Book Review: Hat Dance

Title: Hat Dance

Author: Carmen Amato

Genre: Mystery

Review:

Whew--it's been a while since I wrote a review (about a week, I think--but it feels like an eternity.) Nevertheless. I enjoyed the ride the author took me along in Hat Dance. I love mysteries and detective stories (have I mentioned I'm hooked on Psych?), and Hat Dance hit the nail on the head for all the "must-have" components of a good mystery.

First of all, the characters were all portrayed very well with unique traits.  Emilia Cruz, the main character of novel, is a female detective working for the police.  Her partner had recently been killed in a mission gone somewhat awry and now she has to work with another officer who does not get along with her at all.  Emilia is very headstrong and knows how to stand her ground in a rather sexist environment. There is nothing to dislike her about and I was rooting for her all the way.

The plot of the novel centers around an explosion at a high end restaurant that Emilia barely escapes from.  Pretty soon, there's a string of arson crimes, all targeted a restaurants.  Fingers are pointing everywhere as no one seems to know who is responsible for the crimes. Some think it's the army (the grenades were military grade) and others think it's local terrorists.  As politics come into play as the mayor was at one of the targeted restaurants, power players began the blame game in order to gain supporters and frame their enemies. Meanwhile, Emilia takes on a personal case as a side job: searching for a missing girl named Lila.

The set up/plot of the novel is incredible.  The details were meticulous (in a good way) and the build up was perfect with the author dropping pieces of evidence at key points. I love it when authors carefully lay out clues which allow readers to try to solve the mystery along with the main character.

The setting of Hat Dance was also very distinct.  The novel takes place in Mexico and some Spanish jargon is thrown into the writing.  The descriptions of the buildings and local color was really brought to life my Amato.  Also, society's attitude (depicted through the way characters spoke and acted)  really helped paint a complete picture.

Hat Dance is one of the most well put together mystery novel I have ever read. I highly recommend it to anyone who is craving a good mystery or simply an excellent read.  Also, if you're the type of person who likes to try to solve mysteries as you read, then this is the perfect book for you!

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