Esperando al Diluvio (Awaiting the flood) by Dolores Redondo.

Super fun, gripping, and addictive read. Could not stop. Literally. It is not a perfect story. I had to suspend my disbelief, but I enjoyed it. I found some incongruencies and some corny scenes but kept reading cos I wanted to know what was going to happen. The novel is very immersive. I was transported to Glasgow and then Bilbao. I forgot I was reading a book!! I guess Redondo is really good with (gross/brutal) crime, suspense, and thriller, but I don't think romance is her thing.

Ofrenda a la Tormenta / Offering to the Storm - Dolores Redondo (4.4🌟)

Offering to the Storm is the third book in the Baztan saga. It was written originally in Spanish in 2014 and then translated into English in 2017, published by Harper Collins. I read the Spanish edition: Ofrenda a la Tormenta.

This book starts about a month after the events at the end of The Legacy of the Bones (El Legado de los Huesos, original in Spanish). We follow again Inspector Amaia Salazar who is called to investigate the death of a baby girl, initially declared as victim of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Salazar and her team realise that the girl was asphyxiated by her own dad. Awful as it sounds this is only a snippet of a complicated network of macabre and perturbing events which date back several decades in the past. Suddenly the dad tries to steal the girl's body during the funeral. He says, to carry out with a rite. Salazar's instinct takes her to look for recent, similar cases of SIDS in the area. What she finds is horrific and it takes the team back to revisit close cases (the basajaun and tartalo, from book 1 and 2 of the trilogy) which are connected and apparently just the tip of the iceberg of an occult network of sadistic killers.

Opinion: I think this might be the best book of the trilogy. I surely love the three books. However, this one scores for the outstanding way in which Redondo connects the cases from the 3 books in a way that makes sense, and which is interesting and entertaining. More points for character development, Inspector Salazar, SubInspector Etxaide and Judge Markina. Obscure characters which are not always present but are intriguing and add to the story such as Rosario, Amaia's mother, Flora, Amaia's sister, Father Solorzano. Dead characters who still play important roles are as well excellent additions. Finally, more points for the gothic, obscure atmosphere (which is present in the 3 books) and the creepy, disturbing scenes of the crimes. I totally recommend this trilogy to any thriller and crime novela fan.

My book is the Spanish edition published by Ediciones Destino, Editorial Planeta. It has 539 pages.

El Legado en los Huesos / The Legacy of the Bones - Dolores Redondo (4.2🌟)

The Legacy of the Bones is the second book in the Baztan trilogy. Following the themes in the Invisible Guardian (first book in the trilogy), this novel deals with serial killers, forensic medicine, detective work, Basque mythology and traditions.

The story starts approximately 1 year after the events in the first novel. Inspector Salazar is pregnant and on maternity leave. Live is nice and quiet until she goes back to work. She is assigned two cases. One is a church desecration for which she has to move again to Elizondo with her family. She is not happy about the case but doesn’t complaint as she is allowed to work on another case off the record. This second case investigates a series of killings, with convicted murderers, and in which all the victims had one arm amputated post-mortem. One of the killings took place in the first book. Salazar thinks there must be some criminal mind connected to all the crimes. She looks for clues to help her officially open a case. Trying to keep a balance between maternity, nursing, and her high-risk job, she starts to uncover the secrets of the valley and realises that her two cases could be connected.

Opinion: fast paced and addictive. Loved it and I can’t wait to read the third book. Inspector Salazar is a fascinating character, more, even now that she is a mother. She is well layered and interesting especially as the authors let us go into her mind and into the more-than dysfunctional relationship with her mother. I found the police cases engaging particularly because of how Redondo unfolded the clues. I found a couple of predictable situations, but I didn’t mind much. I liked the secondary characters, most of them had ambiguous behaviour and kept secrets from the Inspector. I found this made the story more interesting.

My edition is the Spanish paperback with French flaps published by Editorial Destino in 2013. It has 549 pages.

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El Legado en los Huesos es la segunda entrega en la trilogia del Baztan. Continuando con la tematica de El Guardian Invisible (primer libro en la trilogia), esta novela tambien toca temas de asesinos en serie, medicina forense, trabajo detectivesco, tradiciones y mitologia Basca.

La historia empieza aproximadamente un ano despues de los hechos en la primera novela. La Inspectora Amaia Salazar esta embarazada y entra en descanso de maternidad. La vida transcurre tranquilamente hasta que tiene que volver al trabajo a los cuatro meses y se tiene que hacer cargo de dos casos. Uno es sobre profanación de Iglesias en el Baztan caso por el cual tiene que trasladarse otra vez a Elizondo con su familia. Ella no esta muy de acuerdo con esa asignación pero la acepta ya que le dan pase para que investige otro caso de forma extra official. Es que han aparecido indicios que conectan varios asesinatos, todos ellos con victimas con brazos amputados, con asesinos confesos, uno de ellos ocurrido en el primer libro, que dan a entender que hay una mente que dirige todo. La detective Salazar tiene que buscar mas pruebas que justifiquen que el caso se abra oficialmente. Tratando de obtener un balance entre la maternidad y la lactancia y su trabajo de alto riesgo, Amaia empieza a destapar mas secretos del valle que la llevan a sospechar que los dos casos que lidera estan conectados.

Opinión: una lectura ágil y adictiva. Me gustó mucho y ya tengo ganas de conseguir el tercer libro. La inspectora Salazar es un personaje fascinante, mas aún ahora que es madre. Tiene muchas capas, y es muy interesante irse metiendo en su cabeza, sobretodo al ir conociendo más cosas de su pasado y la relación con su madre. Los casos en esta historia tambien me parecieron atrapantes y la forma en que la autora va revelando pistas. Por ahi hubo un par de situaciones predecibles pero no me importaron mucho. Los personajes secudarios me gustaron, muchos son ambiguous y con secretos y eso hizo la lectura mas amena.

Mi edicion es en rustica con solapas de editorial Destino publicada en 2013. Tiene 549 paginas.

El Guardián Invisible / The Invisible Guardian - Dolores Redondo (4.2🌟)

The Invisible Guardian is a crime/detective thriller, first book in the Baztan trilogy. The novel deals with topics such as serial killers, domestic violence, mental illnesses, and police procedural work.

The events take place among small towns and villages in the Navarra region, north of Spain. We follow Amaia Salazar, a police Inspector, who is called to investigate the murder of a girl. Amaia and her team has to travel to Elizondo, her home town, where she lived her childhood. During the investigation, the police discover connections with a previous murder case, and no longer after that another girl is discovered murdered. Between the tough circumstances of the deaths, the investigation in Elizondo and surroundings, Amaia rediscovers the ghosts from her pasts, a dysfunctional mother and a traumatic event. These memories, thought forgotten, perturb the inspector and thread the investigation.

Opinion: very entertaining and a fast read. I loved how Redondo describes the landscapes, history and local folklore. I loved the dark almost creepy touch to the setting, bordering gothic atmosphere? Short and dark days. Persistent rain. Beautiful. On top of that, supernatural elements add an extra dimension to the novel: a woman who reads tarot cards, a mythological being half human half animal and an American detective who seems can read Amaia's mind. They are combined skillfully with the realistic elements of the investigation. Excellent characters. Amaia and her aunt and sisters are very well built. Flawed but strong. A family, dysfunctional sometimes, keeping secrets from each other.  I liked how the novel deals with two mysteries in parallel: the killings and Amaia's traumas. In fact, these two aspects of the novel are independent but the author connects them masterfully to strengthen the plot and Amaia's character.

Although the story's ending is satisfying I cannot wait to read the second book of the trilogy.

My book is a paperback with French flaps published by Editorial Destino in 2012. It has 427 pages.

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El Guardián Invisible es un thriller policial, primera entrega en la trilogía del Baztán. La novela toca temas de asesinos seriales, maltrato doméstico, enfermedades mentales y trabajo procedural policíaco.

Los hechos ocurren entre pueblos pequeños y áreas rurales en la región de Navarra en el norte de España.  La historia sigue a Amaia Salazar una inspectora de la policía a quien se le asigna el caso del asesinato de una niña. Amaia tiene que viajar con sus colegas a Elizondo, el pueblo donde nació y vivió toda su infancia. Durante el trabajo de investigación los policías descubren conexiones con un asesinato previo y no pasa mucho tiempo cuando encuentran otra adolescente asesinada. Entre las duras circunstancias de las muertes y las investigaciones en el pueblo y alrededores, Amaia se reencuentra con los fantasmas de su pasado, una madre disfuncional y un evento traumático. Esos recuerdos que creía ya olvidados la empiezan a perturbar poniendo en peligro la investigación.

Opinión: super entretenida y rápida de leer. Me encantó la forma en que la autora describe los paisajes, historia y folklore de Navarra. Me gustó el toque oscuro, casi tétrico con el que presenta los hechos y paisajes. Diría yo que la novela tiene toques góticos. Días cortos, y oscuros. Lluvia constante. Una delicia. Elementos sobrenaturales añaden otra dimención a la ambientación y al misterio: una mujer que lee las cartas, un ente mitad hombre mitad animal y un detective que parece que puede leer la mente de Amaia. Los personajes muy buenos. Amaia, su tía y hermanas, están bien construidas. Con defectos pero fuertes. Una familia a veces disfuncional que guarda secretos.  Me gustó la forma en que la novela presenta y resuelve dos misterios en paralelo: los asesinatos y los traumas de Amaia. En realidad los dos eventos son independientes pero la autora los conecta sin esfuerzo para darle fuerza a la trama y al personaje de la inspectora.

Aunque la historia tiene un final satisfactorio ya tengo ganas de seguir con la segunda entrega de la trilogía.

Mi edición es en rústica con solapas publicada por Editorial Destino en 2012. Tiene 427 páginas.