Taibo II, Paco Ignacio

New York. 1990. Viking Press. Unrevised & Unpublished Proofs. Very Good in Wrappers . 0670824623. Translated from the Spanish by William I. Neuman. 230 pages. paperback. keywords: Literature Mystery Mexico Latin America Translated. FROM THE PUBLISHER - AN EASY THING marks the English-language debut of Paco lgnacio Taibo II, Mexico's leading detective novelist and a writer world renowned for his atmospheric and highly innovative crime fiction. Set in the chaotic urban heart of Mexico City, a place where the ghosts of Old Mexico constantly eat away at all pretense of modernity, An Easy Thing is distinguished by the vulnerable human presence of its jaded detective hero, Hector Belascoarán Shayne. Already weary from coping with his mother's death and his lover's flight, Hector finds himself reluctantly involved in three perplexing cases: a murder at a capitalist- and corruption-riddled factory; disturbingly violent threats against the innocent teenage daughter of a former porn star; and finally, an attempt to find a rather extraordinary missing person-namely, Emiliano Zapata, archetypal (and, most think, long deceased) hero of the failed Mexican Revolution. Complicated characters; tight and witty dialogue; undercurrents of violence and sex; lots of action; and dazzling streaks of irony, dark comedy, and Latin fabulism combine to create a compelling, original mystery, a mystery that resonates with the bigger mysteries of Mexico's troubled history and of the dark side of human nature. This is mystery writing with a soul-and a funny, wise, warm, and entertaining soul it is, grounded in Paco Taibo's knowledge of modern Hispanic and world literature and history, and by his political and everyday human passions. inventory #13708 ISBN: 0670824623.