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Book Summary and Reviews of A Death in Valencia by Jason Webster

A Death in Valencia by Jason Webster

A Death in Valencia

A Max Cámara Mystery

by Jason Webster

  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Published:
  • Sep 2012, 224 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Max Cámara is feeling low. Ominous cracks have appeared in the walls of his flat; the body of a well-known paella chef has been washed up on the beach; there are rows and threats about abortion clinics in anticipation of the Pope’s visit to Valencia; and Town Hall officials are set on demolishing El Cabanyal, the colorful fisherman’s quarter on Valencia’s seafront. As Cámara untangles these threads, he stumbles into a web of corruption and violence, uncovering deep animosities and hidden secrets, and forcing him to question his own doubts and desires. 

This is the second novel in Webster’s dark and witty series, following his widely praised debut, Or the Bull Kills You. The plot is fast and twisting, the scene-setting vivid, and the atmosphere powerfully authentic. Starring the determined Cámara, with his love of flamenco and brandy, and occasional doped-out high, A Death in Valencia delves into issues that rouse unruly passions and divide the Spanish people today.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. Tight plotting, rich atmospherics, and an engagingly flawed lead distinguish Webster’s second contemporary mystery." - Publishers Weekly

"[Camara’s] perceptions of what is wrong with Spanish society form an original background to a complex thriller." - The Independent (UK)

"Jason Webster has made Valencia his own ... This is Chief Inspector Max Camara’s second outing, and his colourful personality is every bit a match for the vibrant but often troubled home of paella he has to keep safe." - The Daily Mirror (UK)

"[Camara] is a lively addition to Mediterranean coppery." - The London Times

This information about A Death in Valencia was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Jason Webster Author Biography

Photo: Laura Cantero

Jason Webster is a highly acclaimed Anglo-American author and authority on Spain whose work ranges from biography to travel, crime fiction and history.

Webster has written extensively for newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, The Independent, Sunday Times, The Observer, Conde Nast Traveller and The New Statesman and has presented and appeared in several television and radio documentaries on Spain.

Webster was born near San Francisco and brought up in the UK, Germany and Italy. After finishing a degree in Arabic and Islamic History at the University of Oxford, he worked as an editor at the BBC World Service for several years before becoming a full-time writer and moving to Spain. He is married to the flamenco dancer Salud and they have two sons. They currently divide their ...

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Author Interview
Link to Jason Webster's Website

Other books by Jason Webster at BookBrowse
  • Or the Bull Kills You jacket
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