The Summer of Dead Toys

April 29, 2013
Spanish author Hill’s strong debut introduces Barcelona Insp. Héctor Salgado, a native of Argentina who has just returned to duty after an enforced vacation. Four months earlier, Salgado was suspended from duty for losing his temper and assaulting Dr. Omar, the leader of a human-trafficking ring. Salgado now looks into the death of 19-year-old Marc Castells, the son of a successful businessman with right-wing political connections. The teen’s fatal fall from a balcony appears to have been an accident, but Salgado’s astute partner, Leire Castro, notices a subtle clue that transforms the matter into a homicide investigation. Meanwhile, Dr. Omar, now recovered from the inspector’s beating, has vanished, with a bloody pig’s head left on the criminal’s office desk. Salgado’s rich inner life and Hill’s talents at plotting and prose bode well for a successful series.

April 1, 2013

In Hill's debut, Barcelona's Insp. Hector Salgado has returned from a forced holiday, having been found responsible for the beating of a suspect in a trafficking case involving teenage African girls. Salgado is ordered to look into the apparent accidental death of a young man. He realizes there is a connected case, the drowning of a young girl that occurred several years earlier. Past crimes have been covered up. New crimes are committed. The trafficking suspect is murdered; another girl dies. The cases are intertwined. The story takes place over five days but the characters' reflections tell stories from the past. VERDICT Don't be put off by the bumpy beginning. A lot happens, and the writing and/or translation can be confusing at first, but the plot will captivate readers who stick with it. Reminiscent of Ian Rankin's John Rebus or Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole, Hector Salgado is an intriguing new sleuth that crime fiction fans will want to follow as they explore the gritty side of another European city. [A best seller in Spain, this title has sold in ten European countries--Ed.]--Frances Thorsen, Chronicles of Crime Bookshop, Victoria, BC

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