La Reina del Sur

A gripping thriller

“The phone rang and she knew they were going to kill her. She knew it with such certainty that she remained motionless, the razor held high, her hair clinging to her face amid the steam of the hot water dripping onto the tiles. Beep-beep. She stayed very still, holding her breath as if immobility or silence could change the course of what had already happened. Beep-beep. She was in the bathtub, shaving her right leg, the soapy water up to her waist, and her bare skin tingled as if the cold water tap had just burst. Beep-beep. In the bedroom stereo, Los Tigres del Norte sang stories of Camelia la Tejana. Treachery and smuggling, they said, are shared things.”

Critics have said...
“John Le Carré meets Gabriel García Márquez. Pérez-Reverte has a huge and growing following.”
The Wall Street Journal

“He is an incredible storyteller.”
USA Today

“As entertaining as few, beautiful in its construction and disturbing for the serious issues that beat beneath the criminal adventure. To this x-ray of crime, the author also adds a song to literature itself.”
El Cultural

“Come and read. The show is not only ready but guaranteed.”
El País

“Combine Barry Gifford's neo-romantic disillusionment with Juan Marsé's narrative mastery and add a soundtrack with the raw emotion of Chavela Vargas. The result of such a mixture already has a title: La Reina del Sur.”
El Periódico de Cataluña