The Mystery of Rio
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A murder at a Brazilian brothel leads to a bizarre competition between a forensic expert and a potential suspect in this enigmatic historical mystery.
Reminiscent of the fiction of Latin American greats Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar, The Mystery of Rio is a finely wrought novel that will transport readers into a thrilling literary hall of mirrors where they might find themselves reflected at times, and pleasurably lost at others . . .
Rio de Janeiro, 1913. A government official is found murdered at the former home of the Marquesa de Santos, known as the House of Swaps, a sophisticated brothel where secret liaisons are orchestrated and monitored. Under the guise of a medical clinic, the brothel is run by a scientist obsessed with the study of female sexual fantasies. During the criminal investigation, a forensic expert who frequents the House comes face-to-face with a rogue from Cais do Porto who is possibly involved in the murder. The two begin a competition to decide who is the greatest seducer.
Winner of the Brazilian National Libraries' Machado de Assis Prize for Best Novel
Praise for The Mystery of Rio
"Mussa's action-packed tale is a true page turner that will leave readers wanting more." —San Francisco Book Review
"Brace yourself for a jawdropper ending." —Shelf Awareness
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The narrator of this meandering mystery from Brazilian author Mussa (The Riddle of Qaf) serves on "the Unesco Standing Committee on the Theory and Art of the Police Novel, headquartered in London and financed by Scotland Yard," and in that capacity becomes entranced by a perfect murder committed in Rio de Janeiro in 1913. The personal secretary to the president of the Republic of Brazil was found bound to a bed and strangled in an unusual brothel run by a Polish doctor who advocated abortion and sterilization. The obvious suspect, the prostitute last seen with the victim, is nowhere to be found, and the investigation comes under the purview of an acclaimed forensics expert. So far, so good. But the book rapidly goes off on a number of tangents cemetery desecrations, disappearing treasure, female sexual fantasies that will frustrate those hoping the author had simply followed through on the promising setup.
