Book 66, Country 72 - Brazil

December Heat by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza  translated from Portuguese and first published in English in 2005

A retired policeman called Vieia goes out for the evening in Rio de Janeiro with his girlfriend Magali, who is a prostitute.  He gets very drunk, loses his wallet and wakes up in his bed the next day not able to remember anything.  During the night Magali has been murdered in her flat.  The case is investigated by Inspector Espinosa.  Three more murders follow, including those of 2 homeless children.  There are lots of twists and turns in the case, some of which I couldn’t follow and I didn’t find the final outcome very convincing.   However the novel does give a very atmospheric description of life in the Copacabana area of Rio.    5/10

17th February 2012