The latest addition to my website is Jorge Ibargüengoitia‘s Dos crímenes (Two Crimes). This is another mocking satire of Mexican mores by Ibargüengoitia, this time somewhat subverting the conventional detective story and taking as its premise that, perhaps inevitably, that the dividing line between the police and the criminals is thin to non-existent. Marcos González and his partner are celebrating their fifth anniversary together when a fellow activist, whom they do not particularly like, arrives at 1 a.m. and asks for a bed. They put him up and leave him there next morning when they have to go to work. While at work, they learn that the police have raided the flat, arrested the activist and are looking for them. Both flee to different relatives in remote parts of the country. Marcos, whose story we follow, goes to his rich Uncle Ramón, where he finds that his four cousins are trying to protect their inheritance, as Ramón is childless and in ill health. Marcos concocts a fanciful scheme about a creolite mine which will, in theory, earn Uncle Ramón several million pesos for an investment of one million pesos but, in fact, is a scam to enable Marcos and his partner to get money to hide out for a while. Things get complicated with the two crimes of the title, but, fortunately, the Mexican police are less than honest and various deals are made all round, so most of the characters, though not all, come out reasonably all right.
A “mocking satire” and a semi-subversion of the detective story? Count me in! I haven’t been reading as many Mexican novels as I had hoped to recently, but your two Ibargüengoitia titles have both been added to the TBR eventually list. Thanks for the reviews.
Not your typical Mexican novels but great fun. I am sure that you will enjoy them.
One of my favorites. Cuts to the core of the thin line in Mexico between cop and criminal. As well as every-man as a criminal.