Or the Bull Kills You

Chief Inspector Max Cámara #1

by Jason Webster

Either you kill the bull, or the bull kills you - traditional proverb.

Chief Inspector Max Cámara hates bullfighting but one hot afternoon in Valencia he has to replace his boss, judging a festival corrida that stars Spain's most famous young matador. That night, he is summoned back to the bullring where the young matador's dead body now lies, naked and mutilated.

As the city prepares for Fallas, the five day festival of fireworks and celebrations, and the politicians work feverishly towards an election, Cámara hunts down his prey through the city's streets and bars. But as he follows the trail of death, money, corruption and sex in search of the killer, he must also battle his own demons and desires...

Genres: Mystery, Spain, Crime, Fiction, Procedural, Murder Mystery, Ebooks

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Jason Webster is a highly acclaimed Anglo-American author and authority on Spain whose work ranges from biography to travel, crime fiction and history. His books have sold in over a dozen countries, including the US, the UK and China, and have been nominated both for the Guardian First Book Award and the Crime Writers’ Association New Blood Dagger Award. He has been favourably compared with writers such as Bruce Chatwin (The Daily Mail), Gerald Brenan (El País) and Ernest Hemingway (Sunday Telegraph).

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 time between Valencia and the UK.

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly standard introduction to Valencia Inspector Max Camara who, as you would expect, has a troubled personal life as well as issues in the work environment. The cultural aspect of bullfighting is lost on me, I only see the barbaric side.

[Olivermagnus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Or the Bull Kills You is the first book featuring Chief Inspector Max Camara, who has been asked at the last minute to preside over a bullfight as president of the ring. He's less than delighted because he disapproves of bullfighting. He becomes mesmerized by the display put on by famous bullfighter, Jorge Blanco, and accepts an invitation to meet him at a local bar, along with many of his friends, to celebrate his success. When he fails to arrive, a search party is sent out and his body is soon discovered.

Nobody on the police force wants to investigate this high profile case, especially during a volatile election campaign. It's assigned to Camara, despite his pleas, and when a second victim is discovered, killed in a similar manner, there's even more pressure to find the killer. There are several possible suspects, including Blanco's female fiancee and male boyfriend. Camara teams up with Alicia Beneyto, a local newspaper correspondent who specializes in bullfighting, so he can better understand the whole culture of bullfighting.

The book's title comes from a Spanish proverb: “Either you kill the bull or the bull kills you”. The setting of this book is Valencia, Spain, during Fallas, the five-day festival of fireworks, bonfires and bullfights. The author fairly presents both sides of the bullfighting culture, including the history and pageantry of both man and bull. It was an interesting mystery too.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise behind the book was appealing to me, and it made for a more interesting than usual narrative than this kind of book usually lends itself too. There's also a fluid writing style to help it be a good page turner.

However, the strange fertilization of bullfighting around the book was weird, as well as the main character's own liking of it. Cámara also suffers from a certain lack of personality, though maybe acceptable considering he is meant to be emotionally numb by his own personal life.

Should be interesting to see if this can develop into an interesting character series or not.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chief Inspector Max Camara is in the area of the Valencia Bullring when his called to a case of a murdered (and mutilated) body of a famous matador, Jorge. Blanco had almost singlehandedly revitalised the Bull Fighting scene with his financial approach to ensuring the sport was really a sport and not a money making racket. Where there is money involved there is always corruption at some level or another whether it was the supply of bulls, or the experience of the bull-fighter or just the punters getting ripped off. Into the mix was the fact that Jorge was gay but was getting married to a beautiful actress his artist boyfriend who he kept under wraps, his birth father being a total mystery until just before he dies, a Mayoress who was trying to outlaw bullfighting and a student group who were having daily protest marches throughout the whole of the Fallas five day festival and as a reader you have a super read.
Poor old Chief Inspector Max Camara was not the sharpest knife in the box he was an ambling sort of guy who could be relied upon to do the best even though his girlfriend told him he was impotent and his colleagues in the police force appeared to be actively working against him. To make things worse his supply of marijuana was low so he had to go to see his father Hilaria in Albecete which he could ill afford timewise to do. Rest assured things do get better! All very exciting. The characters are finely drawn but the whole feel of Valencia was captured so well that it was the place that so captivated me rather than the people.
I really liked the passage that explained the loss of Bianco to thepeople of Spain there is a passage which embraces the whole message ‘ A few people – a solitary man wearing a flat, blue corduroy cap: and a middle aged couple, the woman leaning heavily on her husband’s arm - were standing in front of the building with vacant, lost expressions on their faces as though trying to understand what had just happened, how such a great bullfighting figure had been taken away from them and in a manner which they struggled to understand.’ Lovely piece of narrative.
I learned lots about definition and culture of bullfighting and also about the different levels of Police Organisation there were in Spain. Great read!

[Hristo Poparov · Rating 1 out of 5]

good reading

[heidipj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it. I might be biased because I love Spain and am learning Spanish so I took delight in deciphering the Spanish phrases and in feeling like I was walking the streets of Valencia with Camara. I thought the bullfighting angle was clever and though some might think otherwise I didn't think the plot was over saturated in bullfighting facts, myths and metaphors - I enjoyed it and felt like I was getting a crash course in the complexity of modern day Spain and it's bizarre and barbaric obsession with bullfighting. I am not sure how many Spanish people would enjoy the book but I take it it's not written for them... It's written for Australians living in Ireland who would like to live in Southern Spain and speak fluent Spanish.

My one fault hardly worth mentioning perhaps is that I just wasn't convinced that Camara himself was bad-arse enough to be booted out of the police as a rogue cop. I don't know if it was necessary... Why do 90% of detectives have to be bad arses? And drink in the morning...

[henrys-axe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never been to Valencia. After reading Jason Webster's Or the Bull Kills You I could have added that city to places I've visited. I had a great ten day vacation to Madrid a number of years ago. The culture, the food, the music were all captivating. Valencia, in the words of the writer, offers those joys plus many more. Max Cámara is not without his flaws and demons but he is an excellent detective. He takes his share of lumps but just jumps back into the assigned investigations. The author has given the reader several scenarios to keep in mind for future novels in this series.

[4cats · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really great series of crime novels featuring Inspector Max Camara. Set in the Spanish city of Valencia, Jason Webster manages to bring to life the city and it's people. In the first Max finds himself investigating the murder of bullfighter who has become an icon within the world of bullfighting. Camara finds his life being dragged through the gutters by unknown people, his investigation is blocked again and again and a long term relationship is being tested to the limit. If you love Eurocrime this is a must read series.

[Sarah G · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really disliked this book. Sexism, homophobia, annoying presentation of masculinity, a "bad guy-ish" detective who isn't "bad guy" in an interesting or layered way and bonus, he's a bad detective-not very bright at all. Also, a thinly disguised pro-bullfighting propaganda piece which could have been a complex argument, perhaps, but felt forced.
Also, overwritten.

[Sheila Howes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The thing I enjoyed most about it was the sense of place - you could definitely feel the Spanish life. Unfortunately I didn't really get on with the characters or the plot. It's also definitely one to avoid if you feel uncomfortable about the sport of bullfighting.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When you go to a bullfight," she explained, "you're allowing yourself a moment's communion with the Heroic Age--the world of Hercules, Theseus and the rest. So a bull represents where we come from, a world we left behind many, many centuries ago. But it also represents something deeply Spanish. And perhaps that is why Spain alone has retained this connection with its ancient bull rituals. Think about it: the stubbornness of the bull, its unwillingness to give in, even as more pain and suffering is laid upon it. And yet still it keeps running, keeps charging at the matador. Any other animal would crawl away and hide in a corner somewhere. That's why the spectacle is unique. You couldn't do this with any other beast . Not even an ordinary bull. It has to be a toro de lidia , a direct descendant of the ancient aurochs. But this is why I think we Spanish feel a connection with bulls--because we see ourselves in them, in their behavior. The stubbornness, the pride, the unwillingness to give in, even if we're driving ourselves to our own deaths."


~~A bullfighter in the ring. This image closely captures my mental pictures of Jorge Blanco, the young heroic bullfighter in Webster's offering.

Meet Chief Inspector Max Cámara of the Valencia, police force, Cuerpa Nacional de Policía Municipal . Put more simply, in Spain, this force deals with major crimes in cities, while local forces solve petty crime and manage traffic duties. At any rate, Cámara is in his mid 40's and spinning his wheels. He's passingly competent, if not excellent, at his job. He likes his girlfriend, but has shied away from serious commitment. He *has* committed to frequent consumption of alcohol and marijuana. He's content, but not exactly happy.

He's shaken from his complacency when the city commissioner, Pardo, rushes to his door. Pardo's frantic with fear that his three year old daughter may have meningitis. On the way to the hospital, he stops just long enough to ask Cámara to take over his officiating responsibilities at that afternoon's bullfight. Despite hating bullfighting almost to the point of being an anti-taurino , Cámara feels that he has no choice but to agree. Jorgo Blanco is, without a doubt, the star bullfighter of the afternoon. The adoration of the fans is palpable. Despite his ignorance of the nuances of bullfighting, Cámara recognizes Blanco's skill, and awards him several trophy ears.

Later that evening Cámara finds himself at a bar, celebrating with aficionados of the "sport". They are eagerly awaiting Blanco's appearance, and are in the beginning stages of inebriation when a rowdy band of protesters leave the organized demonstrators in the streets to enter the bar. Cámara finds himself in the role of mediator, and has just calmed the opposing sides when a local policeman comes running into the bar, short of breath, with urgent news. Blanco has been found dead, ritualistically posed and mutilated in the middle of the bullring. As the nearest officer to the scene, Chief Inspector Max Cámara has just earned himself the lead investigator role in perhaps the most sensational murder to hit Valencia. If that wasn't enough, it's election year, and the incumbent town major is strongly anti-bullfighting. She's eager to sweep this mystery under the rug before Blanco's new martyrdom status raises the flagging bullfighting scene to new heights.

Can Cámara muster the grit and the skill needed to piece the strands of this mystery together? Will he take the easy road and agree to make Cámara's male lover the scapegoat? Or will he dig deeper into Blanco's connection with prize bull breeder Ramirez? Read this interesting story to find out!

My two cents: Webster clearly knows his setting and subject matter. I felt instantly transported to Valencia, and deftly inserted into their culture. The sprinkling of Spanish words and phrases add atmosphere, while not being heavy handed enough to bog down the story line for us English speakers. There's also a glossary with translations included in the back. I enjoyed the character development of Max. However, I do agree with other reviewers that he meets many of the classic mystery protagonist "tropes", despite his exotic setting. The mystery itself moves at a good pace, and the dialogue is decent. The ending did feel a bit contrived. Overall, I give it 3.5 stars or a rating of "Very Good". This is an excellent mystery to pick up from the library or a book sale, especially for those who like to read books which take place in foreign settings.

Favorite quotes: "Far from being concerned that the crime of the year had taken place under his nose on his watch, [the bullring guard] had been more interested in complaining about the inconvenience this had caused him. Cámara had encountered this kind of thing before: one minute competing with the dead man for victim hood, the next he'd be down the bar milking it with his mates about having been there 'the night Blanco was butchered."

"Perhaps it was the shock, he thought. It could come in waves like this, a delayed reaction as the various layers of him registered the violence of what his eyes had seen. He never hardened against this, not really. He'd always thought that a day would come when the sight of murder would cease to drain him so, would leave him unaffected, like a surgeon happily chopping away at his patients then going back to his family undisturbed by the blood and broken bodies that had filled his day. But the moment had never come. Perhaps it never would. The wounds from the past refused to heal over, ready to open up and bleed afresh whenever he witnessed the violence and horror that men could inflict on each other."

"All this was as dead skin lingering after the life of their relationship had slithered away in front of him."

Further reading: The history and culture of Valencia, as told by Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valencia
~~A write up of Las Fallas, or "the festival of noise and fire" during which Or the Bull Kills You is set. https://www.spanish-fiestas.com/festi...
~~And finally, an incredibly in depth article detailing the history, performers, rules, and cultural significance of bullfighting by Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/sports/bul...

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having just spent a wonderful week in Seville with my daughter and having toured its majestic plaza de toros, I fell into this book with abandon. I am not a huge mystery fan ( I tend more toward thrillers and historical fiction), I decided to give this a try due to its locale. On that front, I was not disappointed. I learned so much more about bullfighting, its history, the rationale behind it, the reasons why the Spaniards refuse to let it die, etc. Coupled with what I learned in the Seville plaza, I felt truly enmeshed in the sport of bullfighting. I also loved the descriptions of Valencia from its food to its people and most of all, the annual fallas - the main festival held in March that is punctuated with fireworks and statues (una falla) of wood and papier mache that are burned down on March 19th.
Valencia burst into life from the pages...but that is where the life in this book stopped for me. The mystery itself (a gruesome murder of a star matador) was terribly uninteresting, the detective Max Camara is a drinking and smoking fiend whose personal life is a disaster and whom not too many people like. The solving of the mystery plods along slowly and I struggled to finish the book. I recommend it for those who are interested in learning more about life in Southern Spain and especially bullfighting, this novel will not disappoint.

[Gav]

It has to be hard to bring something new to the crime genre. But crime happens everywhere and this time we’re off to sunny Spain. I initially thought this was going to be a crime in translation but like Martin Walker’s Bruno, Chief of Police series Cámara is written by a non-native that’s made the place a home, and like Walker brings out an accessible view of the culture and the place. Or at least that’s what comes across in Or The Bull Kills You.

Setting it at the time of the festival of Fallas is very immersive not only do you get to a Valencia in the raw it tightens the tension as Cámara of investigating the death of such a high profile figure. Though I wouldn’t say that makes him a worse detective. He’s very shambling. He likes an early drink and a not entirely legal recreational smoke. He is however endearing. And a good policeman even if he’s not that methodical he does have a policeman’s nose.

Webster keeps everything flowing nicely and you get a not exactly subtle but not force fed either lesson in bullfighting.

[Laura Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Local Color, Intriguing Mystery. I picked this book up because I was visiting Valencia and wanted to read something set in the city. Boy, did I luck out! The local color was incredible. Sprinkled into this well-written mystery were details about local food, beer, and culture. I loved the backdrop of the Fallas festival, and learned so much about bull fighting, Spanish politics, etc., without once feeling like I was being given a history lesson or cultural tour. It was weird at times to see anglicized versions of Spanish words ("mayoress" for example), and I wasn't sure whether that was a deliberate choice on the author/editor's part or a sign that perhaps English was not their first language. But the characters were better drawn than in a lot of police procedurals, and the mystery was engaging. I felt from the start that the author truly knows Valencia on almost a spiritual level. Without the local flair and loving details around the setting, I might have found the story too slow. But the combination of an engaging character and intriguing setting were irresistible. I bought the next in the series even after returning home. It's well worth the read.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bull fighter is found dead and then more crimes follow. Max Camara, Chief Inspector, comes into play to solve this mystery while Jason Webster takes the reader through a journey of spanish traditions and bull-fights. My impression was that Webster tries desperately to give this feeling of degradation that exists in all sucessful neo-noir novels. However, for my taste he's overdoing it and not succeeding as most of the times it feels biased and even the plot twists seem forced. The main character is quite interesting but after a while becomes a moving stereotype with every aspect of his life being ruined. Still, I think there's potential and therefore I'll read the next novels of the series, hoping for the above to be diminished.

Bottom-line: A enjoyable read without many things to get excited about. I hope the next books are better.

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

PROTAGONIST: Chief Inspector Max Camara
SETTING: Valencia, Spain
SERIES: #1 of 5
RATING: 3.25
WHY: In the city of Valencia, Spain, there are strong forces both for and against bull fighting, an event which has always dominated the scene. When possibly the best bull fighter of all time, Jorge Blanco, is murdered, the sentiment sways back to the pro forces. Chief Inspector Max Camara, on the anti side, is assigned to head the investigation. He is pressed for a quick result but finds things getting more and more complicated as Blanco’s manager is killed and then his fiancée. The depiction of the culture is strong, particularly around Fallas, an annual festival that takes over the city. The general plot, though, is pretty standard fare and overly long.

[John Waterworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book in the series about the engaging and anarchistic policeman, Max Cámara. These are probably my current favourite detective novels, combining intriguing plots with atmospheric evocations of the Spanish settings - mostly in Valencia city. He's a very likeable and interesting guy, a bit too good to be true (of course), but really well characterised, believable - sometimes surprising, always interesting. The high speed action scenes are irresistibly exciting, but a bit far-fetched at times. Good for passing the time when travelling.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging police-procedural set in Valencia in which the world of bullfighting features prominently and where Chief Inspector Camara, with quite a clichéd professional career and private life, has to find the killer of a famous matador and soon his manager as well, both mutilated. Various suspects, including bull-breeders and an anti-bullfighting movement as well as pressure from a nasty political heavy, arise before quite a convincing resolution in a novel where the sense of place is pretty good as is the bullfighting background

[Dianne Landry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detective Max Camera doesn't like bullfighting. Unfortunately, his boss does, Pardo, does. When Pardo's daughter gets sick he sends Camara to judge the fights for him. That's how hee gets stuck investigating the murder of Jorge Blanco, Spain's best matador. The investigation takes many twists and turns before getting solved.

I wasn't sure about this book at first but by the end I knew I would read more in the series.

[David Peters · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am planning a trip to Spain in a few years and that begins (for me) with reading books from the region. That is why I was excited to find this Valencia based crime novel. It was good, and opened up bullfighting a little bit for me (not enough to make it worthwhile to me, but to understand where those aficionados are coming from). The book did not have good flow, so a lot of short readings were required to get though it, but overall it was good.

[j g newton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story

I enjoyed the story and plotline but i did take a time reading it, maybe just me being slow. Having been to Valencia it was good to read about the places the story is set in and others that i didnt know, thats made me want to go back there, i will read the next book as im sure camera will go on to better things

[Heather Boundy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The murder of Spain's most popular bullfighter leads Chief Inspector Max Camara on a wild chase as more dead bodies appear and his methods are questioned by his superiors. The Spanish setting is realistic, and the author has obviously done his research on the history and importance of bullfighting in Spanish culture. The start of a readable new series.

[Neil S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detective Camara doesn't like bullfighting but, unfortunately, gets roped into judging the fights when his boss has to cancel. When the best matador is Spain gets murdered he has to investigate and gets caught up in a world he disapproves of. Add the fact that it is the middle of an election and so things get touchy. An enjoyable read overall.

[Bryngel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once again, a two-star rating. I think this was far too disjointed for me to enjoy it fully. It's a good story, very interesting to read about the pro and cons regarding bullfighting, but I just couldn't be bothered. I constantly thought of what book to read next, and that's never a good sign.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A typical police thriller. The author takes care to educate the reader about Valencia, his adoptive hometown and the setting for the story, and Spanish bullfighting.

[Hans Thyssen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exactly the escapism I needed, diving into a Valencia with Fallas and without Covid.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this, despite reading book 2 in series first.

[Sabu Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast-paced thriller set in the world of bullfighting. Enjoyable.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first in the Max Camara series, and the best by far (so far). Have read two others: A Death in Valencia and A Body in Barcelona.

[AD · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't bring myself to review this book, sorry.