Lying Crying Dying (Otto Penzler Book) [Hardcover]

Dominic Martell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Otto Penzler Book | Publication Date: February 9, 2002

Pascual: His name was legend. A courier for a network of radical groups that spread terror across Europe, he had defected to the enemy, and in the hands of Mossad and the CIA had become the single most damaging secret weapon in their counterterrorist operations. Then he had disappeared. Cadging meals and sleeping in flophouses, Pascual has shed his past in the teeming portside alleys of Barcelona. While he has begun to find something like peace of mind, the man who broke the covert world of international terrorism wide open cannot entirely escape his memories. Neither alcohol nor a plump widow's fleshly charms enable him to forget the beautiful Katixa, the one terrorist agent he did not betray—and whom he has no hope of ever seeing again. Or so he thinks. On the run from both the police and an ETA band of killers, Katixa bursts back into Pascual's life with a suitcase full of cash appropriated from the ETA and a one-way ticket out of Spain. She professes her love, and Pascual's better judgment doesn't stand a chance. To redeem both their lives, Pascual dusts off his old skills of subterfuge and deceit. The lying has again begun; the crying—and the dying—yet to come. "The thriller nouveau—of deceit, betrayal, tears. It crackles with electricity: one of the very best."—Lionel Davidson, author of Kolymsky Heights

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Las Ramblas, Barcelona's famous promenade, is a swirling cesspool of international terrorism in this novel of spies and betrayal. Haunted by his violent past as a courier for a radical network, Pascual Rose has a university degree but no job; he prefers to drift among the junkies, smugglers and refugees of the city's Gothic Quarter. Martell (The Republic of Night) makes a vague reference to his protagonist's involvement with the Basque ETA and (by extension) several other terrorist outfits. Pascual is protected by a CIA-tailored cover, which he earned by ratting out all but one of his former comrades-in-arms, his old flame Katixa. But when an ETA commando is gunned down in the Spanish countryside, Katixa materializes with a suitcase full of money and a desperate need to find Pascual and get out of the country fast. The ETA hit men hot on his trail are anything but nice; graphic descriptions of brutal intimidation and torture pepper the narrative. Readers quickly learn that the Spanish police haven't changed much since Franco: "Pity the old days are gone. I'd love to take a sock full of ball bearings to that pretty face of yours. The things we've had to give up, just so they'll let us into Europe." So Pascual makes a dangerous decision and calls in his old Yankee marker, which lands him in a lethal crossfire between the Spanish CESID, the Mossad and the CIA. Despite a lifetime in the business, Pascual has no idea who's running whom. Gung-ho readers may enjoy the author's take on transnational terrorism but, then again, they may find that real life has satisfied their interest in violent annihilation.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Six years ago, Pascual Rose renounced terrorism and gave up the names of his compatriots to the CIA in exchange for a new identity. Then Katixa, his one-time lover and the one fellow terrorist he didn't compromise, turns up in Barcelona, where Pascual is hiding from various enemies on his trail. Pascual has never stopped loving Katixa, so when she proposes that they escape together with the five million francs she's stolen, Pascual can't believe his good luck. Pascual's childhood priest, who acts as his conscience, confessor, and savior, tries to persuade Pascual of the dangers of this plan--not the least of which is Katixa's own violent past--but Pascual's passion and desire overcome reason. Of course, Katixa plays Pascual for a fool, and as the complex and intense plot unwinds, no one is sure who the good guys are or whether Pascual will outlive his enemies in the spine-chilling, nerve-jangling race to survive. This is a superbly crafted story, with plenty of action, danger, and suspense. What makes it stand out from the field, however, is the intriguing way in which Martell juxtaposes ruthless violence and dark passion against the question of what constitutes morality and "goodness." Emily Melton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf; 1st Carroll & Graf Ed edition (February 9, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786709553
• ISBN-13: 978-0786709557
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,465,007 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intrigue In Spain, March 24, 2002

By 

Untouchable (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lying Crying Dying (Otto Penzler Book) (Hardcover)

The scene is Barcelona and Pascual is a former terrorist who would work for anyone, but is now living out his retirement as quietly as possible. That is until his former colleague and lover, the beautiful Katixa, locates him and puts a lucrative proposition to him. They need to disappear along with the 5 million francs that she has stolen.

In the early stages, the story is convoluted with numerous flashback sequences serving to set the scene and give us an idea of how ruthless these main characters can be. It also gives us an idea of what a big part in this story trust is going to have to play.

Pascual and Katixa have to leave Barcelona, pick up the money from where it's hidden and then, somehow, smuggle it out of the country. It's a hard enough task at the best of times, but Pascual finds that his past is starting to catch up with him. He is a marked man and his pursuers are zeroing in on him, causing him to go to ground while still trying to organise his passage out of Spain.

This is a very good story of intrigue and deception, with no character above suspicion of double cross. When dealing with spies, thieves and murderers and in possession of a lot of money, you have to have eyes in the back of your head. From a slowish start, this story builds in momentum and provides a satisfying conclusion.

4.0 out of 5 stars Pascual Rose in Love and On the Run, April 8, 2011

By 

James L. Thane (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lying Crying Dying (Otto Penzler Book) (Hardcover)

This is another thought-provoking book from Dominic Martell that grabs you by the throat and won't let go, even after you've finished reading it. Pascual Rose was once involved with a number of groups who committed terrorist acts across Europe. But then he abandoned these radical causes and ratted out all of his former associates, save one--his lover, the beautiful Katixa, to the C.I.A. in return for a new identity and a safe "retirement."

Six years later, Pascual is scratching out a meager existence in the slums of Barcelona, drinking too much, occasionally bedding an overripe widow, and trying to keep his head down so as to avoid being found by his old associates who would very much like to extract revenge for his defection. Then, from out of nowhere, Katixa bursts back into his life, on the run with five million francs that she has stolen. Katixa proposes that she and Pascual find a way to sneak out of Spain with the loot so that they can finally live happily ever after.

Pascual has never lost the passion and the love he felt for Katixa, and he is totally intoxicated by the idea of being reunited with her. His efforts to make this plan work and to realize his dream open the door to a complicated tale of intrigue and double-crosses, punctuated by a considerable amount of violence.

As is often the case in novels like this, it's ultimately hard to determine who the good guys are or if, indeed, there even are any good guys at all. But you instinctively root for Pascual. For all the terrible things he might have done in his earlier life, you want things to work out well for him in the end and once you've started the book, it's almost impossible to put it down until you know if they will or not. One thing you will know for sure, though, once you've finished the book, is that Dominic Martell is an author who deserves a much wider audience.

3.0 out of 5 stars Well Plotted, Shabbily Written, February 11, 2003

By 

J. Schroeder (Merrimack, NH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lying Crying Dying (Otto Penzler Book) (Hardcover)

Well Plotted, Shabbily Written.

This story is well plotted and set, but the prose was atrocious.

In general, I liked the story, with its intricate cross, and double-cross. The setting was also well-done (although I remember Barcelona as shabbier and smellier). The Katixa character was well rendered, but Pascual lacked motivation.

What really hurt the novel was the clichéd and overly-intellectual prose. This flaw was noticeably worse in the beginning. For example, there was the terribly over-used description of Katixa being "lithe as a jungle cat". But, my favorite passage (This had me running to the dictionary.) is listed below:

"Pascual runs Benigno to earth in a grimy `tasca' in the Carrer del la Merc'e, with a .... demimonde clientele."

Either the author needs to be slapped-up against the side of the head for writing this, or his editor needs scrounging for letting it be published in a Thriller.

There is a lot of Terrorist inspired fiction market right now. "Lying, Crying, Dying" is too flawed to compete with the best of them. I think with at least as much concentration on his prose as his storyline this author may have some future potential.