Alone in the Crowd

Delegado Espinosa #7

by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza

Inspector Espinosa unwittingly ignites the obsessions of a menacing misanthrope in the latest from the highly acclaimed mystery author An elderly lady approaches the front desk at the Twelfth Precinct in Copacabana and demands to speak with the chief. Tired after a long day, she leaves without further explanation, promising to return. Two hours later, Doña Laureta is dead, and witnesses’ accounts vary as to whether she was pushed or fell in front of the bus that killed her on one of the busiest avenues in the city. Veteran police chief inspector Espinosa quickly pinpoints a suspect in Hugo Breno, an unassuming bank teller whose solitary existence takes on a sinister cast as he shadows the inspector’s movements across the city. Meanwhile Espinosa discovers an unsettling connection from the past between himself and Breno, and must turn his trademark psychological inquiry inward to determine how murky memories of a murder from long ago might play into Doña Laureta’s untimely passing. Chilling and ultimately heart-stopping, Alone in the Crowd presents Espinosa as we have never seen him before, the man of detached expertise and calm self-assurance entangled in a mystery where reason alone will not suffice.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Brazil, Portuguese Literature, Romance, Ebooks

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza is a Professor of Philosophy at Rio University in Brazil.

Series:
* Inspector Espinosa

Reviews

[Glenn Russell]

Crowded Street in Rio de Janeiro

Hello. My name is Cole Robinhood, host of First Fiction, a blog and YouTube channel dedicated to discussing notable works of contemporary literature. Today, I'm joined by top online book reviewer Glenn Russell, and together we'll be discussing Brazilian author Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza and his literary thriller, Alone in the Crowd.

CR: Welcome, Glenn. Let's dig in. What drew you to Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza?

GR: I love the highly literary, offbeat novels of Rubem Fonseca going back a good number of years. I searched for another Brazilian author whose novels are likewise set in Rio de Janeiro and can be considered crime thrillers. I was pointed toward Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza. What a gift. I enjoyed reading and posting reviews for each of Garcia-Roza's seven Inspector Espinosa novels translated into English.

CR: What makes Garcia-Roza so distinctive?

GR: In addition to being a gifted writer of quality literary works that are also gripping, intricately constructed page-turners, there are two key features worthy of mention. First off, the setting and atmosphere of Rio. From the office buildings, apartments, restaurants, and coffee shops to the beaches, parks, and streets (always cited by name), we can feel the vibrant pulse of this distinctive Brazilian city on every single page. Secondly, his main character: Inspector Espinosa (of course, named after the famous philosopher) is a loner at heart, no ordinary police officer – he's a literary man attuned to beauty, most especially luscious beautiful woman. Unlike all those puritanical crime writers - Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbø, and Arnaldur Indridason come immediately to mind -each of the seven Garcia-Roza novels are filled with the erotic and sensual.

CR: Fantastic. Let's turn directly to Alone in the Crowd.

GR: Here's how Garcia-Roza frames the novel: an elderly woman by the name of Laureta Sales Ribeiro arrives at the Twelfth Precinct and asks to speak with the chief. However, Chief Inspector Espinosa is in a meeting. Dona Laureta says she'll return in a couple of hours. Soon after she leaves the station, she's found dead, having been run over by a bus at one of the busiest intersections in Rio. Two questions loom: Did someone push her? And why did she want to speak specifically to Espinosa? The police swing into action and quickly discover something worth investigating: prior to her brief visit to the station, Dona Laureta had an extended conversation at her bank with mild-mannered bank teller Hugo Breno.

CR: And Hugo Breno becomes a key?

GR: Oh yes. As we quickly learn, Hugo Breno is a quite unusual type of loner. For one thing, he rarely speaks or associates with people; rather, he most enjoys walking among crowds on the street, to be alone in the crowd (with hints of the Edgar Allan Poe tale). Secondly, Hugo Breno spent his boyhood in the same neighborhood at Espinosa, and, in a number of ways, came to idolize the slightly older Espinosa. And, this is most alarming, Hugo Breno devotes a good amount of time standing at his apartment window spying on Espinosa when the detective is at home in his own apartment.

CR: Now that's weird.

GR: Weird is the word. And when Espinosa reflects on events involving Hugo Breno back when the inspector was age twelve, he recalls a specific tragic event that eventually ties in with the death of Dona Laureta.

CR: I suppose, by way of this connection, things get darker and murkier.

GR: Absolutely. I wouldn't want to say more so as to spoil. Let's shift to a major subplot: Espinosa's ongoing romantic relationship with Irene, which is shaken up when Irene returns from São Paulo with her friend Vânia. Again, I'll avoid spoilers, but what I can say is the inclusion of Vânia provides Garcia-Roza another opportunity to include the sensual and erotic side of life, a dimension, as I noted, that's completely absent in nearly all detective fiction.

CR: Thanks. I know when you write reviews you attempt to avoid spoilers.

GR: I completely agree with Stephen King. Reviewers and publishers tend to go overboard and give too much away. This is especially true when the book is a mystery or a thriller. So, let me take another shift, this time to the way Garcia-Roza handles four prime elements of crime fiction in Alone in the Crowd.

Narrative Momentum – Each scene, each police interview, each clue adds tension, suspense, and intrigue to the unfolding drama that started out with the death of an old lady. And when the connection to other deaths is discovered . . . well, there's ample reasons why Alone in the Crowd is a first-rate thriller.

Foreshadowing – This aspect of the plot is tied in with events occurring thirty years ago. In this way, the Brazilian author displays a highly creative way to include dramatic foreshadowing.

Red Herrings – A major red herring: Hugo Breno's own recounting of events. What he says sounds perfectly reasonable. As readers, how much should we believe? This was an abiding question as I turned the pages.

Satisfying Ending – Alone in the Crowd contains an ending with a wallop, one that's extremely personal for Espinosa, and that's understatement.

CR: Thanks, Glenn. I think what you've shared here will attract a good number of readers to seek out the novel.

GR: I certainly hope so.


Brazilian author Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza, 1936-2020

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the course of this novel (p. 132) Irene says to Espinosa not to romanticize Hugo Breno (the "suspect" - we never quite know if he really is or should be considered one) as an equivalent to Poe's Man of the Crowd. I, of course, had to search out Poe's short story and read it once I'd finished Garcia-Roza's book. Midway through the short story it was clear where Garcia-Roza drew his inspiration for Alone in the Crowd. Poe's story of a man who keeps himslef seperate but always moving day and night amongst London's most crowded places translates nicely into Espinoza's Rio and his Cocacabana neighborhodd.

[Lynn Kearney · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I think this is the best detective series from South America. Espinosa is very appealing.

[Sharron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Espinosa is a great character and this series set in Brazil is unusual and well worth reading

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Espinosa. He demonstrates the Brazilian tendency to deep philosophical musings. The descriptions of life in Rio remind me of living in Porto Alegre, with all the details of daily life. This is a different kind of mystery in that it is not clear that a crime has been committed. Yet by the end everything is revealed.

[Newton Nitro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Na Multidão (Inspector Espinosa #8) - Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza | #crime #mistério | #crime #mistério | NITROLEITURAS | 176pgs., Cia das Letras 2006, lido de 10.07.17 a 11.07.17


SINOPSE
O delegado Espinosa enfrenta um de seus casos mais intrigantes: a morte por atropelamento de Laureta Sales Ribeiro, pensionista da Previdência Social. Ela acabava de sair do 12o. DP, em Copacabana, onde tentara conversar com Espinosa.

Depoimentos de testemunhas levam à hipótese de homicídio. As investigações conduzem a uma agência da Caixa Econômica Federal e a um suspeito: um funcionário exemplar com o estranho hábito de fundir-se à multidão nas ruas do Rio de Janeiro.

Ao mesmo tempo, Espinosa faz uma incursão à própria infância, no Bairro Peixoto, e evoca a morte de uma menina, ocorrida quarenta anos antes. Enquanto o delegado remexe na memória e nos velhos álbuns de família, buscando no passado uma explicação para os acontecimentos presentes, o inspetor Ramiro e o detetive Welber vigiam os passos do suspeito.

Quando tudo parece esclarecido, um novo assassinato surpreende a polícia e lança outra luz sobre a investigação. Em meio à confusão de sua vida afetiva, jogos de sedução e disputas amorosas, Espinosa tem de enfrentar um psicopata perigoso à procura de uma identidade redentora.

Garcia-Roza, mais uma vez, perscruta o crime com o olhar da psicanálise e se consagra como um dos maiores autores da literatura policial brasileira. Reconstitui com maestria as motivações da mente psicótica e seu esforço desesperado de reescrever o passado, identificando as circunstâncias, algumas vezes fortuitas, que forjam um assassino. Com uma narrativa enxuta e empolgante, Na multidão convida o leitor a refletir sobre as relações familiares, a culpa e a solidão.

RESENHA
Mais uma história do Espinosa, dessa vez inspirada por Alone in the Crowd, do tio Edgard Alan Poe. Acho bem legal como o Garcia-Roza busca suas inspirações na literatura do século XIX, e, como quando fez com Bartleby de Herman Melville, em NA MULTIDÃO, a recriação de Garcia-Roza é sensacional.

Em NA MULTIDÃO, além da investigação do misterioso homem que consegue desaparecer na multidão do Rio, descobrimos um pouco sobre a infância de Espinoza, mergulhando mais um pouco na alma do detetive carioca.

Esse foi um dos livros mais tensos da série, com um clímax sensacional. A relação entre Epinoza e Irene entra em um novo patamar também, e as discussões psicanalíticas são bem interessantes!

Muito bom! Recomendadíssimo!

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[JKC · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a bit underwhelmed with this one, which is sad because it's probably the last book I will read by this author - a favorite detective novel author - for a long time or maybe forever (I've read them all now). It seemed as if the last two novels were a bit heavy on the inclusion of girl on girl sex and implied threesomes (and I'm sorry to say that this sort of thing often creeps up as authors age). Nothing wrong with either of those things except for the odd-ish prevalence of both in just two of the series, not all. I was interested to hear about how the main character's longstanding romantic relationship would age as he did and it didn't quite meet my hopes. It was also left hanging. As for the murder mystery, as always this author is a master of taking a seemingly very isolated crime and turning it into a full blown story involving many people, the past, all kinds of variables. That's really cool. But the culprit in this case just wasn't very riveting to me.

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the pace of this novel and would be interested in reading the rest of the series. I was entertained, and the plot kept me engaged throughout. I liked learning about the chief and the antagonist, and the parallels between the two of them. The connections between characters added a bit more excitement and it was a clever mystery novel overall.

[Linda & · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the last book in the Inspector Espinosa mystery series that began with "The Silence of the Rain".

[Manfredo Prange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creio que é o melhor livro do autor. O dia a dia em Copacabana e uma boa história policial.

[Laura Moraes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Li rápido e adoro o Espinosa! Mas me parece que faltou algo na história .

[Karry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Inspector Espinosa mystery, the series is always interesting. Again our hero is in Rio trying to discover "who done it" this time looking into the death of an elderly lady who had visited the precinct to visit our hero. Espinosa was not in his office so did not talk to her before she fell or was pushed in front of a bus. I guess this one was just a little too focused on the Inspector's love life for me, but other than that is was a good mystery.

[Amy Paget · Rating 3 out of 5]

An elderly lady approaches the front desk at the Twelfth Precinct in Copacabana and demands to speak with the chief. Tired after a long day, she leaves without further explanation, promising to return. Two hours later, Doña Laureta is dead, and witnesses’ accounts vary as to whether she was pushed or fell in front of the bus that killed her on one of the busiest avenues in the city.
Veteran police chief inspector Espinosa quickly pinpoints a suspect in Hugo Breno, an unassuming bank teller whose solitary existence takes on a sinister cast as he shadows the inspector’s movements across the city. Meanwhile Espinosa discovers an unsettling connection from the past between himself and Breno, and must turn his trademark psychological inquiry inward to determine how murky memories of a murder from long ago might play into Doña Laureta’s untimely passing.

This is a marvelous read, the 7th in a series. Again, I am drawn to the very detailed setting -- Copacabana, Brazil. Espinosa is a delightful character and the relationships developed over the series are a pleasure to follow.

--

[Adriana Fogaça · Rating 5 out of 5]

Série: Espinosa 08 - Na Multidão - Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza
Na Multidão
Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza
Série: Espinosa 08
Companhia das Letras
2007

Este é o primeiro livro do delegado Espinosa que leio. E já estou encantada com este homem da lei. Ele é devotado ao seu trabalho, e ao mesmo tempo tem consciência dos problemas da polícia. O vejo como uma pessoa que tenta fazer o melhor pelo bem comum de todos, mas infelizmente nem sempre é bem sucedido.

Uma característica que chamou muito a minha atenção é que na realidade Espinosa está mais para um filósofo ou simplesmente um observador do cotidiano, do que um homem de ação. Ele resolve seus casos pensando, meditando....

Quer ler a resenha completa e muito mais, visite o blog Momentos da Fogui:

site: http://foguiii.blogspot.com.br/2015/0...

[Miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mais uma aventura de Espinosa nas ruas de Copacabana, num mistério que, desta vez, cruza um aparente acidente com inquietantes memórias da infância do delegado da 12ª esquadra. Não sei se foi uma certa homofonia, mas Hugo Breno fez-me lembrar o Charles Bruno de Patricia Highsmith, de Strangers on a Train, quer na psicopatia das personagens quer na acidentalidade do crime.
Como sempre em Garcia-Roza, a cidade é a verdadeira protagonista do romance, desta vez centrado no Bairro Peixoto, o próprio lugar onde Espinosa mora. E há uma história lateral, de leve perfume sáfico, que é pena não ter sido mais explorada, mas que chega a perturbar, no bom sentido, o fio da narrativa principal.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another weird thriller with Inspector Espinosa reacquainting himself with an aloof neighbor from his childhood. In a familiar plot line a weird, aloof only child is suspected of two murders but there's no proof, only suspicion, and Espinosa confronts the suspect in a "conversation" that leads to some interesting and startling consequences. Consequently his companion of ten years,Irene, brings a lady friend (just as attractive as Irene if not more so) to Rio and some mind games ensue between Espinosa and them.

[Patrick Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I enjoy Garcia-Roza's description of Rio de Janeiro (yes, he is a Brazilian writer and I have not known here while living in Brazil, so he's not one of the "classic" writers). The mystery plot is not bad either. I'd recommend starting with the first one in the series: The Silence of the Rain.

[Tuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

this one not quite as good as some earlier ones, but still lots of food, sex, death, and the beach.

[Cindie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the protagonist kind of depressing and sad -- but I could not put this down til I finished!

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the storyline of Alone In The Crowd to be pretty flat and boring. As a murder mystery, I expected a bit more "mystery" in this story.

[Ming · Rating 4 out of 5]

read the series in order

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first reading of Garcia-Roza's writing. I enjoyed the book and will be reading others in this series.

[Sammarks]

Interesting novel - short enough to finish in a few days.