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Inspector Bermejo #1
Color of Evil by Armando Rodera
El inspector Bermejo, un policía de vuelta de todo que no pasa por su mejor momento, es requerido por sus superiores para investigar el posible secuestro de una pareja de jóvenes, desaparecidos tras una excursión de fin de semana. Bermejo tendrá que hacer de tripas corazón para involucrarse en un caso en el que, para colmo, estará acompañado por un bisoño guardia civil, el sargento Roncero.La investigación les hará recorrer increíbles derroteros, hasta averiguar muy a su pesar que se hallan tras la huella de un calculador asesino en serie. Los crímenes se suceden uno tras otro en diferentes zonas del país, encontrándose con unos impactantes escenarios donde el psicópata les deja macabras pistas en los cadáveres al preparar sus sorprendentes recreaciones. Sólo el razonamiento lógico de Roncero, psicólogo de carrera, podrá entrever entonces el verdadero reto que el asesino les plantea en un duelo entre mentes privilegiadas.Todos los medios son pocos si pretenden acabar con el salvaje ritual de muerte y destrucción, atrapando al monstruo antes de que cumpla su terminar su maléfica serie de asesinatos buscando cerrar su particular círculo."El color de la maldad" es un inquietante thriller policíaco donde el eterno combate entre el bien y el mal sumirá al lector en una intensa vorágine que no podrá abandonar hasta el inesperado desenlace final
Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
64 people are currently reading
506 people want to read
About the author
Armando Rodera
33 books48 followersI was born in Madrid, Spain, on a hot summer's day in 1972. From an early age I always had a love of reading, beginning with children's collections like the Famous Five and The Happy Hollisters, before delving fearlessly into the adventures of Jules Verne, Alexandre Dumas and Emilio Salgari.
I graduated in IT and Telecoms Engineering in my home town and for nearly a decade I worked in the technology sector, until five years ago I decided to turn my career on its head, seeking a profession that would enable me to improve my quality of life and above all make time for my great passion: literature.
I have now published several novels in Spanish, my mother tongue: "El color de la maldad" (Color of Evil, the best-selling crime thriller in Spanish on Amazon.com in 2012 and 2013); "La rebeldía del alma" (The rebellion of the Soul), a daring and original story of suspense, drama and romance with a dash of Noir (this book was global number one on Amazon.es and is now the top romantic suspense novel in Spanish on Amazon.com); "Juego de identidades" (Game of Identities), a fast-paced action-packed adventure thriller across two continents, which has been very well received by critics and readers. And finally, the novel "Caos absoluto" (Absolute Chaos), a dystopian crime thriller with an important social undertone. It is a book with which I aim to entertain, while also making readers reflect on our society and the corruption in politics and the economy.
My book "El enigma de los vencidos" (The Enigma of the Defeated), an adventure and mystery novel with a historical setting, was published digitally and in print by Ediciones B, one of Spain's most prestigious publishers, and is also available in the USA through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.
I have also published my first non-fiction work, in digital format only. The book is entitled "La llave del éxito. Consigue destacar en Amazon: Marketing para escritores" (The Key to Success. Stand out on Amazon: Marketing for writers), a book that can appeal to all readers, as well as independent writers.
In spring 2014, thanks to the international success of my crime thriller in Spanish, "El color de la maldad", Thomas & Mercer will publish the English version of this book, to be entitled "Color of Evil".
I am also a reader, content manager and freelance consultant on various projects, with a particular focus on Internet marketing and new technologies applied to publishing and culture. I am also a contributor to Getafe Negro, Madrid's crime fiction festival.
http://Author.to/ArmandoRodera
http://www.armandorodera.com
http://vivenciasdeunescritornovel.blo...
http://www.culturadigital.es
https://twitter.com/ArmandoRodera
https://www.facebook.com/armando.rodera
https://www.facebook.com/colorofevil
********************************************************************
Nací en Madrid, en un caluroso día del verano de 1972. Desde muy pequeño siempre sentí una gran afición por la lectura, dejando a un lado las famosas colecciones de "Los cinco", "Los Hollister" o Barco de Vapor para adentrarme sin miedo en las aventuras de los personajes de Julio Verne, Alejandro Dumas o Emilio Salgari.
Durante los estudios primarios gané un concurso infantil de cuentos en mi colegio, pero nunca imaginé que, veinte años después, la escritura se convirtiera no sólo en mi vocación tardía sino en el medio idóneo para expresarme y desarrollarme como persona. Un soplo de aire fresco que me hizo replantearme seriamente cómo quería vivir mi existencia, ya que escribir todos los días se convirtió en algo más que una simple necesidad.
En mi ciudad natal cursé estudios de Ingeniería Superior de Telecomunicaciones e Informática y aquí sigo viviendo en la actualidad, aunque sea una ciudad que a veces ame y en determinadas ocasiones me saque de quicio. Durante casi una década trabajé en el sector tecnológico hasta que hace cinco años decidí darle un giro radical a mi carrera profesional, buscan
I graduated in IT and Telecoms Engineering in my home town and for nearly a decade I worked in the technology sector, until five years ago I decided to turn my career on its head, seeking a profession that would enable me to improve my quality of life and above all make time for my great passion: literature.
I have now published several novels in Spanish, my mother tongue: "El color de la maldad" (Color of Evil, the best-selling crime thriller in Spanish on Amazon.com in 2012 and 2013); "La rebeldía del alma" (The rebellion of the Soul), a daring and original story of suspense, drama and romance with a dash of Noir (this book was global number one on Amazon.es and is now the top romantic suspense novel in Spanish on Amazon.com); "Juego de identidades" (Game of Identities), a fast-paced action-packed adventure thriller across two continents, which has been very well received by critics and readers. And finally, the novel "Caos absoluto" (Absolute Chaos), a dystopian crime thriller with an important social undertone. It is a book with which I aim to entertain, while also making readers reflect on our society and the corruption in politics and the economy.
My book "El enigma de los vencidos" (The Enigma of the Defeated), an adventure and mystery novel with a historical setting, was published digitally and in print by Ediciones B, one of Spain's most prestigious publishers, and is also available in the USA through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.
I have also published my first non-fiction work, in digital format only. The book is entitled "La llave del éxito. Consigue destacar en Amazon: Marketing para escritores" (The Key to Success. Stand out on Amazon: Marketing for writers), a book that can appeal to all readers, as well as independent writers.
In spring 2014, thanks to the international success of my crime thriller in Spanish, "El color de la maldad", Thomas & Mercer will publish the English version of this book, to be entitled "Color of Evil".
I am also a reader, content manager and freelance consultant on various projects, with a particular focus on Internet marketing and new technologies applied to publishing and culture. I am also a contributor to Getafe Negro, Madrid's crime fiction festival.
http://Author.to/ArmandoRodera
http://www.armandorodera.com
http://vivenciasdeunescritornovel.blo...
http://www.culturadigital.es
https://twitter.com/ArmandoRodera
https://www.facebook.com/armando.rodera
https://www.facebook.com/colorofevil
********************************************************************
Nací en Madrid, en un caluroso día del verano de 1972. Desde muy pequeño siempre sentí una gran afición por la lectura, dejando a un lado las famosas colecciones de "Los cinco", "Los Hollister" o Barco de Vapor para adentrarme sin miedo en las aventuras de los personajes de Julio Verne, Alejandro Dumas o Emilio Salgari.
Durante los estudios primarios gané un concurso infantil de cuentos en mi colegio, pero nunca imaginé que, veinte años después, la escritura se convirtiera no sólo en mi vocación tardía sino en el medio idóneo para expresarme y desarrollarme como persona. Un soplo de aire fresco que me hizo replantearme seriamente cómo quería vivir mi existencia, ya que escribir todos los días se convirtió en algo más que una simple necesidad.
En mi ciudad natal cursé estudios de Ingeniería Superior de Telecomunicaciones e Informática y aquí sigo viviendo en la actualidad, aunque sea una ciudad que a veces ame y en determinadas ocasiones me saque de quicio. Durante casi una década trabajé en el sector tecnológico hasta que hace cinco años decidí darle un giro radical a mi carrera profesional, buscan
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
July 25, 2017
Novela entretenida, con un lenguaje rebuscado y con muchos tópicos y estereotipos. La trama es entretenida y fácil de seguir. .Las situaciones difícilmente creíbles. Lo que está bien conseguido es que hasta el final no se sabe la identidad del asesino.
September 1, 2017
El color de la maldad es un título muy sugerente, ¿verdad? ¿Qué color creéis que tiene? Podría ser el color negro que predomina en la portada o el rojo de la sangre, porque un buen thriller sin crímenes es un sinsentido.
El libro está protagonizado por el inspector Bermejo, un policía veterano que no atraviesa un buen momento personal, y el sargento Roncero, un guardia civil novato. Ambos, sin quererlo, se ven envueltos en la investigación de la misteriosa desaparición de una pareja de jóvenes.
Un caso ya de por sí complicado, por la ausencia de pistas, que se convierte en un infierno cuando el posible secuestro se convierte en el primer crimen de un asesino en serie que los mantendrá en jaque con su brutalidad y los extraños mensajes que ocultan sus macabras matanzas.
La novela trata otros temas: viejos amores, complejos de juventud, las tensas relaciones que a veces se dan entre la policía y la guardia civil y el controvertido papel de los medios de comunicación en las investigaciones policiales. Toda cara tiene su cruz y el autor nos mostrará ambas a lo largo de la novela.
Me ha gustado especialmente la pareja formada por Bermejo y Roncero. Pese a pertenecer a diferentes cuerpos de seguridad, forman un gran equipo. Bermejo es un perro viejo que conoce como se mueven los hilos en las altas esferas y Roncero es un joven muy inteligente que gracias a sus amplios conocimientos en el campo de la psicología conseguirá desentrañar esos extraños mensajes que aparecen en los escenarios del crimen.
El ritmo narrativo es frenético. En capítulos alternos, vamos siguiendo dos carreras contrarreloj: la de los investigadores por evitar que haya más crímenes y la del propio asesino por ejecutar su plan lo antes posible para conseguir su ansiado objetivo.
Si os gustan los buenos thrillers, arriesgaros a conocer “El color de la maldad”. Que sobreviváis o no, ya dependerá de vuestra suerte.
El libro está protagonizado por el inspector Bermejo, un policía veterano que no atraviesa un buen momento personal, y el sargento Roncero, un guardia civil novato. Ambos, sin quererlo, se ven envueltos en la investigación de la misteriosa desaparición de una pareja de jóvenes.
Un caso ya de por sí complicado, por la ausencia de pistas, que se convierte en un infierno cuando el posible secuestro se convierte en el primer crimen de un asesino en serie que los mantendrá en jaque con su brutalidad y los extraños mensajes que ocultan sus macabras matanzas.
La novela trata otros temas: viejos amores, complejos de juventud, las tensas relaciones que a veces se dan entre la policía y la guardia civil y el controvertido papel de los medios de comunicación en las investigaciones policiales. Toda cara tiene su cruz y el autor nos mostrará ambas a lo largo de la novela.
Me ha gustado especialmente la pareja formada por Bermejo y Roncero. Pese a pertenecer a diferentes cuerpos de seguridad, forman un gran equipo. Bermejo es un perro viejo que conoce como se mueven los hilos en las altas esferas y Roncero es un joven muy inteligente que gracias a sus amplios conocimientos en el campo de la psicología conseguirá desentrañar esos extraños mensajes que aparecen en los escenarios del crimen.
El ritmo narrativo es frenético. En capítulos alternos, vamos siguiendo dos carreras contrarreloj: la de los investigadores por evitar que haya más crímenes y la del propio asesino por ejecutar su plan lo antes posible para conseguir su ansiado objetivo.
Si os gustan los buenos thrillers, arriesgaros a conocer “El color de la maldad”. Que sobreviváis o no, ya dependerá de vuestra suerte.
September 26, 2012
'El color de la maldad' no va a ser la mejor novela de Armando Rodera, de eso estoy seguro. Pero sí es un perfecto punto de partida para mejorar como escritor. Quizás peca a ratos de un lenguaje demasiado sencillo, pero esto también la convierte en una novela facilísima de leer y que atrapa cosa mala. Mis sensaciones, más que de leer, han sido de estar viendo una serie de televisión tipo 'El comisario', 'Homicidios' o la genial 'Genesis: en la mente del asesino'. Incluso, más que de estar viendo, de estar viviendo esta historia.
Mi principal crítica es sobre el desenlace, ya que a mi parecer es demasiado precipitado y te deja con la sensación de que todo lo que hemos hecho a lo largo de las páginas no ha servido demasiado y estamos a merced de una especie de 'azar'. Eso sí, el regusto final es muy bueno y no empaña el resto de la novela.
Este es un extracto de mi opinion, la cual podeis encontrar completa en El Planeta de mis Nimios. Mi valoracion idonea seria 4.5 estrellas, pero como GoodReads no deja, aún con sus fallos le doy las 5.
Mi principal crítica es sobre el desenlace, ya que a mi parecer es demasiado precipitado y te deja con la sensación de que todo lo que hemos hecho a lo largo de las páginas no ha servido demasiado y estamos a merced de una especie de 'azar'. Eso sí, el regusto final es muy bueno y no empaña el resto de la novela.
Este es un extracto de mi opinion, la cual podeis encontrar completa en El Planeta de mis Nimios. Mi valoracion idonea seria 4.5 estrellas, pero como GoodReads no deja, aún con sus fallos le doy las 5.
January 29, 2018
Este libro me ha enganchado desde el principio. Tengo que decir que hay escenas fuertes que me han costado digerir pero en general muy buena lectura.
July 25, 2014
Review: http://bennitheblog.com/bookbiters/co...
Color of Evil starts off promising enough, if a little derivative. Reminiscent of the opening scene to the 2007 film Zodiac, a couple of lovers enjoy a relaxing day in nature, not knowing they’d be a serial killer’s first victims in a chain of murders that involve one victim per zodiac sign.
Inspector Bermejo and local Civil Guard officer,colorofevil-cover Sergeant Roncero, are assigned to investigate the couple’s disappearance. The two are tried-and-true stereotypes: the divorced senior inspector who’s considering retirement, and the rookie officer determined to prove himself.
Miriam Monfort, an ambitious journalist, is more concerned with out-scooping her competitors than obeying the gag order from the authorities. So her comparatively sordid story draws the attention of the killer, excited to have his deeds sprawled across her paper’s front page.
All three characters—Bermejo, Roncero, and Monfort—have engaging enough background stories that promise they’ll rise above their stereotypes. Unfortunately, that promise is illusory.
One of the problems with Color of Evil is the lack of cohesive focus. There’s nothing wrong with having multiple points-of-view, but the book is inconsistent in deciding who to follow. Inspector Bermejo and Ms. Monfort are all introduced early, but their perspectives are largely dropped for the remainder of the book, save the end.
This may be because Inspector Bermejo himself soon shows that he adds almost nothing to the investigation besides being a warm body and a sounding board for Sergeant Roncero to mechanically recite his theories. So, then, why follow Bermejo in the first place?
Ms. Monfort is similarly disappointing. Based on her initial introduction, I thought she’d be a reporter who’d raise some hell, but then her perspective is all but dropped, only to be picked up briefly as she hopes her date is looking at “her splendid backside, sculpted at the gym.” I’m not kidding. She’s got the looks of a femme fatale—many a passage is dedicated to her physical desirability—but she is necessary to the plot only as a damsel in distress. It’s a disappointing development. Her initial agency and ambition are dismissed, and she becomes more or less an object of desire, for both Sergeant Roncero and the killer.
And those two—Sergeant Roncero and the serial killer himself—provide the primary perspectives in this book. While the ending made it clear why the book wanted us to follow the killer’s viewpoint, this made for a very repetitive read. First, we see the killer stalk and kill, and then Sergeant Roncero or someone else recounts what the killer did, usually with surprising accuracy. Although we tend to learn something new from the subsequent retelling of events, the amount of overlap kills any momentum.
This repetitiveness also occurs every time a witness discovers the killer’s staged display of his victims. For example:
Characters don’t only feel and react similarily, they also speak similarily and say exactly what’s on their minds:
“I guess you’re used to things like this. My heart’s about to explode—whether from adrenaline or fear, I don’t know. I have to admit, I’m also excited about the possibility of a once-in-a-lifetime story. I just want it to be over quickly. I’m not going to think about it anymore . . . because I’ll start regretting it and get out of this car before you even stop.”
I could possibly ignore wooden and leaden, “on-the-nose” dialogue if the book had but a few lines of them. Unfortunately, entire chapters are dedicated to people explaining things to each other in excruciating detail. It also felt as if the entire middle of the book was dedicated to the longest date ever depicted in a crime novel, a date that involved the cheesiest of flirty dialogue.
I don’t know if anyone else has written a book where the killer stages his victims in the particular way that he does (it’s similar to Season 6 of Dexter, though that season ran the same year this book was originally published in Spanish), but the plot and the characters seemed unoriginal. There were glimpses of interesting ideas: one involved dreams, but that idea was never fully developed, and served only as a quick plot device for the ending. Another was the killer’s brutal childhood as part of a war-torn society. That could have also turned this book into a compelling critique on the effects of war on children, but the killer is so one-note in the present that there’s simply not enough to flesh out this idea.
I’ll stomach brutal killings, rapes, and torture for a better book, but in the Color of Evil , those scenes were merely desperate attempts to shock the readers into paying attention. I simply cannot recommend this book to anyone.
Review: http://bennitheblog.com/bookbiters/co...
Color of Evil starts off promising enough, if a little derivative. Reminiscent of the opening scene to the 2007 film Zodiac, a couple of lovers enjoy a relaxing day in nature, not knowing they’d be a serial killer’s first victims in a chain of murders that involve one victim per zodiac sign.
Inspector Bermejo and local Civil Guard officer,colorofevil-cover Sergeant Roncero, are assigned to investigate the couple’s disappearance. The two are tried-and-true stereotypes: the divorced senior inspector who’s considering retirement, and the rookie officer determined to prove himself.
Miriam Monfort, an ambitious journalist, is more concerned with out-scooping her competitors than obeying the gag order from the authorities. So her comparatively sordid story draws the attention of the killer, excited to have his deeds sprawled across her paper’s front page.
All three characters—Bermejo, Roncero, and Monfort—have engaging enough background stories that promise they’ll rise above their stereotypes. Unfortunately, that promise is illusory.
One of the problems with Color of Evil is the lack of cohesive focus. There’s nothing wrong with having multiple points-of-view, but the book is inconsistent in deciding who to follow. Inspector Bermejo and Ms. Monfort are all introduced early, but their perspectives are largely dropped for the remainder of the book, save the end.
This may be because Inspector Bermejo himself soon shows that he adds almost nothing to the investigation besides being a warm body and a sounding board for Sergeant Roncero to mechanically recite his theories. So, then, why follow Bermejo in the first place?
Ms. Monfort is similarly disappointing. Based on her initial introduction, I thought she’d be a reporter who’d raise some hell, but then her perspective is all but dropped, only to be picked up briefly as she hopes her date is looking at “her splendid backside, sculpted at the gym.” I’m not kidding. She’s got the looks of a femme fatale—many a passage is dedicated to her physical desirability—but she is necessary to the plot only as a damsel in distress. It’s a disappointing development. Her initial agency and ambition are dismissed, and she becomes more or less an object of desire, for both Sergeant Roncero and the killer.
And those two—Sergeant Roncero and the serial killer himself—provide the primary perspectives in this book. While the ending made it clear why the book wanted us to follow the killer’s viewpoint, this made for a very repetitive read. First, we see the killer stalk and kill, and then Sergeant Roncero or someone else recounts what the killer did, usually with surprising accuracy. Although we tend to learn something new from the subsequent retelling of events, the amount of overlap kills any momentum.
This repetitiveness also occurs every time a witness discovers the killer’s staged display of his victims. For example:
“[A]ll she had seen, were etched into the depths of her mind. Memories of the atrocity would haunt her forever.”
“Though the room was dark, nobody could prevent what she had seen from giving her nightmares for the rest of her days.”
Characters don’t only feel and react similarily, they also speak similarily and say exactly what’s on their minds:
“I guess you’re used to things like this. My heart’s about to explode—whether from adrenaline or fear, I don’t know. I have to admit, I’m also excited about the possibility of a once-in-a-lifetime story. I just want it to be over quickly. I’m not going to think about it anymore . . . because I’ll start regretting it and get out of this car before you even stop.”
I could possibly ignore wooden and leaden, “on-the-nose” dialogue if the book had but a few lines of them. Unfortunately, entire chapters are dedicated to people explaining things to each other in excruciating detail. It also felt as if the entire middle of the book was dedicated to the longest date ever depicted in a crime novel, a date that involved the cheesiest of flirty dialogue.
I don’t know if anyone else has written a book where the killer stages his victims in the particular way that he does (it’s similar to Season 6 of Dexter, though that season ran the same year this book was originally published in Spanish), but the plot and the characters seemed unoriginal. There were glimpses of interesting ideas: one involved dreams, but that idea was never fully developed, and served only as a quick plot device for the ending. Another was the killer’s brutal childhood as part of a war-torn society. That could have also turned this book into a compelling critique on the effects of war on children, but the killer is so one-note in the present that there’s simply not enough to flesh out this idea.
I’ll stomach brutal killings, rapes, and torture for a better book, but in the Color of Evil , those scenes were merely desperate attempts to shock the readers into paying attention. I simply cannot recommend this book to anyone.
Review: http://bennitheblog.com/bookbiters/co...
June 17, 2015
The classic tale of a veteran inspector (Francisco Bermejo) and a rookie (Pablo Roncero) coming together to work their very first case to find a serial killer. Set in Spain, the serial killer seems to be picking his victims for a reason and brutally mutilating them to achieve his secret goal. I really like this mystery that Berm (yes I call him Berm) and Roncero went out to solve. The case was interesting and kept me hooked in order to find out what the killer was going to do next and why he was killing.
I never felt like the story was dragging on between murders because I got to know the characters enough to be interested. I'm big on character building in novels, and this book gives you just enough to get what these characters are all about but not too much to where you feel like its filler. What I really like is when you would follow the killer and get his perspective on what he was doing, but still left some mystery to it especially when he mentioned his "Master".The author ,Armando Rodera, went all in with the murders. He described the scenes in extreme detail and really presented the killer as a complete bad guy. The reason I bring that up is because sometimes in stories they don't go that far to make the bad guy "all bad", but in this after the things the killer does to his victims you are disgusted on multiple levels, and I think its amazing storytelling.
There were no big problems I had with the story but a few minor things that bothered me. If you aren't fluent in Spanish, some of the city and area names in Spain might give you a hard time while reading. Also I don't think it was necessary to name a lot of the areas like that because they usually didn't hold any importance. Another problem was that Berm didn't seem to understand anything when Roncero was explaining his theories he had for the murders, and it got to the point where I was wondering how Berm stayed on the force so long if he couldn't understand simple explanations. Hearing him say "I don't understand" and "I don't follow" became too frequent.
The last thing I have to bring up I actually found really funny, no spoiler or anything, but at the bottom of page 197 during a "scuffle?" the killer struck a guy with a well aimed karate chop...yes a karate chop. I have to admit that caught me off guard and made me laugh. I really liked this book and will be looking for maybe a sequel...maybe someday.
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I never felt like the story was dragging on between murders because I got to know the characters enough to be interested. I'm big on character building in novels, and this book gives you just enough to get what these characters are all about but not too much to where you feel like its filler. What I really like is when you would follow the killer and get his perspective on what he was doing, but still left some mystery to it especially when he mentioned his "Master".The author ,Armando Rodera, went all in with the murders. He described the scenes in extreme detail and really presented the killer as a complete bad guy. The reason I bring that up is because sometimes in stories they don't go that far to make the bad guy "all bad", but in this after the things the killer does to his victims you are disgusted on multiple levels, and I think its amazing storytelling.
There were no big problems I had with the story but a few minor things that bothered me. If you aren't fluent in Spanish, some of the city and area names in Spain might give you a hard time while reading. Also I don't think it was necessary to name a lot of the areas like that because they usually didn't hold any importance. Another problem was that Berm didn't seem to understand anything when Roncero was explaining his theories he had for the murders, and it got to the point where I was wondering how Berm stayed on the force so long if he couldn't understand simple explanations. Hearing him say "I don't understand" and "I don't follow" became too frequent.
The last thing I have to bring up I actually found really funny, no spoiler or anything, but at the bottom of page 197 during a "scuffle?" the killer struck a guy with a well aimed karate chop...yes a karate chop. I have to admit that caught me off guard and made me laugh. I really liked this book and will be looking for maybe a sequel...maybe someday.
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
June 21, 2014
I won this book on Goodreads - and I hate to write this review, because I am very grateful for winning it. The plot was good; the setting is Spain, which was a nice change from reading books set in the US. It could have been a really good read. I never expected the identity of the killer to turn out the way it did, so it was suspenseful. However, the writing was very stilted and mechanical. I hope that was due to the book being translated from Spanish. Perhaps in the original language, it flows better and is a less simplistic read. There were too many things written that should have been understood. (I don't have to be told every time someone stands up or walks to a chair, for example.). The dialogue was stiff and didn't sound real. That ruined the book for me. I'm sure that reading it in Spanish would make a huge difference.
July 10, 2014
I've had trouble in the past with foreign language novels translated into English. Was never quite sure whether it was the author or the translator. Happily this was one of the good ones, a smoothly flowing narrative that builds to a tough finish. The translator was Simon Bruni.
It starts with a missing young couple, the girl the daughter of a prominent local politician. The car was found, doors ajar, keys in the ignition, a picnic laid out nearby. No signs of violence or struggle.
Inspector Francisco Bermejo, a grizzled veteran, of the National Police is brought in to investigate, paired with a young rookie from the Civil Guard, Sgt. Pablo Roncero.
After the bodies are found, both sexually violated, the boy after death, the two investigators find themselves in pursuit of a deranged killer.
Nicely done.
It starts with a missing young couple, the girl the daughter of a prominent local politician. The car was found, doors ajar, keys in the ignition, a picnic laid out nearby. No signs of violence or struggle.
Inspector Francisco Bermejo, a grizzled veteran, of the National Police is brought in to investigate, paired with a young rookie from the Civil Guard, Sgt. Pablo Roncero.
After the bodies are found, both sexually violated, the boy after death, the two investigators find themselves in pursuit of a deranged killer.
Nicely done.
July 9, 2018
GACOSTA
Buen libro, lectura amena. Ágil al grado de meterte de lleno en la trama, aunque un poco predecible al final no deja de ser un buen libro.
Buen libro, lectura amena. Ágil al grado de meterte de lleno en la trama, aunque un poco predecible al final no deja de ser un buen libro.
September 10, 2014
Generally when I elect not to finish reading a book, out of courtesy to the author I do not leave a review. Because, perhaps the book is simply not to my taste, and maybe if I gave it a chance, it would get better.
This time, I feel compelled to both close the book here at chapter 24, aggravated that I have given it this much of my energy, and to leave a review that might help other people choose not to read it. It flabbergasts me that the Amazon rating is four stars.
This is the story of a rookie detective who is a self described dilettante, and the fact of his dabbling in this and that of course gives him the dimension needed to begin to solve the horrific crimes to which the author invites us. There is also the rookie reporter, who happens to have been a love interest of the rookie detective back in their school days. This must be because every gruesome murder needs a romance along with it. And it is the story of the killer, sort of. Perhaps had I finished the book the killer would have been revealed in less loathsome detail than in the first 24 chapters. But I doubt it.
It appears initially as if author Armando Rodera will spare us the horrific, nightmare details of the opening crime scene, details he takes care to advise us will give the detectives and news writers nightmares for the rest of their lives. I am fully aware that in the noir genre, readers can feel cheated if they cannot smell the gore. I personally would appreciate it if books got ratings for this sort of thing, like XXX if scene after scene includes painstaking wordy reconstructions of not only how the body is laid out but how it came to happen just in that way, etc. I would rather not feel the urge to puke when I am reading.
But, moving past that, the writing in this story could not have more cliches if the writer determined that every paragraph should have at least one trite old phrase. To make it worse and worse, every time our little low people on the totem pole have a conversation with their bosses, they are always urged to get to the point and treated generally with contempt followed with grudging admiration when they actually do or find something of value. But the admiration falls back to contempt for the next scene. How tiresome.
It was the oft repeated hackneyed phrase "to what do I owe this honor?" that loosened something in my skull, after the news reporter went back to work because "she thought she might be of some use in the office" with the biggest breaking story of her career happening, please.
If hackneyed, trite phraseology combined with gratuitously sensorily detailed descriptions of the aftermath of murder scenes are what you like in a book, this is for you. If you do not tire of people treating one another with scorn for no reason other than seniority, you might like this. If you prefer your characters to behave as if their emotional growth stopped suddenly at age 14, that is another reason to reach for this title. Again, usually I feel that taste in a book is a highly individual thing, but four stars for this dreck? There is not even a mystery to be solved here. We see the perpetrator and know what a demented individual he is, and presume the rookie and the news writer will eventually catch up with him, but not before the rookie gets to rescue the damsel in distress with the blood already dripping from the murderers knife as he stands over her, his saliva mixing with the blood as he gets ready to thrust himself into her. Just guessing.
This time, I feel compelled to both close the book here at chapter 24, aggravated that I have given it this much of my energy, and to leave a review that might help other people choose not to read it. It flabbergasts me that the Amazon rating is four stars.
This is the story of a rookie detective who is a self described dilettante, and the fact of his dabbling in this and that of course gives him the dimension needed to begin to solve the horrific crimes to which the author invites us. There is also the rookie reporter, who happens to have been a love interest of the rookie detective back in their school days. This must be because every gruesome murder needs a romance along with it. And it is the story of the killer, sort of. Perhaps had I finished the book the killer would have been revealed in less loathsome detail than in the first 24 chapters. But I doubt it.
It appears initially as if author Armando Rodera will spare us the horrific, nightmare details of the opening crime scene, details he takes care to advise us will give the detectives and news writers nightmares for the rest of their lives. I am fully aware that in the noir genre, readers can feel cheated if they cannot smell the gore. I personally would appreciate it if books got ratings for this sort of thing, like XXX if scene after scene includes painstaking wordy reconstructions of not only how the body is laid out but how it came to happen just in that way, etc. I would rather not feel the urge to puke when I am reading.
But, moving past that, the writing in this story could not have more cliches if the writer determined that every paragraph should have at least one trite old phrase. To make it worse and worse, every time our little low people on the totem pole have a conversation with their bosses, they are always urged to get to the point and treated generally with contempt followed with grudging admiration when they actually do or find something of value. But the admiration falls back to contempt for the next scene. How tiresome.
It was the oft repeated hackneyed phrase "to what do I owe this honor?" that loosened something in my skull, after the news reporter went back to work because "she thought she might be of some use in the office" with the biggest breaking story of her career happening, please.
If hackneyed, trite phraseology combined with gratuitously sensorily detailed descriptions of the aftermath of murder scenes are what you like in a book, this is for you. If you do not tire of people treating one another with scorn for no reason other than seniority, you might like this. If you prefer your characters to behave as if their emotional growth stopped suddenly at age 14, that is another reason to reach for this title. Again, usually I feel that taste in a book is a highly individual thing, but four stars for this dreck? There is not even a mystery to be solved here. We see the perpetrator and know what a demented individual he is, and presume the rookie and the news writer will eventually catch up with him, but not before the rookie gets to rescue the damsel in distress with the blood already dripping from the murderers knife as he stands over her, his saliva mixing with the blood as he gets ready to thrust himself into her. Just guessing.
April 26, 2015
Fuerte y muy vívido - Strong and vivid
Si le gustan las películas como "El Asesino del Zodíaco" y las series como "Criminal Minds" le va gustar esto libro. Pero solo deben leer los que tienen estómago para escenas muy fuertes. Es un livro lleno de acción y intenso sospense. Pero, ¡sigo sin saber la diferencia entre un Psicótico y un Psicópata!
También un buen libro para los que estudian el Español, ya que está lleno de expresiones idiomáticas.
If you like movies such as "The Zodiac Killer" and series like "Criminal minds", you'll certainly like this book. But buy it only if you think you can be exposed to very strong content. It is a book full of action and intense suspense. Anyhow, in the end, you may not know the difference among a Psychotic and a Psychpath...
It is also a good book for those learning Spanish, for it is full of idiomatic expressions.
Si le gustan las películas como "El Asesino del Zodíaco" y las series como "Criminal Minds" le va gustar esto libro. Pero solo deben leer los que tienen estómago para escenas muy fuertes. Es un livro lleno de acción y intenso sospense. Pero, ¡sigo sin saber la diferencia entre un Psicótico y un Psicópata!
También un buen libro para los que estudian el Español, ya que está lleno de expresiones idiomáticas.
If you like movies such as "The Zodiac Killer" and series like "Criminal minds", you'll certainly like this book. But buy it only if you think you can be exposed to very strong content. It is a book full of action and intense suspense. Anyhow, in the end, you may not know the difference among a Psychotic and a Psychpath...
It is also a good book for those learning Spanish, for it is full of idiomatic expressions.
August 25, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. A serial killer is on the loose in Spain. Like all of the very best mystery novels, I did not pinpoint the killer until the reveal started. I like to read translations because no one would bother to translate them if they weren't quite good. This book definitely lived up to the assumption. I hope the author writes another with the same characters. This book was very hard to put down. Toward the end, it was like trying to pause a movie during an epic car chase. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys mystery or detective novels.
January 13, 2015
There are some books which have incredible pacing, some which have dynamic language that grabs you from the first sentence. This is not one of those books. The dialogue is stilted and bizarre throughout the book. To be fair I think this is the fault of the translator rather than the author. In the original Spanish or with a different translator this would be a much better read.
Based on this book it is unlikely that I will read more from this author.
Based on this book it is unlikely that I will read more from this author.
January 2, 2015
Interesante
Me pareció un libro entretenido, al principio hubo momentos que no me inspiraba la necesidad de seguir leyendo pero como de la mitad del libro para adelante me pareció bastante envolvente
Me pareció un libro entretenido, al principio hubo momentos que no me inspiraba la necesidad de seguir leyendo pero como de la mitad del libro para adelante me pareció bastante envolvente
June 27, 2012
Fantastic book!!!
Read
February 1, 2014El color de la maldad
le doy 5 estrellas
porque me no me aburrio .... se los recomiendo a otros lectores Que andan En busca de un buen libro...
le doy 5 estrellas
porque me no me aburrio .... se los recomiendo a otros lectores Que andan En busca de un buen libro...
September 28, 2014
Very good and thrilling book. Il like book much.
January 16, 2015
I read the Spanish version, El Color de la Maldad. Tremendo disparate sin son ni ton. El tipico detective con un matrimonio acabado porque es muy bueno para su trabajo y le toma todo su tiempo.
February 9, 2016
Mi reseña completa en http://entremislibrosyo.blogspot.com....
November 23, 2013
Excellent !! IT's a thriller full of suspense since the begin to the end!!
February 6, 2018
2 stars = "it was ok" by GR's rating system. This is a neutral rating from me.
This is one of the few books where the translating killed it for me. I don't say say the translation is bad. In fact it added a lot of verisimilitude for me. Every page I read reminded me that I was in Spain. Normally I like reading books set in foreign countries but in this case the translation added a layer. I couldn't feel the characters though it. The action was good but I didn't feel a connection to the characters and in the end I didn't really care if the police solved the case or what happened to the killers. Worse, I didn't enjoy the journalist's story, I just wish that part wasn't written so I could concentrate on the detective's part of the story.
I got this as a free ARC.
This is one of the few books where the translating killed it for me. I don't say say the translation is bad. In fact it added a lot of verisimilitude for me. Every page I read reminded me that I was in Spain. Normally I like reading books set in foreign countries but in this case the translation added a layer. I couldn't feel the characters though it. The action was good but I didn't feel a connection to the characters and in the end I didn't really care if the police solved the case or what happened to the killers. Worse, I didn't enjoy the journalist's story, I just wish that part wasn't written so I could concentrate on the detective's part of the story.
I got this as a free ARC.
May 15, 2018
El dialogo me pareció tedioso. Las descripciones de los crímenes me parecieron “exageradas”, solo para impactar y escandalizar.
Además, estoy cansada de las tramas donde el criminal le deja pistas a la policía *a propósito* - obviamente, tarde o temprano lo atraparán.
Sobre todo, se refieren al criminal varias veces como psicópata, pero éste más bien es enfermo mental (lo cual no es lo mismo).
Y por último, me pareció que Rodera, el autor, simplemente usa y copia muchos tropos y clichés noveleros para llenar *demasiadas* páginas.
Además, estoy cansada de las tramas donde el criminal le deja pistas a la policía *a propósito* - obviamente, tarde o temprano lo atraparán.
Sobre todo, se refieren al criminal varias veces como psicópata, pero éste más bien es enfermo mental (lo cual no es lo mismo).
Y por último, me pareció que Rodera, el autor, simplemente usa y copia muchos tropos y clichés noveleros para llenar *demasiadas* páginas.
May 13, 2017
Como buen amante de la novela negra, recomiendo esta novela. Las escenas de los asesinatos están muy logradas, y el autor ha trabajado mucho en la creación del personaje protagonista asi como en las labores de documentación e investigación. Aunque lo que mas gana es que se desarrolle en plena geografía española.
November 6, 2017
El color del mal
Está entretenido de leer, mantiene un ritmo rápido que te mantiene leyendo. Si un final un tanto de película, y varias coincidencias demasiado convenientes. También con toda la presión de atrapar al asesino y el tiempo encima, interesante que los protagonistas policías tengan tiempos muertos para disfrutar de la vida rutinaria o empezar un nuevo romance.
3 stars
Está entretenido de leer, mantiene un ritmo rápido que te mantiene leyendo. Si un final un tanto de película, y varias coincidencias demasiado convenientes. También con toda la presión de atrapar al asesino y el tiempo encima, interesante que los protagonistas policías tengan tiempos muertos para disfrutar de la vida rutinaria o empezar un nuevo romance.
3 stars
February 12, 2020
Great read, entertaining and different from your normal serial killer storyline.
This was a great read. Never boring or tedious. Lots of research in mythology has gone into creating this story of a serial killer with outrageous notions of being a demigod. Tracked and eventually caught by a team of police and other law enforcement officers.
This was a great read. Never boring or tedious. Lots of research in mythology has gone into creating this story of a serial killer with outrageous notions of being a demigod. Tracked and eventually caught by a team of police and other law enforcement officers.
September 6, 2022
Es lo primero que leo del autor y desde luego no será lo último.
Las descripciones de las escenas son magníficas, Bermejo y Roncero me han encantado.
Te vas metiendo en la historia poco a poco y cuando te quieres dar cuenta estás atrapada con la trama y deseando saber si alguna de tus hipótesis era correcta.
Totalmente recomendado
Las descripciones de las escenas son magníficas, Bermejo y Roncero me han encantado.
Te vas metiendo en la historia poco a poco y cuando te quieres dar cuenta estás atrapada con la trama y deseando saber si alguna de tus hipótesis era correcta.
Totalmente recomendado
May 13, 2017
El color de la maldad es una novela con unos personajes muy bien perfilados, una historia muy bien contada con un ritmo trepidante, una trama emocionante y con una desarrollo sorprendente que no podéis dejar pasar.
June 5, 2022
Es la segunda vez que leo este libro. La primera vez me dejó impactada con la crueldad de los sucesos, pero a la vez me impresionó la creatividad del escritor.
A los que nos gustan este tipo de novelas de ficción, policiales, con escenas fuertes, lo recomiendo.
A los que nos gustan este tipo de novelas de ficción, policiales, con escenas fuertes, lo recomiendo.
October 31, 2024
Decepcionante
La novela comenzó de manera rápida e interesante. El problema fue que el desenlace no fue original y, a mi modo de ser, sacado por los pelos. Claro, para los gustos, los colores.
La novela comenzó de manera rápida e interesante. El problema fue que el desenlace no fue original y, a mi modo de ser, sacado por los pelos. Claro, para los gustos, los colores.
October 20, 2017
No se si es el primer libro del autor, pero lo noto con una narración insegura y poco impactante.
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