Prepare for an adrenaline-fueled ride through a dark and treacherous world when Detective Emilia Cruz investigates Mexico’s most notorious true crime.

“Astounding . . . a haunting page-turner.” – Nightstand Reviews

In the midst of a personal crisis, Acapulco police detective Emilia Cruz finds herself in Mexico City, part of a national task force examining the disappearance of 43 college students from a city in central Mexico.

A conspiracy of silence shrouds the investigation. It’s soon apparent that despite its high profile, the task force is a paper exercise to cover somebody's political you-know-what.

Nobody expects to find out how the 43 students disappeared. Nobody expects to make an arrest.

As the task force heads to the scene of the crime, a supposedly trustworthy diplomat offers Emilia $50,000 to end the investigation. The offer raises profound questions of loyalty, conscience, and her future as an honest cop.

With a choice to make, will Emilia’s personal vendetta against the shadowy criminal El Acólito cloud her judgment?

43 MISSING is compelling crime fiction based on the true events of September 2014, when 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers College were the victims of a mass kidnapping from Iguala, Guerrero. Carmen Amato's masterful storytelling solves the crime, which in real life remains shrouded in mystery.

2017 Finalist, Best Investigator – Silver Falchion Award.

Ex-CIA author Carmen Amato infuses the Detective Emilia Cruz series with the authenticity and intrigue from counterdrug experiences during her own career.

Perfect for lovers of international detective and crime fiction by Ian Rankin, Jo Nesbo, Ann Cleeves and Peter May, as well as Don Winslow’s Mexican cartel and border thrillers.

Back-to-back winner, Outstanding Series Award -- CrimeMasters of America