Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza Books In Order

Publication Order of Delegado Espinosa Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza is a retired Brazilian professor, a writer and has written several articles and books on the theory of psychoanalysis. The author made his debut in writing fiction books in 1996 at the age of 60. Before that, Luiz Alfredo was a university professor and author of books on psychoanalysis. Alfredo first fiction book Silence of the Rain yielded him one of the best literary prizes of Brazil, the Jabuti in the romance genre. Alfredo’s books are set in Rio de Janeiro, the capital of Brazil and also explore its neighborhoods, Peixoto and Copacabana with themes of drug trafficking, and the illegal sales of arms. The author also explores deeply into his characters, gives a detailed analysis of the very particular city, Rio de Janeiro.

Silence of the Rain

Silence of the Rain is the debut novel in Inspector Espinosa series by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza published in 1996, featuring Inspector Espinosa, a famous character not only in this book but also in the later books in the series. Silence of the Rain won Jabutinho Prize in 1997 and Nestle Prize in 1996.
Everything seems quiet, calm and routine for the troubled daily work of Inspector Espinosa when he finds himself entangled in a mysterious and unbelievable plot. Ricardo Carvalho, a prominent businessman, is shot dead in the head while in his expensive car in a garage building downtown. The widow of the deceased businessman, Bia Vasconcelos, a renowned sought-after fashion designer ends up also involved with Julius de Azevedo, a University professor who has a strong connection with Alba Antunes, an intense woman.

However what nobody expected is the disappearance of Rose, the secretary to the murdered Ricardo Carvalho, just a few moments after having an urgent meeting with Bia regarding some shocking revelations.

The first book in Inspector Espinosa series is an engaging read, featuring Inspector Espinosa, a likable fellow. Espinosa considers himself unskillful of “sustained rational thought and if quite funny that he bears the same name as the greatest rationalist philosopher Spinoza- in Portuguese known as Espinosa. He is not corrupt, and this makes him a misfit in the police force. Additionally, his house is clogged with books, has no bookshelves, and this puts him in constant conflict with the cleaning lady. Espinosa survives on milkshakes, Big Mac, frozen dinners because he is divorced and alone. His greatest inspiration is Melville’s Bartleby; a do-nothing character who makes a wonderful hero for a cop.

The Silence of the Rain plot gets off to an odd start in the first few pages of the books as we watch an executive disguise his suicide as murder. But since inspector Espinosa does not share readers knowledge but instead spends most of his time trying to solve a murder that isn’t actually a murder. However, as he broadens his investigation, broadens, important people vanish, and real murders occur which places the inspector in a state of total confusion. He only can form fantasies about the happenings around him, but his fantasies are all wrong. It is the rate to witness so much floundering by a detective hero in a police procedural; however, Inspector Espinosa is such a fantastic character, even though at times he makes fatal mistakes. The storyline is impressive, and the plot offers equal action and inaction doses, exciting shootouts, tedious stake-outs and some beautiful scenes of lovemaking.

Southwesterly Wind

Southwesterly Wind is the third book in Inspector Espinosa series by Luiz Alfredo. We meet Chief of the Copacabana division Espinosa, is more than willing to interrupt his work when a scared young man comes knocking at his office with a strange story. A psychic had foreseen that he would commit suicide and it appears that his prognosis has become a fact in the lad’s mind. As the weather somehow changes and southwesterly wind- a sign of change- what at first seemed to be a normal paranoia becomes brutal reality. Two brutal murders occur, and their only connection is the lonely, brave man who had sought Espinosa’s help a few days ago.