Prime Time Suspect [Paperback]

Barcelona police inspector Petra Delicado's confession about shoelaces epitomizes the many paradoxes in her life. A fiercely independent career woman who is also sarcastic and sometimes melancholy, she refuses to tolerate clichés about women and their behavior, even taking umbrage at the description of an evil man as an SOB, since that term insults mothers. Tough and dedicated to her job, she often works around the clock, and she sees her refusal to learn to put laces into new shoes as a conscious, independent decision, though others might see it differently.

Acting as foil to the ferociously self-sufficient Petra, is her partner, Sgt. Fermin Garzon, a man in his fifties who has a softer, more sentimental side. Fermin, a widower living alone, tries to protect Petra from herself so subtly, sometimes, that she does not even realize it, and while the novel shows that each truly likes and respects the other, Fermin is Petra's employee, and he does not overstep his boundaries. With "energy for two people and no psychological hang-ups," Fermin provides balance for the high-strung Petra.

The murder of Ernesto Valdes, an amoral gossip reporter, takes Petra and Fermin from Barcelona to Madrid and back as they investigate the motive for Valdes's death and whether he was killed by a hired gun or by someone in the heat of passion. Various members of the police force in Barcelona and Madrid check Valdes's financial records, trying to identify possible partners he might have had in a blackmail scheme, since he managed to stash millions in a Swiss bank.

Before long, this case begins to overlap with another case in which the government Health Minister has been murdered. Valdes has publicly revealed the minister's dalliances with a mistress and embarrassed him and his family. Eventually, six deaths occur, with the investigation building inexorably to a grand climax as Petra and Fermin try to determine how many different killers and how many different motives there might have been in the overlapping cases.

This clever mystery is beautifully plotted, but it is in the characters that the novel excels. Author Alicia Gimenez-Bartlett, winner of the Femenino Lumen prize as best female writer in Spain, has created in Petra and Fermin characters who are so intriguing that the reader never tires of their interchanges. More fully developed than the typical investigating team in police procedurals, they are revealed on the psychological level at the same time that the reader comes to know them through their actions. The second in the Petra Delicado series to be translated into English (after Dog Day), this is actually the third book in the series. The first, Death Rites, will appear on 2008. Prime Time Suspect is a well-translated, first-class mystery with two main characters who provide endless opportunities for further development. Filled with astute observations about people and society, this novel goes beyond "mere" entertainment, creating a realistic picture of the culture and its social conflicts. n Mary Whipple

"Deep down I really have no feelings," Inspector Petra Delicado confesses to her sidekick Sergeant Fermin Garzón. But the reader knows just how much to credit that. Most of the time Petra is erupting with violent feelings - outraged worry for the underdog and furious resentment of the greed and selfishness of the rich and famous.

I strongly suggest reading Death Rites and Dog Day before this book. Knowing the characters, you'll be more tolerant of the incredibly complex plot of Prime Time Suspect and its almost unbelievable proliferation of casualties. You can just sit back and enjoy the wildly colorful speech and irreverent attitudes of Inspector Delicado.

This case takes Petra and Fermin back and forth between Barcelona and Madrid investigating the murder of a TV journalist who specialized in digging up damaging secrets among celebrities. He's destroyed many lives, and lots of people are rejoicing at his death. So at least there are plenty of suspects.

Then another murder is added to the mix, and another, and another. The search for a solution becomes almost impossible.

A world built on image, beauty and celebrity is certain to disgust Petra Delicado. Added to that she has to deal with a family crisis: her sister Amanda is being dumped by her husband. So be prepared to find the Inspector very cross and tired. But then, that's when Petra is the most fun for a reader.