Repentance

by Eloísa Díaz

Overview

Now a Best First Novel 2022 ITW Thriller Awards Nominee

A Library Journal Top Winter Debut: "Strong characterization, nail-biting suspense, social relevance." 

Two moments in time, twenty years apart, one last chance at redemption. What would you do with a second chance?

1981. 

Argentina is in the grip of a brutal military dictatorship. Inspector Joaquín Alzada’s work in the Buenos Aires police force exposes him to the many realities of life under a repressive regime: desperate people, terrified people and —worst of all—missing people. Personally, he prefers to stay out of politics, enjoying a simple life with his wife Paula. But when his revolutionary brother Jorge is disappeared, Alzada will stop at nothing to rescue him.

2001. 

The country is in the midst of yet another devastating economic crisis and riots are building in the streets of Buenos Aires. This time Alzada is determined to keep his head down and wait patiently for his retirement. But when a dead body is found behind the morgue and a woman from one of the city’s wealthiest families goes missing, Alzada is forced to confront his own involvement in one of the darkest periods in Argentinian history—a time of collective horror and personal tragedy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781951709464
Publisher:	Polis Books
Publication date:	11/16/2021
Pages:	289
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Eloísa Díaz (Madrid, 1986) is a writer and lawyer. She studied Law at Pantheon-Sorbonne Universityin Paris, then completed her MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University. Repentance is her debut novel. Find her online at eloisadiaz.net

Editorial Reviews

★ 08/30/2021

In 2001 Argentina, the police pension’s empty coffers compel world-weary Buenos Aires police inspector Joaquín Alzada, the hero of Díaz’s outstanding debut, to stay on the job. Until the day he and his wife can retire to the countryside, Alzada is doing his utmost to avoid becoming entangled in his nation’s ongoing political unrest and to keep his idealistic young partner, Deputy Orestes Estrático, out of trouble in a dangerously charged landscape. Alzada, now the oldest inspector on the force, has managed to survive while maintaining his principles. In a country where people disappear—like his brother Jorge 20 years earlier—keeping a low profile can be the difference between life and death. When the body of Norma Echegaray, a wealthy young socialite killed execution-style, is found by a dumpster, Alzada’s role in the years known as the Dirty War can no longer remain buried. Flashbacks to the violent upheaval of 1981 provide context for 2001’s relentless economic crises, riots, and life under revolving governments as Alzada struggles to deliver mercy when justice is not possible. Aficionados of mysteries with a hard edge will welcome Inspector Alzada. Agent: Maria Cardona, Pontas Literary (Spain). (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 10/01/2021

DEBUT In 1981, Argentina is in the midst of the Dirty War, in which 30,000 so-called subversives were "disappeared" by the military dictatorship; among the disappeared is Inspector Joaquín Alzada's brother Jorge. Twenty years later, Argentina is rocked by civil unrest caused by a plummeting economy. Alzada, known for flouting authority, is relegated to desk duty while the rest of the police are on riot patrol. When a wealthy Buenos Aires woman is reported missing, Alzada defies commands and investigates the case; clues point to her abduction by a prominent politician, but the police commissioner won't investigate without a body. An unidentified corpse, bearing a striking resemblance to the missing woman, turns up in a dumpster. Can Alzada substitute one body for the other and build a case? Chapters dealing with Jorge's disappearance reflect the era's chilling brutality, in this police procedural with social commentary. VERDICT A tense debut thriller with excellent characters and a timely, satisfying plot; knowledge of recent Argentinian history would help readers contextualize the violence Díaz depicts. For fans of Philip Kerr's "Bernie Gunther" novels.—Edward Goldberg, Syosset P.L., NY

Library Journal

A Publishers Weekly 2021 Holiday Gift Guide Selection

"REPENTANCE is a brilliantly plotted thriller that was impossible for me to put down. Eloísa Díaz is a fantastically talented writer, and her debut is easily one of the best crime fiction reads of the year."—Lauren Wilkinson, Award-Winning Author of AMERICAN SPY

"A tense debut thriller with excellent characters and a timely, satisfying plot."—Library Journal (Starred Review)

"(An) outstanding debut…Aficionados of mysteries with a hard edge will welcome Inspector Alzada.”—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"In her debut novel, an engrossing narrative told backward and forward in time, Díaz painfully yet eloquently describes Alzada’s turmoil and how he reconciles the questionable actions he has taken. A dark political thriller guaranteed to satisfy fans of Andrea Camilleri, Donna Leon, and Leonardo Padura."—Booklist

“This is an astonishingly assured first novel, written in English by a Spanish lawyer, that is both funny and moving.”—The Times Crime Club

"A thriller that proves what this genre is capable of."—Buchkultur

"The criminal case takes a backseat as the author knows how to impressively transport the reader to the years under the brutal dictatorship and then the demonstrations of 2001, when the Argentine people rebelled against the economic crisis."—Luzerner Zeitung

"Eloísa Díaz writes a beautifully mastered novel set in a tormented historical context where family dramas intertwine with a great national tragedy. And where neutrality has become poison."—Le Journal du Dimanche

"REPENTANCE, the debut novel from Eloísa Díaz, is a subtle moral story evoking a terrifying time in history and, like any good noir, filled with darkness."—Le Figaro

"Díaz combines skillfully constructed moments of tension with a history lesson about the Argentine military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983."—Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

"Repentance is her debut novel, and it’s a beauty."—CrimeFictionLover, 5 Star Review

"An accomplished, inventive detective novel thrumming with tension, family secrets, and the trauma of a violent military dictatorship. REPENTANCE is both a riveting noir and a moving exploration of one man’s search to repair the past."—Sanaë Lemoine, author of THE MARGOT AFFAIR

"REPENTANCE is a sharp, well written and evocative thriller about secrecy, complicity and how far people are willing to go for both the people they love and a cause they believe in."—Life With All the Books

"A hugely impressive debut and I would not be averse to revisiting this inspector again to find out more secrets of the past and what happened next. Highly recommended!"—Run Along The Shelves

"It’s a strong, tension filled debut that wets the appetite for further books. (…) Come on Díaz give us a series, please!"—Book Social

"REPENTANCE is a complex and moving novel about a man coming to terms with his past, his country’s past, his family’s history, and his own responsibilities as a person and as an officer."—Scintilla

"Eloísa Díaz has an incredibly concise yet sophisticated writing style (…) Díaz’s melding of history with the thriller form in REPENTANCE works beautifully throughout, and this is further bolstered by her innate eye for atmosphere and location, with the city of Buenos Aires becoming a character in itself. Her skill at balancing and drawing away at critical moments from the contrasting storylines serves the tension building and pace of the plot incredibly well, leading to the reader becoming absorbed by both storylines equally. I read this book very quickly, as I was so drawn into the narrative, and emerged the other side with not only an enhanced knowledge of the politics and history of this country, but having thoroughly enjoyed a well structured and compelling thriller. Recommended."—Raven Crime Reads

"Repentance is an apt title for this very impressive debut which works on multiple levels. It is an evocative crime thriller with a likeable, self-aware protagonist, but also skillfully explores the darkest period in Argentina’s modern history."—Financial Times

"A powerful crime novel...with many layers...a strong depiction of a country and a period that still simmers between the pages of history books. Recommended."—CrimeTime

"This superbly written political conspiracy thriller shuns both sentimentality and cynicism."—Morning Star

"Admirers of Buenos Aires’ impeccable stylishness will be delighted, as will seekers of new brands of fictional police work."—Strong Words Magazine

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