Blood Lake: A Filomena Buscarsela Mystery - Hardcover

Wishnia, K. J. A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312281862 ISBN 13: 9780312281861

Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2002

Synopsis

When Filomena Buscarsela takes her teen-aged daughter to see their extended family in Ecuador, it's more than a homecoming. Filomena hasn't been back in years, and the trip brings back memories of her previous life there as a revolutionary. Strangest of all, people keep asking her if her lover--who died in a hail of police gunfire in front of her very eyes--is alive.
And then a priest is murdered, a man who years ago saved her life and helped her escape to America. It's an election year, and the dirty hand of politics seems to be everywhere, perhaps even in this senseless death. Filomena's investigation promises to lead her back to the very people she escaped, all those years ago.

All in all, Wishnia provides a compelling look at the provenance of one of mystery fiction's most dynamic heroines.

About this title

About the Author

K.j.a. Wishnia, an award-winning writer and translator, is a college professor on Long Island.

Reviews

Flashes of wit and humor leaven this bleak tale of a small nation riven by violence and corruption. Filomena Buscarsela, Wishnia's Ecuadorian-American PI (last seen in 2001's Red House), who inhabits a New York City that resembles a third-world country, goes home to Ecuador, teenage daughter in tow, for a visit with her far-flung family, friends and former revolutionary comrades. In Ecuador everything is extreme-politics, poverty, weather. Wishnia's brand of gritty surrealism jolts the reader with startling images and jarring contrasts. When the priest who saved the vulnerable and lonely Filomena years before is murdered, she knows she must punish those responsible, despite the terrible risks for both her and her daughter. Filomena undertakes a harrowing, arduous trip back to her high mountain home and her rebel roots to find the killers. One can find faults-Filomena's sudden shifts from visiting relative to doting mother to tourist to warrior; the plethora of parties and issues and the abrupt appearances or disappearances of characters-but one cannot quibble about the language. Wishnia evokes a country and a culture vividly and unforgettably. Fans will welcome this closer look at Filomena's past, while new converts will want to delve into her New York adventures.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Wishnia transplants her New York City private detective Filomena Buscarsela back to the swampy town of Guayaquil in her native Ecuador in a mystery that successfully serves up exotic atmosphere, complex family relations, social unrest, and dazzling characterization. Filomena and her teenage daughter visit family in Ecuador--for Filomena, this means dredging up past traumas, including her work as a revolutionary, during which she witnessed the execution of her boyfriend. During their stay, the priest who rescued her from her rage is murdered, presumably by one of the death squads or rabid politicians he opposed. Filomena has quite a task before her. On the detective side, she must sort through the volatile politics of a nation from which she has grown estranged. And psychologically, she must come to terms with her own love-hate for her family, her country, and her own past. Although the plot sometimes gets tangled, interest in Filomena runs high throughout. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0312281862
• ISBN 13: 9780312281861
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272