The Lady from Buenos Aires: A Willie Cuesta Mystery [Hardcover]

John Lantigua (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 31, 2007

Willie Cuesta wears tropical shirts, cool linen slacks, and Mexican sandals to ward off the Florida heat. Formerly a Miami Police Department detective, he now works as chief of security at his brother's salsa club while he waits for new clients at his detective agency in Little Havana.

After meeting Fiona Bonaventura, Willie quickly realizes that her predicament isn't a straight forward missing-persons case. The elegant Argentinean is convinced that she has found her dead sister's daughter. Her sister Sonia disappeared during Argentina's "dirty war" more than twenty years ago, but her pregnant body was never found. Fiona has never stopped searching for her sister's child, and several times has been steps away from finding the girl she is convinced is her niece. This time she has tracked the girl to Miami, and Fiona is determined not to lose her again. As Willie delves into the case, a host of shady characters surface with ties to the Argentinean military dictatorship responsible for the death and disappearance of thousands of citizens: Sarah Ingram, who teaches tango in a dance studio in a quiet, suburban neighborhood; her polo-playing husband who makes it clear he won't tolerate questions about his intelligence work in Argentina years ago; a terrified man who survived torture and imprisonment during the "dirty war" and may be able to identify some of his torturers if he can set his fear aside; and even an Argentine diplomat. When people associated with the case start turning up dead and Willie finds himself held captive in the back of an SUV, he knows for sure that death squads from another time and place have arrived in Miami. As the vehicle careens through the pre-dawn streets of Miami, Willie Cuesta must hang on desperately as his latest case spirals out of control.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Like James Grippando's When Darkness Falls (2006), Lantigua's latest Willie Cuesta mystery focuses on Argentina's "dirty war," during which thousands of dissidents vanished or were murdered between the mid-1970s and the early 1980s. Here the Miami private eye is hired by Fiona Bonaventura to find her dead sister's missing daughter. Assuming there is a daughter, that is: Fiona's sister disappeared more than 20 years ago, in Argentina, and there is no hard evidence she ever had a child, apart from Fiona's unshakable belief that she has tracked the girl to Miami. Cuesta, introduced in 1999's Player's Vendetta, is a noirish kind of chap, and the novel is appropriately atmospheric, with a large cast of villainous types and a beautiful client who may not be entirely what she seems. Readers familiar with the Cuesta series will note that, with this novel, the author is tackling a theme of greater sociohistorical importance than previously; but even though the story centers on a politically volatile period in recent history, Lantigua never forgets he's writing a mystery, not a polemic. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"The Lady from Buenos Aires is an extraordinary story that compels interest throughout. The historical background adds credibility to the plot which itself is relentless. It is an exciting, frequently scary, ride that Lantigua takes the reader on as Cuesta pursues his investigation. Reading this excellent mystery is time well spent." -- Mystery-Books.com

"Ex-Miami cop-turned-private investigator Willie Cuesta (Heat Lightning) is hired to find the daughter of two political dissidents killed by the Argentine military government 20 years ago. Elena is now 19 and does not know that her aunt is looking for her or that the man she thought was her father had been involved in her parents' murder. Nonstop action and an exciting ending make this a good crime novel. In addition, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lantigua's use of Argentina's tragic recent history as the basis for his plot adds depth, and his insider knowledge of Miami's Latin American subculture provides spice." -- Library Journal, March 1, 2007

Politics have always had a place in mysteries, from Dashiell Hammett's expose of corrupt government in The Glass Key to Mickey Spillane's defiant anti-Communism subtext. More recently, mystery authors have used Argentina's military dictatorship and the disappearance of thousands of citizens as backdrops for engrossing tales.

South Florida author John Lantigua uses the same Argentine "dirty war," but his skillful approach, his energetic plotting and his talent for shaping characters make The Lady From Buenos Aires a fresh and original entry. The rather inane title The Lady From Buenos Aires doesn't do justice to this exciting story.

OK, so Miami detective Willie Cuesta is visited by a lady from Buenos Aires, the cool, wealthy Fiona Bonaventura who has come to South Florida seeking what she believes is her niece. More than 20 years ago, Fiona's nine-months' pregnant sister was among Argentina's "disappeared" - the young woman and her husband had been vocal opponents of the regime. As happened with many pregnant prisoners, the women gave birth to children who were given to childless military families; the mothers were murdered mere hours after delivery. Fiona has searched for years for the child and a tip from a friend has brought her to Miami.

Lantigua gets to the heart of South Florida as Willie's investigation takes him from the heart of wealthy neighborhoods to seedy bars, from tango lessons in a strip mall to a dank, dark hall of tango dancers, from Calle Oche to Haitian communities.

The author packs in a solid story that moves briskly. Along the way, Lantigua peppers the story with South Florida tidbits - ranging from DNA labs thriving in the Haitian community to the vast number of Latin refugees. "Identities and destinies were very fluid in Miami," the detective says. And Lantigua's insightful view of the tango will make you see several sides to this famous dance.

Lantigua doesn't just tap into Argentine history, he brings a new awareness to it in The Lady From Buenos Aires. -Oline H. Cogdill --Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Broward Metro Edition, July 8, 2007

"…Lantigua delivers snappy prose and well-informed background. The atmosphere is rich with Miami's vibrant Hispanic culture and murky politics. A darkly literate thriller." --The Portsmouth Herald

"It is an exciting, frequently scary, ride that Lantigua takes the reader on…Reading this excellent mystery is time well spent." --Mysterious Reviews

"A thrilling novel of betrayal, layered plots and horrific secrets." --The Midwest Book Review

"This is a thought-provoking book… Lantigua keeps most of his characters in check and then wraps up all loose ends quite neatly…" --MultiCultural Review

"John Lantigua's mystery thriller deals with people from Argentina, the land of the tango and, more relevantly, a 'dirty war' in the late 1960s and early 70s during which the military picked up civilians and made them 'disappear.'" --PalmBeachPost.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Arte Publico Pr; First Edition edition (March 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558854967
• ISBN-13: 978-1558854963
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,004,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making history entertaining, July 26, 2007

By 

cecilia alvear "TV news producer" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lady from Buenos Aires: A Willie Cuesta Mystery (Hardcover)

It takes more than two to tango in "The lady from Buenos Aires". Miami, the capital of Latin America, is the setting for this thriller where a beautiful and mysterious woman, Fiona, hires Cuban-American private eye Willie Cuesta to try to solve a mystery that goes back to Argentina and its "Dirty War" era. Without being didactic John Lantigua gives us an update on these tragic events of the 1970's where thousands of suspected leftists were kidnapped and executed by the Argentine military. Fiona's sister and brother-in-law were one of those who disappeared and became known as "Los Desaparecidos." But since her sister was pregnant at the time Fiona believes her niece was given to a childless military couple who now resides in Miami. Willie's job is to find this young woman and reunite her with her real family. Cuesta's search brings him to "Little Buenos Aires" where everybody seems to be harboring some dark secret. Soon the bodies start to pile up and he has some narrow escapes. Willie is a cool guy, a retired cop who in addition to being a private detective is in charge of security for his brother's Salsa club. With some help from his platonic best friend, a sexy human rights attorney, Cuesta takes on all the challenges and dangers of his assignment with courage and a fatalistic sense of humor. Lantigua, a practicing journalist with vast experience in Latin America, writes in a fast-paced, engaging manner. His descriptions of music (both tango and afro-cuban), food, drinks, smells, are vivid and realistic. The dialogue is snappy, the characters well drawn. I was hooked by this book and couldn't put it down once I started. I highly recommend it. You will be entertained and you may even learn some history.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Geopolitical Thriller Set in Steamy Miami's Tango Scene:, July 20, 2007

By 

Anne M. Oconnor "Anne-Marie O'Connor" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lady from Buenos Aires: A Willie Cuesta Mystery (Hardcover)

John Lantigua has written a smart geopolitical thriller with a cliff-hanging plotline that makes it an addictive page-turner. Set in the tango nightclub scene of steamy Miami, detective Willie Cuesta stumbles across the dirty laundry of Argentina's disappeared under the military government. Cuesta has never been more amusingly self-deprecating as he stumbles across buried tragedies and takes readers on a chase across Little Havana and Miami itself. For those headed to Miami, "The Lady From Buenos Aires" book will immerse you in the sights and sounds of the tropical city. For those who enjoyed John LeCarre's "The Constant Gardener," this book will envelop you in a smart, fictionalized drama, based on the city's real-life Latin American intrigues.
Anne-Marie O'Connor

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Willie Cuesta franchise, July 17, 2007

By 

Alan Trustman (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Lady from Buenos Aires: A Willie Cuesta Mystery (Hardcover)

Hollywood is looking for franchises--repeat movies starring the same character--and John Lantigua's Willie Cuesta is one of the most promising undevelopeds waiting for some enterprising producer to beckon.

LADY is Willie's best tale yet. Lantigua really knows South Florida and the richness of the current and constantly evolving Miami background is a genuine secondary treat.

The third element of LADY is its interwoven South American history, here that of Argentina, and the disappearance of the villains of sordid Latin past into the quiet comfort of Miami present.

Let's have more Willie!