The Killing of the Saints

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

A splendid ethnic setting, the Cuban section of Los Angeles, enriches this atmospheric thriller, which is augmented by Hispanic expressions, scenes of witchcraft and courtroom procedures. Court-appointed investigator Charlie Morell is assigned the case of Cuban refugee Ramon Valdez, accused of killing hostages during a jewelry store heist. Valdez claims that one of the gods of his voodoo-like religion, Santeria , compelled him to commit the murders. His search for leads and witnesses forces the Cuban-American Morell to examine why, as a young man, he left his parents and, later, his wife and child. He succumbs to the charms of beautiful Lucinda, an ``acquaintance'' of Valdez. Acting as his own attorney, Valdez is declared incompetent by the court and Morell, who once practiced law in Miami, is reassigned as his counsel. A miscarriage of justice leads to a confrontation involving Valdez, Lucinda and Morell, which makes for exciting reading. The unabashedly theatrical ending is a bit excessive, but will leave readers shaken. Film rights optioned by Paramount. (Sept.)

Library Journal

Latin American magical realism makes further inroads into mainstream American fiction with this unusual courtroom thriller set in the milieu of the Los Angeles Cuban refugee community of practitioners of the Santeria cult. The book centers on the murder trial of two cult members who are charged with murdering six people in the course of robbing a jewelry store. The narrator, himself a Cuban with a tormented past, is appointed by the court as an investigator for one of the defendants. Rich in gritty local detail, exemplified by a wonderful series of graffiti that runs through the entire book, Abella's book joins Madison Smartt Bell's The Washington Square Ensemble ( LJ 2/15/83), among others, in the ranks of excellent novels exploring the refugee experience and the fringes of religiosity. A worthwhile purchase for general fiction collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/91.--David Dodd, Benicia P.L., Cal.