The Invisible Guardian by Dolores Redondo

The Invisible Guardian
by Dolores Redondo

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon
Goodreads
BookExcerpt
Website
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter @DOLORESREDONDOM

Just released (US): March 8, 2016
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Spain
Hardback: 384 pages
Rating: 5

The Baztan trilogy:
The Invisible Guardian
Legacy in the Bones
Offering to the Storm

First sentence(s):
Ainhoa Elizasu was the second victim of the basajaun, although the press was yet to coin that name for him.

When the naked body of a teenage girl is found on a riverbank in Basque Country, Spain, homicide inspector Amaia Salazar must return to the hometown she always sought to escape. A dark secret from Amaia’s past plagues her with nightmares, and as her investigation deepens, the old pagan beliefs of the community threaten to derail her astute detective work. The lines between mythology and reality begin to blur, and Amaia must discover whether the crimes are the work of a ritualistic killer or of a mythical creature known as the Basajaun, the Invisible Guardian. Torn between the rational procedures of her job and the local superstitions of a region shaped by the Spanish Inquisition, Amaia fights against the demons of her past in order to track down a killer on the run.

Zombie sighting:
He had been like a zombie trying to pull of the illusion of appearing alive, an illusion that couldn't seem more false to him now.
-chapter 43, page 338 (of ARC)

PeekAbook:



My two-bits:

I found a new favorite detective in Amaia Salazar. She keeps a cool head and is a thinks outside-of-the-box kind of character.

Being the first in a series, this book does well in the backstory of Amaia, especially in creating a connection and sympathy for her. Yes, I like her.

This was not a fast-paced thriller. It is a methodical one where you get a sense of the whole picture by learning about the location setting and the people who live there. And, in this case people who are close to Amaia.

The story also weaves the folklore of the place which creates some eerie moments.

About the author:

Dolores Redondo was born in Donostia-San Sebastián in 1969. Her novel The Invisible Guardian, a #1 international bestseller, was shortlisted for the prestigious CWA Dagger Awards. It was also named the “Best Crime Novel of the Year” by La Vanguardia. Redondo studied law and gastronomy before beginning her writing career. She now lives and writes in the Ribera Navarra.

~*~
* review copy courtesy of publisher