Cliff Diver

Detective Emilia Cruz, #1

**Imagine if you were the first and only female police detective in Acapulco. 

The squadroom reeks of machismo. It's just a matter of time before they squeeze you out.**

Detective Emilia Cruz fought her way up the police ladder in Acapulco, where Mexican drug cartels battle for control and politicians are bought with blood money. The lieutenant was forced to accept her in the detectives squadroom, but that doesn't mean she can stay. Every day is a battle for Emilia, especially when any charges against him will dirty her as well.

But when the lieutenant's body is found in a boat adrift near a luxury beach hotel, Emilia is picked to lead the investigation. The odds are soon stacked against her.

The head of the police union wants to direct the case from behind the scenes. The ambitious mayor of Acapulco offers political favors in return for a cover up. The other detectives plot against her. 

Thanks to local hotel manager Kurt Rucker, Emilia uncovers the lieutenant's sordid sexual past and his role in a kidnapping and extortion scheme. A little more digging and a rival detective becomes Emilia's prime murder suspect. 

But do family secrets point in a different direction? 

Feeling like one of Acapulco's famous cliff divers hoping not to crash on the rocks below, Emilia must choose between truth and survival. But no matter which choice she makes, she won't be ready for the shock of the water. 

And neither will you. 

"Consistently exciting . . . A clever Mexican detective tale that will leave readers eager for the series' next installment." -- Kirkus Reviews 

"A wonderful crime mystery that keeps you fast flipping to the last page." - MysterySequels.com

Read all of Carmen Amato's books:** 
The Detective Emilia Cruz series 
CLIFF DIVER 
HAT DANCE 
DIABLO NIGHTS 
KING PESO 
PACIFIC REAPER 
43 MISSING 
MADE IN ACAPULCO 

Suspense
THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY 
AWAKENING MACBETH

MEET DETECTIVE EMILIA CRUZ: Emilia Cruz is the first and only female police detective in Acapulco. She's a good liar, a fast thinker, and a mean kickboxer in a squadroom that didn't want her and is still trying to break her. Even as she fights to get what she's earned as a cop, Emilia keeps a record of women who have gone missing--casualties of Mexico's drug violence--and is always searching for Las Perdidas, the Lost Ones. 

The one thing Emilia doesn't know how to handle is *gringo *Kurt Rucker, the manager of a luxury hotel in Acapulco. A former US Marine, he has the confidence and leadership qualities she admires. A triathlete, he's calm under pressure and knows what he wants. But does Emilia? 

THE TWO FACES OF ACAPULCO: There's the Acapulco that tourists know; the sweep of the most beautiful bay in the world, the majesty of the clear blue Pacific, candlelit nights on the beach, and luxury hi-rises. There's also the Acapulco that is a prize to be fought over by drug cartels--the city that is home to hookers and thieves, the streets where life is cheap and poverty is as pervasive as the wind off the ocean. Both of these versions of Acapulco claw at each other and force Emilia to survive between them. No investigation will be easy, no crime will be simple.