Within the Spanish literary scene, mystery, suspense or police genres have been enjoying a golden age thanks to authors such as Matilde Asensi, Eva Garcia Saenz, Dolores Redondo or Reyes Calderón herself that I bring up here today.
Writers all with the gift of suspense and the virtue of narrative tension towards that intrigue of the most valued current bestsellers. Because although it is not the same to read a mystery novel than a detective novel more tending towards noir, it is true that the ultimate effect of catching the reader is very similar.
What of Reyes Calderon It comes from more than a decade ago, when he published Hemmingway's tears and the investigations around a murder concealed in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the San Fermines. Since then Reyes has lavished on new novels with special prominence of his judge Lola MacHor, protagonist and necessary hook to achieve the title of essential author.
Top 3 recommended novels by Reyes Calderón
The perfect crime game
The novel of our lives made the noir more disturbing with the arrival of the coronavirus, that zoonosis turned Russian roulette that upset everything. When literature, more than scientific or essay books, is responsible for rescuing this disturbing current reality, nothing better than to fit it into the morbid sensation of death as a chance that haunts us like a virus, almost invisible ...
The Ice Palace in Madrid, enabled as a temporary morgue during the pandemic, cannot close its doors and return to its activity because the unclaimed coffin of an elderly woman prevents it. Inspector Salado and his assistant Jaso accompany the superstitious judge Calvo to the preliminary inspection, which brings them a surprise: inside there is a man in a tailored suit and a gold Rolex on his wrist.
What seems like a classification confusion introduces them little by little into a macabre game: a chain of deaths, each more peculiar, who have in common the signature, on the death certificate, of Dr. Paloma Padierna, a young internist in the Gregorio Marañón.
Dr. Padierna, oblivious to the matter and exhausted after the hard months of work in the hospital, only thinks about her vacations. But the killer of the perfect crimes has other plans for her.
Shoot the moon
Interweaving reality and fiction always poses a risk in the face of subsequent criticism of the work. The appearance of the terrorist group ETA links any narrative proposal with raw realism. And yet, for me it was a complete success.
In a way, it is curious how other countries like the United States use fiction to exorcise recent ghosts and here, however, everything is looked at under the magnifying glass of God knows what intentionality attributed to the author. The novel became the sixth installment of Judge Lola MacHor and led us through 6 frantic days of searching for Inspector Iturri himself.
The tone that the novel acquires captures from the beginning, its development is completely impregnated with the personality of the judge. With this novel you live under the skin of Lola MacHor, you assume her ability to distill irony or even black humor under all circumstances.
In the next installment, it will be necessary to see if what is between Iturri and her is just a professional matter or maybe something else (daring speculation knowing that the judge is "happily" married).
Prime Number Crimes
This is one of those titles that over time becomes more associated with the author and her dazzling success. With the typical background of Catholic conspiracy, Judge MacHor will have to discover what nothing more and nothing less than an abbot and the archbishop of Pamplona die in a remote place, under the stony secrecy of a small Navarrese hermitage. Along with the dead, a lot of money and an almost liturgical presentation of death.
Undoubtedly an interesting case that we enjoy analyzing and looking for the meaning, until Reyes ends up sprinkling the scene with light and giving meaning to such a macabre resolution.
Other recommended books by Reyes Calderón ...
Jury number 10
A novel that he could sign himself John Grisham. In this novel we discover the most noir author of her entire literary career. The office of Efrén Porcina, an eccentric lawyer, and his partner Salomé is suddenly immersed in a case that overwhelms them on all sides. The biggest problem of all is that the matter threatens to spill over if they don't walk on eggshells.
With the few means at their disposal, they must assume for their own good the resolution of a case in which they cannot remain exclusively a party. Justice will finally be the one that can trust its truth, except that the case concerns a popular jury with its unpredictable ability to consider any matter in a non-jurist manner. In the end, jury number 10 may have the last word…
