Ley garrote, by Joaquín Guerrero Casasola, sold in Germany!

[SalmaiaLit, 5 abril 2009]

We are very happy to announce the deal for German rights of 'Ley garrote', by Joaquín Guerrero-Casasola, to DTV (Germany), on behalf of RocaEditorial. The novel was awarded the 2007 LH Confidential Award to the Best Crime Novel.

‘Ley garrote’ offers us an accurate, violent and bitter portrait of Mexico City, a fluid story and memorable characters that grip the reader from the very beginning. It also offers a vivid description of the way express kidnappings work, a current issue in Mexico with more than 300 cases per year and that some have no doubts in calling the new industry of crime.

You have more information about the plot below. First, however, allow us to write a few words about the meaning of the title, very difficult to translate into other languages. The word 'garrote' means ''a thick and strong stick that can be used both to walk and to hit''. The compound 'garrote law' refers to a common practise of revenge or punishment amongst outlaw bands and criminal organisations. It literally means to infrige pain on a victim, usually a man, using the garrote-stick and itroducing in into the victim's anus. Most times this painful torture ends up with the victim's death.

Casasola's novel is not just a story of violence and crime, but also a tale of survival and hopes. I hope the translation into German will encourage other international publishers to offer it to their readerships.

The novel's main character, Gil Baleares, was once an officer of Mexico City Police, but now he’s justa rather unsuccessful Private Investigator, haunted by the memories of his ex-wife and without money, whose main goal is to get enough cash to buy a new car, a wonderful Japanese Nissan Tsuru, and get rid of his own old-fashioned model.

Having this goal in mind he accepts to take care of the case of the kidnape of the girl Alicia del Moral, the daughter of the owner of a candy factory. The kidnappers are asking for an enormous amount of money to free the girl. A fact that (added to the violent images that they have sent to the girl’s parents) makes clear that this won’t be an easy case.

However, Gil keeps finding hints until all his investigation is endangered by the intervention of the Police. On the one hand there are corrupt officers involved in the kidnapping, and on the other , those who want to take advantage of Gil’s findings and solve the case in their benefit, lead by the young, unscrupulous and rude Marcial Oviedo.

In between this delicate and dangerous situation Gil will also have to cope with his father, Ángel ‘The Dog’ Baleares, also an ex-police and a living legend from the murky 70s. He is now ill of Alzheimer, a character that moves from nonsense to lucidity. What dangers await the old Dog when Gil is away?

Gil’s world is falling apart, but something inside pushes him forward to cross the line to a territory where there’s no boundaries between corruption and justice, even if this means putting his life into risk...

Rights sold to: DTV (Germany).

Joaquín Guerrero-Casasola (1962) is a Mexican narrator and script-writer now living in Spain. With ‘Ley Garrote’ he was awarded the LH Confidencial 2007 Crime Novel Award and will be translated into German by DTV. His second novel ‘El pecado de Mama Bayou’ has been published by Lengua de Trapo and recently sold to Kein & Aber (Switzerland).