1.Ingenious, always witty and sometimes gruesome short stories by one of Spain’s best-known crime writers. Echoes of memorable stories by Roald Dahl, like The Skin or Lamb for the Slaughter (of Hitchcock Presents fame). Or Stephen King’s Under the Weather and That Bus is Another World.

2. A selection of these stories won the prestigious Catalan 2107 Roc Boronat prize and another was shortlisted for the 2013 Edgar award.

3. Catalan novelist Teresa Solana combines absurd and almost surrealist humor with noir to paint a satirical portrait of her society.

4. Barcelona plays an important role in most of the stories, often in neighborhoods where violence goes hand in glove with intrigue and subterfuge.

5. The satire and quick pace will appeal to fans of Carl Hiaasen (e.g. plastic surgery satire Skin Tight) and Janet Evanovich, but with Barcelona replacing New Jersey or Florida, fans will include real and virtual travelers to Spain as well as followers of Mediterranean crime writers like Carofiglio and Montalban.

Bitter Lemon Press

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