Perfect Hatred by Leighton Gage, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Brazilian Federal Police Inspector Mario Silva is on the scene of a horrific terrorist bombing that has occurred in front of an American consulate in São Paulo when he's called to the scene of a political assassination in Perfect Hatred, the sixth mystery in this series by Leighton Gage.

The bombing appears to be the work of a Muslim jihadist. And to Silva, investigating this crime — which killed and injured dozens of innocent bystanders — is of paramount importance. But his superiors think otherwise. The state of Paraná is electing a new governor, and the opposition candidate has been assassinated … and local politics trumps international politics in Brazil. The case is further complicated by the fact that the candidate's bodyguard, who suffered injuries in the attack as he shot and killed the assassin, is then murdered in the hospital. Just as Silva and his team are reviewing the security camera footage and interviewing bystanders, a second terrorist bomb goes off in neighboring Argentina. Taggants discovered at the scenes of both bombings confirm the source of the explosive came from Paraguay, where it was officially reported as "stolen" — a euphemism for being obtained on the black market. Meanwhile, a man accused — and guilty — of killing a priest (but out on bail after bribing a judge) is plotting to kill Silva and the federal prosecutor before his case can come up for trial.

It may seem that with so much going on in Perfect Hatred that the multitude of potentially intersecting storylines might be overly complicated or hard to follow. Rather surprisingly, they aren't … with due credit to the author for staying focused and keeping tangential (and typically irrelevant) side-stories to an absolute minimum. For the most part, this is a fairly typical police procedural, with Silva and his associates interviewing various parties, gathering information, and piecing together what happened at the site of the assassination and, somewhat in parallel, attempting to identify the person (or persons) behind the terrorist acts. What adds a level of uncertainty — and unexpected intrigue — to the former is that the three deaths — the politician, the assassin, and the bodyguard — may not be connected. Finally, the separately unfolding subplot to kill Silva is particularly riveting in its own way. This series has been, and continues to be with the present book, really quite exceptional, unique in its own way but approachable all the same.

A Vine in the Blood
Soho Press (Hardcover), December 2011
ISBN-13: 9781616950040; ISBN-10: 1616950048

The Ways of Evil Men
Soho Press (Hardcover), January 2014
ISBN-13: 9781616952723; ISBN-10: 1616952725

Perfect Hatred

A Mario Silva Investigation by Leighton Gage