestimating the female species and it made for an entertaining introduction to Uruguayan crime fiction.

[Isobel Blackthorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an article recently that presented Uruguay as a terrific South American nation that has come a long way since its colonial days under Portuguese rule and well worth a visit, a country that ranks thirty-fifth out of 135 countries listed in the Global Peace Index. Not that you would think so reading Crocodile Tears, but then, this fast-paced read is a gritty thriller with a deliciously comedic overtone and an acute eye on the murk that lies at the centre of power and control. Rosende presents Montevideo’s underbelly, and its corrupt institutions and how they collude.

There is no greater joy for the booklover than sinking fast into the story-world of a commanding narrator. Rosende uses language simply and with finesse, providing a terse, steady beat that is instantly engaging. Delivered with microscopic intensity, Rosende treads a fine line between exaggeration, labouring a point and making an impact, and succeeds.
There’s an earthiness in the narrative, immediate, apparent in the first paragraphs and especially vivid in an early chapter in which protagonist Ursula López steals food from the fridge of her childhood home.

To begin with, the men own the stage, the spotlight on delinquent prisoner Diego and murderous psychopath Ricardo Prieto or the Hobo. As the plot unravels, it is Ursula López who moves to stage centre. She really starts to blossom about halfway into the story and it is then that this thriller becomes very, very compelling.

In Crocodile Tears, acid irony is delivered in measured steps. It helps to be aware of the hypocrisy among some Hispanic Catholic churchgoers, as exemplified in lawyer Antinucci’s absurd conscienceless devotion, suggestive perhaps of the collusion of religion and the state that has long been central to the history of Hispanic nations.

Some may find the self-conscious aspects of the narration distracting, bouncing the reader out of the story a little, but this technique does lend a necessary note of irony and comedy. The technique works, I think, because this additional perspective, one of intelligent omniscience, offers additional insight and judgement and holds a position between the reader and the characters. Above all, the cast of characters that are so intensely under the spotlight are sharply defined and comically depicted with their absurd irrational anxieties. Little wonder Crocodile Tears has been likened to Fargo.

The ending leaves much to the imagination and won’t satisfy those who want their shoe laces tied for them, twice, but I rather liked the denouement; it was economical and suggestive. And when you get to the end, it’s worth reflecting on the novel’s title.

There is no glossy travel brochure here. The sense of place Rosende provides is as much psychological as geographical. And the author pulls no punches when it comes to describing what you won’t find in a travel brochure. In all, Crocodile Tears is a terrific addition to the stable of top-notch thrillers worldwide. Anyone addicted to La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) will especially love this book. A highly entertaining read. (reviewed for Trip Fiction)

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger warnings: kidnapping, incarceration, death, explosions, child abuse (in the past), murder, rape (on the page)

This is described as a blackly comedic crime novel a la Fargo. And, like, yes? But it took a LONG time to get to the humorous side of things. There's kind of a comedy of errors vibe to it, with the discovery that a kidnapping plot failed because the ransom demand was sent to the wrong woman named Ursula Lopez. Once the story properly got going though, I was invested and ended up really enjoying all the twists and turns.

Ursula was definitely my favourite character in the story, and I would have liked a liiiiiiiittle more from the ending. But on the whole, this was a lot of fun and I'm glad I read it. (I would never have picked this up if it weren't set in Uruguay and therefore helped with my Read Around the World challenge.)

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for the #borderless book club and I really enjoy it. Is a fast read short thriller that has a very fast peace and you can read it in one seating. Is actually the second book in a series but can be read without the first one. The author provides part of the back story. It has black humor that makes you smile while you are reading, this doesn't happen in the majority of thrillers I read so I am very happy to read something different.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dieses Buch war meine freie Wahl des Anderen Literaturclubs. Hauptsächlich entschied ich mich für den Titel, weil ich bisher noch nie etwas aus Urugay gelesen habe.

Obwohl das Buch angeblich Teil einer Trilogie ist, kann man es sehr gut einfach für sich lesen. Ich hatte auf jeden Fall keinerlei Mühe, mich mitten in Montevideo wiederzufinden und den Figuren zu folgen.

Die Autorin legt ein spezielles Buch vor mit Figuren, an die man sich erst noch gewöhnen muss. Sympathisch in dem Sinne sind sie nicht, auch nicht normal. Aber auch nicht unsympathisch oder abnorm. Es sind Charaktere im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes.

Von ihnen lebt auch die Handlung. Wobei die Stadt selbst ebenfalls lebendig wird. Auch als typischen Krimi würde ich dieses Werk nicht beschreiben. Bei Rosende scheint alles irgendwie anders zu funktionieren. Genau das gefällt mir an ihr. Ich zumindest wusste selten, was mich auf den nächsten Seiten erwarten würde und las stets gespannt weiter.

Die Autorin bedient sich auch einer speziellen Sprache. Ihre Sätze ziehen einen hinein in ihre Welt, sind lyrisch, aber gut lesbar. Simpel und doch tiefgründig. Somit ist "Krokodilstränen" ein nicht einzuordnendes Juwel in meinem Lesejahr.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Crocodile Tears” is my first crime fiction read of the year and it’s also my first read from Uruguay. I was pleasantly surprised by this comic caper and especially it’s quirky characters. A really enjoyable 4 stars from me!

My full review: https://whatrebeccasread.wordpress.co...

[Paula Strange · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finalizada. Dos de tres. Ideal para intercalar entre tochos. Una locura sin sentido que cumple su función. Nota 3/5. FIN.

[Vero Varela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy bueno! Es una historia de ficción pero muy creíble con personajes uruguayos, el suspenso y la intriga se mantienen hasta el final

[Nieves Batista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sin ser una obra maestra, es divertida y estoy deseando saber cómo terminan Úrsula y Germán.

[Maria Ligeia Amate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alguien se ha metido en un lío muy grande: estar en la cárcel y deber un favor puede resultar ser la peor de las pesadillas e intentar cumplir puede costar la misma vida.
Alguien se ha metido en un lío enorme: vigilar a una persona día tras día puede tener terribles consecuencias.
Y alguien se está dando cuenta de que las casualidades no existen y de que si hay algo sospechoso o peculiar en el ambiente, es porque se avecina algún problema.
Estos "alguien", en concreto Germán y Úrsula, son personajes que aparecen en un libro anterior que no he leído; no puedo decir que me haya perdido en la historia, pero sí que me gustaría leer el primero para conocer mejor a los protagonistas, sobre todo a Úrsula, y las circunstancias que los abocaron a que este libro comience de la forma en que lo hace.
Estos personajes, a los que la vida les ha prodigado sufrimiento, maltrato y mala suerte en abundancia, se dan cita en este libro para intentar arreglar todo lo que se ha retorcido a su alrededor y cobrarse parte de lo que la vida les debe. Lo intentan a su manera, claro, con todo lo que arrastran en esta vida que no es poco. Se les olvida, sin embargo, que cuando uno nace estrellado en vez de con estrella, siempre hay algo o alguien dispuesto a arruinarlo todo por muy bien atado que parezca.
Los protagonistas son personas sombrías, con más oscuridad que luz pero una vez que los conoces es imposible no sentir algo de empatía por todo lo que han pasado y que parece no tener fin.
Es un libro que alterna diálogos y texto descriptivo, deteniéndose y recreándose en los detalles, precisando cada cosa y no se conforma solo con hacerlo mientras se producen los pasajes de más acción, sino también con lo que rodea a ésta, dejándola enmarcada y diferenciada.
Saltamos en capítulos cortos de una voz narrativa a otra, escarbando en heridas y dolor, yendo y viniendo del pasado al presente, creando un ambiente con bastante tensión, sufrimiento y, en ocasiones, dejándonos con la boca abierta mientras leemos debido a alguna situación de lo más variopinta.
Me ha gustado la forma de escribir de Mercedes, especificando y puntualizando, cambiando de un personaje y lugar a otro, ahondando en el alma y la personalidad para entenderlos mejor y saber porqué hacen lo que hacen.
Aunque pueda parecer lo contrario, hay una trama policial y criminal en este libro a la que Úrsula y Germán se tienen que enfrentar sin saber cómo van a terminar porque no tienen alma ni de delincuentes ni de personas de bien del todo. Esa es otra, el final... sorprendente, no doy más detalles.
Una lectura que me ha gustado bastante y una escritora de la que estoy deseando leer más. No te lo pierdas.

[Alyson Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Santiago Vázquez Prison in Uruguay, Diego awaits his lawyer, Antinucci, a man with bulging eyes, polished shoes and a brand new shiny Audi. Diego is there after the bungled kidnap of a man called Santiago Losada where he was seemingly double-crossed by his partner in crime Sergio and left to take the rap. During his month in prison, Diego meets the very dangerous killer Ricardo Prieto known as the Hobo, a man who has done a deal with San La Muerte, the saint of death, amongst others. With no evidence forthcoming from Losada’s wife, Diego is released by the Criminal Court back to his home in Montevideo but one thing is made very clear to him – he is in Antinucci’s debt. He is required to take part in an armed robbery, holding up a security van of cash together with the Hobo. Meanwhile we meet the two strong women of the story, Ursula López, a woman with behavioural problems to say the least and Captain Leonilda Lima of the local police, a woman trying to get on and do her job to the best of her ability, even when her male colleagues seem to get the juicy cases. There is absolutely loads more besides in this story to be revealed as the plot unfolds but one thing is certain - they don’t know it yet, but all these people are on a collision course as the day of the heist approaches. As they say over there “God spits out the faint-hearted”.
Well this was something a little bit different. The style of writing is distinctive but I very soon got used to it, particularly the parts where it feels like you and the author have sat down for a bit of a chat. The story is certainly very reminiscent of a Fargo like scenario and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There are little pieces of humour but more so it is a black comedy, certainly a comedy of errors, with a wonderful cast of inept men and very capable women. I have to admit for the first part of the story where the scene is being carefully set, I was a little baffled as to who was actually responsible for what but around halfway through all the back history comes to light, made total sense and then it was straight into the action, bam bam bam….
All the characters are very well drawn, from Ursula with her “fat” issues and strict father who still comes back to haunt her thoughts to Leonilda who is a good woman, a good cop and was very likeable. Although it took me a little time to get into the book I am very glad I continued as I thoroughly enjoyed this quirky, original story that definitely brightened my week! 4.5*

[Chuspaixonporler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lágrimas de cocodrilo es la segunda novela protagonizada por Úrsula López, una mujer con un negro sentido del humor, muy negro, su afición por espiar a sus vecinos en la sombra y secretos, muchos secretos. Siempre tiene hambre, mucha hambre que se intensifica en períodos de ansiedad de los que luego llegan los remordimientos.


De su anterior aventura, por lo que  es recomendable leer antes Mujer equivocada, quedaron asuntos pendientes que Úrsula está totalmente decidida a resolver. Además, su eterna insatisfacción le llevan a anhelar una fortuna que piensa que mejorará su vida. La ocasión se presenta cuando Germán sale de la cárcel con un encargo que cumplir al que las casualidades harán que ella también se una: el asalto a un furgón blindado. Otros interesantes personajes se sumarán a la causa y todos ellos que conformarán un peculiar y divertido universo.


Mercedes Rosende consigue una vez más atraparme y hacerme disfrutar con esta desenfadada historia estructurada en tres partes. La primera nos introduce en la trama y vamos conociendo algo más del pasado y los traumas y secretos de Úrsula, que nos ayudan a comprenderla mejor. Nos presenta a los nuevos personajes, a los cuales que dota de una identidad  también marcada, en especial el de la  comisaria Leonilda Lima. La acción se desarrolla en Montevideo, que casi es un personaje más. En la segunda parte, se desenvuelve el grueso de la trama con divertidas situaciones pero también hay muchas muertes. Y concluye con un abierto final que me ha dejado con ganas de más.


Al igual que en Mujer equivocada, está también presente la crítica a los estereotipos sociales y se añade otra dirigida a la corrupción policial.


Asi que si eres amante de la novela negra y te gusta el sentido de humor irónico, no puedo hacer otra cosa que recomendarte esta serie. Yo, desde luego, quiero más entregas.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hapless Diego is a small time con who was persuaded to kidnap someone. His partner ran off, leaving him in the lurch, and he was arrested and sent to prison. He is about to be released though, as the victims spoke up in his favour. Diego has found prison tough, not least because of the psychopathic criminal, nicknamed the Hobo, who he’s been in hock to. When slippery lawyer Antinucci arrives to get Diego out of prison, he’s willing to agree to do absolutely anything, and the Hobo and Antinucci have plans for him.

The two - lawyer and psychopath - intend to rob an armoured truck and demand Diego take part. Meanwhile Ursula Lopez, a woman with a troubled past, becomes embroiled in the story and crosses paths with Diego and the Hobo. While Captain Leonida Lima of the Montevideo Police is soon hot on the case.

This is a Uruguayan crime novel, the first I’ve ever read, and I know little about the country. It’s a quick read, more a novella than a full-length novel, and is described as a comedy caper like Fargo. While there is some dark humour, I didn’t really find it had the satirical bite of the Fargo films or TV series. That said, the comparison is apt in that the characters in Crocodile Tears are all incompetent to one degree or another; I’m not divulging spoilers when I reveal things will not go according to plan.

This is a good little novel that packs a punch. The characters are well drawn, and it’s well plotted. It's seamlessly translated too and wasn’t clunky in the way some translations can be.

This is definitely worth a read, and as the author is well established in her home country, I look forward to reading future translations of her other work.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fans of the noir crime novel (it's also kind of a caper) will relish this treat from Uruguay. Diego finds himself tied to Hobo to do a heist of an armored truck. He's been in prison for a (failed) kidnapping and he's pretty hapless especially when compared to Hobo, who's pretty out there. These two find themselves in conflict with two women- Ursula Lopez and Inspector Leonilda Lima. The story is told from multiple perspectives, which works well in this case. Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC. Hard to describe but fun to read, this is one I recommend for those looking for a new take on the genre.

[Pirate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly entertaining thriller first one I have read by a Uruguayan author and it rolls along as smoothly and as fast as a Mercedes -- though I confess I do not possess a driving licence so any experience I have had is as a passenger....terrific disparate and desperate collection of characters ex-cons, dodgy lawyer -- quelle surprise -- and an offbeat female police detective all coming together in an audacious heist ...great fun and well worth a read.

[Majito Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Con acidez y humor negro, vuelve Ursula a las andadas, haciendo todo lo contrario a lo que haría cualquier persona normal, pero todo lo que haría una persona en su lugar y con su historia de vida. Brillante en todo sentido!!!

[Nina ( picturetalk321 ) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bored. I was bored. This was trying to be a thriller, and it had a promising premise of a middle-aged woman caught up in a crime and outwitting the self-important male gangsters with another woman detective on their trail. Its mistake: trying to be self-reflective, meta and Literary. Sigh. About a quarter of the chapters indulge in breaking the fourth wall, with the author musing about her characters and making narrator-insert comments. This in itself is tedious but why does it suddenly start and then suddenly stop?

Anyway, it ticked Uruguay for my quest of reading a book from every country in the world. It also fulfills the 2024 52 Book Club reading challenge's prompt nr. 7: 'four or more povs'. If I end up reading another book with 4+ povs (which is not unlikely), I may shift this one into prompt nr. 49: 'set in a city starting with M' (Montevideo). It also fits into the Bookasaurus's Diverse Reading challenge, rubric 'location: Latin America' and reading_and_roaming20's Diversity Across Genres 2024 reading challenge, rubric 'thriller by a Latinx author'.

[Martina]

Coming from Bitter Lemon in Jan/Feb 2021, their first crime novel from Uruguay, Crocodile Tears by Mercedes Rosende.

[Serena]

Review to follow on Sounds and Colours

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite the adventure. An interesting collection of characters with a range of story telling techniques. Part 2 was quite riveting