The Killing of the Saints [Kindle Edition]

Alex Abella (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A splendid ethnic setting, the Cuban section of Los Angeles, enriches this atmospheric thriller, which is augmented by Hispanic expressions, scenes of witchcraft and courtroom procedures. Court-appointed investigator Charlie Morell is assigned the case of Cuban refugee Ramon Valdez, accused of killing hostages during a jewelry store heist. Valdez claims that one of the gods of his voodoo-like religion, Santeria , compelled him to commit the murders. His search for leads and witnesses forces the Cuban-American Morell to examine why, as a young man, he left his parents and, later, his wife and child. He succumbs to the charms of beautiful Lucinda, an "acquaintance" of Valdez. Acting as his own attorney, Valdez is declared incompetent by the court and Morell, who once practiced law in Miami, is reassigned as his counsel. A miscarriage of justice leads to a confrontation involving Valdez, Lucinda and Morell, which makes for exciting reading. The unabashedly theatrical ending is a bit excessive, but will leave readers shaken. Film rights optioned by Paramount.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Latin American magical realism makes further inroads into mainstream American fiction with this unusual courtroom thriller set in the milieu of the Los Angeles Cuban refugee community of practitioners of the Santeria cult. The book centers on the murder trial of two cult members who are charged with murdering six people in the course of robbing a jewelry store. The narrator, himself a Cuban with a tormented past, is appointed by the court as an investigator for one of the defendants. Rich in gritty local detail, exemplified by a wonderful series of graffiti that runs through the entire book, Abella's book joins Madison Smartt Bell's The Washington Square Ensemble ( LJ 2/15/83), among others, in the ranks of excellent novels exploring the refugee experience and the fringes of religiosity. A worthwhile purchase for general fiction collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/91.
-David Dodd, Benicia P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 474 KB
• Publisher: Vernick Media (June 16, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002EAZ2G6
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #259,423 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A pulse-pounding thriller about Santeria.., October 7, 2004

By 

Peter LaPrade (worcester ma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Killing of the Saints (Hardcover)

Alex Abella pulled off an impressive trick with his first novel "Killing of the Saints". He manages to write both a good courtroom thriller in the style of John Grisham, and a interesting ethnic novel that makes us question our narrow views on Hispanics, and Cubans in particular. Abella has certainly taught me that here. In this rich, and delightly noir novel, Charlie Morrel is a disgraced former lawyer who ran away to Los Angeles to escape his past, abandoning a wife and child in Miami where he almost was disbarred. Charlie then finds himself drawn into a complex legal case involving two known killers who may not have been responsible for the carnage they inflicted in a jewelry store robbery gone bad. Abella weaves the courtroom scenes with cynical judges and crusading prosecutors with the darker scenes with the believers of Santeria, a mix of Catholic and West African religion. All of this leads to a surprising climax where the supernatural unexpectly shows up.