Paradise City

Description

Mario Leme is a low-ranking detective in the Sao Paolo civil police. Every day on the way to work he sets off early and drives through the favela known as Paraisopolis - Paradise City. It's a pilgrimage: his wife Renata was gunned down at an intersection here a year ago, the victim of a stray bullet in a conflict between drug dealers. One morning, parked near the place where Renata died, he sees an SUV careen out of control and flip over. The driver Leo is killed, but before his body is removed, Leme is sure he sees bullet wounds. Leo's death wasn't an accident, he was murdered. Soon, his girlfriend turns up dead too. And if they were killed deliberately, perhaps Renata was too ...

Joe Thomas is a visiting lecturer in English Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London. Prior to this, he lived and taught in Sao Paulo for ten years. Paradise City is his first novel. The second book in the series - Gringa - will be published by Arcadia in 2018.

'Paradise City is a gripping read. This fast-paced and darkly atmospheric novel introduces Joe Thomas as a new and distinct voice in crime fiction of the city.' Susanna Jones, author of The Earthquake Bird; 'Joe Thomas's stylish debut brings the jazz back to British crime fiction.' Luke Brown, author of My Biggest Lie; 'A taut, stylish, intelligent and intensely evocative thriller, Paradise City takes us into the secret, shady worlds within worlds, moving from those who call the shots to those who fall between the cracks. A chilling and unforgettable morality tale for our times.' Lucy Caldwell