In a book club and starting to plan your reads for next year? Check out our 2025 picks.

Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza Interview, plus links to author biography, book summaries, excerpts and reviews

Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza
loo-ees alfredo gar-see-a-rosa

Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza

An interview with Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza

Join Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza in a conversation about his Inspector Espinosa series, his love for Rio de Janeiro, and what fans should expect in his next two books.

You had a long and distinguished academic career in psychology and philosophy, but eight years ago decided to try something entirely new. What inspired you to become a mystery writer? How has your training as a psychologist helped in your crime writing?
I am attracted first of all, to the freedom that fictional narrative offers compared to the rigid conceptual structure of the scientific discourse; secondly, to the fact that mystery novels are the direct descendants of mythological thought (and ancient Greek poetry), and bring to the center of the narrative the most intense and fundamental questions of the human being: death and sexuality. These are also the main concerns of psychoanalysis, one of the two areas of my academic research.

Much in the same way that Raymond Chandler evoked the spirit and eccentricities of Los Angeles in his books, Rio de Janeiro is an important character in your mysteries. Why do you set the novels in Rio? What does it offer you as a writer?
I was born in Rio de Janeiro and I’ve always lived there (more precisely, in Copacabana). Rio is not only one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but a city with a complex political structure and dramatic social-economic conflicts. Rio is seductive and sweet like a woman, but it can be as threatening as the moment that precedes a revolt.

The main protagonist of your books, Inspector Espinosa, is much more than a conventional hero; he has the mind of a philosopher and the heart of a romantic. How did you create such a unique lead character?
To me, the main characteristic of Espinosa is that he is on the surface an ordinary man. He is not a hero, he is not always fighting against dangerous criminals, he doesn’t get all the beautiful blondes and brunettes that come cross his path. He is a public employee, a middle-aged person, a solitary man. He could be our neighbor. But at the same time, he has a critical mind and a romantic heart, he feels eccentric among his professional peers and out of place in the world. He is not so ordinary, in fact.

A Window in Copacabana is the fourth in the series featuring Espinosa. What's next for Espinosa?
Book five is currently called Perseguido (Pursued). A psychiatrist is under the impression that he is being followed by a patient; the feeling of being pursued increases day by day. One day this patient disappears and a few months later he is reported dead. Other deaths follow. In this plot, Espinosa tries to separate what is real and what is fantasy.

The book after that won’t feature Espinosa. I’m opening a parenthesis in the series to introduce a new character and a new point of view on the narrative. After that one, though, Espinosa will be back.

What do you hope your readers are left with when they finish an Inspector Espinosa mystery?
I hope that they are left with a question, which opens their minds to other perspectives of human behavior. A murder is not always a problem, or at least, not only a problem to be solved, but it can also be a mystery, which can contain the truth, but also maintain ambiguity. Because of this, I hope my readers are left with a vivid sensation of a story that isn’t completely final. The ending of the story itself is really determined by the reader, not by the writer. The writer provides only the words, and the richness of fictional text can be interpreted to have countless meanings. There is no one ending.

Who are your favorite mystery writers? Do you have a favorite novel?
Some of my favorite American mystery writers are Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Cornell Woolrich and Patricia Highsmith. My favorite novel is Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment.

Reproduced with the permission of the author's publisher, Henry Holt & Co. All rights reserved. 2005

Unless otherwise stated, this interview was conducted at the time the book was first published, and is reproduced with permission of the publisher. This interview may not be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the copyright holder.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Books by this Author

Books by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza at BookBrowse
Alone in the Crowd jacket A Window in Copacabana jacket
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose readalikes

  • Benjamin Black

    Benjamin Black

    Benjamin Black is the pen name of acclaimed author John Banville, who was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1945. His novels have won numerous awards, including the Man Booker Prize in 2005 for The Sea. He lives in Dublin. (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    A Window in Copacabana

    Try:
    Christine Falls
    by Benjamin Black

  • John Burdett

    John Burdett

    John Burdett is a nonpracticing lawyer who worked in Hong Kong for a British firm until he found his true vocation as a writer. Since then, he has lived in France and Spain, and Thailand and is now back in Hong Kong. His ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    A Window in Copacabana

    Try:
    Bangkok Tattoo
    by John Burdett

We recommend 9 similar authors

View all 9 Read-Alikes

Non-members can see 2 results. Become a member
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: The Puzzle Box
    The Puzzle Box
    by Danielle Trussoni
    During the tumultuous last days of the Tokugawa shogunate, a 17-year-old emperor known as Meiji ...
  • Book Jacket
    Something, Not Nothing
    by Sarah Leavitt
    In 2020, after a lifetime of struggling with increasingly ill health, Sarah Leavitt's partner, ...
  • Book Jacket
    A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens
    by Raul Palma
    Raul Palma's debut novel A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens introduces Hugo Contreras, who came to the ...
  • Book Jacket
    The MANIAC
    by Benjamin Labatut
    The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut is an ambitious work that falls squarely into the category of fiction...

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Libby Lost and Found
    by Stephanie Booth

    Libby Lost and Found is a book for people who don't know who they are without the books they love.

Who Said...

Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

H I O the G

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.