The glacier murders

by Cristian Perfumo, Fiona Martínez (Translator)

The body of a tourist turns up frozen in Patagonia's largest glacier, killed by a gunshot to the belly thirty years ago.

Of course, you have no idea that this will change your life. You’ve lived all of it in Barcelona, on the other side of the world.

To grasp what’s happening, you first need to know a few Your father had a brother he never told you about. This brother has just died, leaving you as the sole heir to a mysterious property in El Chaltén, an idyllic town in Patagonia.

You'll travel there to sell it. You'll make the mistake of finding out that there is a connection between your uncle and the dead tourist in the glacier. And you will soon realize that, thirty years after the crime, someone in El Chaltén is willing to wipe you off the face of the earth to keep you from finding out the truth.



Don’t miss this addictive thriller that will take you on a whirlwind search from Barcelona to some of the most hauntingly beautiful and remote corners of Patagonia.

Written by Amazon Kindle Storyteller Award winner, Cristian Perfumo, and currently being adapted for television.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

401 pages, Paperback

Published February 28, 2025

About the author

Cristian Perfumo, radicado en Barcelona tras vivir mucho tiempo en Australia, escribe novelas de misterio y suspenso ambientadas en la Patagonia, donde se crió.
La primera, El secreto sumergido (2011), está inspirada en una historia real y lleva ya seis ediciones, con miles de copias vendidas en todo el mundo. En 2014 publicó Dónde enterré a Fabiana Orquera, que agotó varias ediciones en papel y en julio de 2015 se convirtió en el séptimo libro más vendido de Amazon en España y el décimo en México. Cazador de farsantes (2015), su tercera novela con frío y viento, también agotó su primera tirada. El coleccionista de flechas (2017), su cuarto thriller ambientado en la Patagonia, ganó el Premio Literario de Amazon, al que se presentaron más de 1800 obras de autores de 39 países. Rescate gris (2018), su último thriller antes de la publicación de Los ladrones de Entrevientos (2020), fue finalista del Premio Clarín de Novela 2018, uno de los galardones literarios más importantes de Latinoamérica.
Los libros de Cristian han sido traducidos al inglés y al francés, editados en sistema Braille y publicados en formato audiolibro.
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Ah! Además Cristian es uno de los creadores de www.ebrolis.com, un servicio de recomendación por email de ebooks de calidad y gratis o a muy bajo precio.

Reviews

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contains murders, long simmering revenge and retribution, harmless school club turned dangerous, lack of justice, secrets, lies, and avoiding the truth, family dysfunction. This was a fairly gripping mystery, enhanced by unexpected twists , motives, and revelations. Set in Barcelona, Spain and Patagonia, it moves back and forth between the two vividly described locations. I can’t remember reading another book set in Patagonia and plan to follow the author for more books in this series.

[Bill Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Partially set in one of my favorite places, El Chalten, Patagonia, and site of one of our great and challenging hikes-Laguna de Los Tres. A good read in addition.

[Brent Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put The Glacier Murders down. Gritty and full of twists and turns, it reveals the story a little at a time and keeps you guessing. My questions were all answered by the end of the story, though I found some of them a bit of a stretch (but aren't they usually in a mystery?) Cristian's characters are well developed and full of humanity. The visual imagery will transport you to Barcelona, the glaciers of Patagonia, and back again. Now I need to try yerba mate!

[Michele Worner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ordinary- not deserving of the hype

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book caused me to Google Maps the locations in Patagonia. Breathtaking views! Wish I could visit someday.

[Martha Fiorentini · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the 2 settings of this book, Patagonia and Barcelona.
The mystery was interesting and kept me guessing. Some of the events depicted were disturbing.

[Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome crime story set in Barcelona and Patagonia probably a 4.5!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought Patagonia was just a quick tourist stop!

Cristian Perfumo has written a mystery wrapped in an international tour!
Now I want go to Patagonia and Spain while reading more of his books!

[Shirley223 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very entertaining and informative. It had just the right amount of adventure and the descriptions were great.

[Elizabeth Bailes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fitz Roy

I love books that have an Interesting story, but one that also teaches me about new places and I learn. Yay!

[Ann-Catherine Morner · Rating 3 out of 5]

The logic comes unglued in Part IV.

The Plot is intricate. Very confusing, but it all resolves in the end. Except...
The Characters are very complicated. This is usually a good thing in murder mysteries. But...

Many illegal deeds are commited. Several murders too. Many lies are told. Motives are hidden. After all, this is a murder mystery. Only...

SPOILERS AFTER THIS.
Most people would agree that the law and justice are not always the same. Señor Perfumo lets some of his characters off easy. Excuses some acts. But...
Even bad guys need motives. The bad guys are bad because (mumble, mumble, murky politics, mumble, mumble, old, very old murky politics, mumble, mumble).
Because, dear fellow readers,
SERIOUS SPOILER WARNING!
The bad guys don't commit any murders. At all. They do other bad things, and they plan murder, but in actual fact, they are the ones who end up dead. And in only one case it is self defense.
The good guys could have turned to the police, but they don't. Because (mumble, mumble, murky politics, mumble, mumble, murky politics nowadays, mumble, mumble).
One of the murderers murders for revenge for something that happened long ago. And it is not self defense.
I am not happy with what the author paints as justice in this case. He squirrels out of it by adding another victim wĥo didn't get justice from the law, but the murderer doesn't know of the crime, he just murders for the crime commited against himself, many years before.
I don't enjoy this kind of justification.

[R.E. E. Derouin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Glacier Murders by Christian Perfumo 6/12/2025 Kindle

The tourists of a sightseeing catamaran are awed to see a glacier calving, but horrified when a frozen, bleeding body is exposed. When divers later attempt to raise the remains, a second body is discovered. We switch from Argentina to Barcelona, Spain where Julian Cucurell, a poor house painter, learns he has inherited a modest amount of money and property. The benefactor is an uncle he never met, nor knew existed. His father is abrupt when questioned. The property deeded is a faraway lot in Chalten, an Argentinian town locked from growth by a surrounding National Park. This fact appears to make his inherited lot sufficiently valuable enough to make the expensive trip. Upon arrival, Julian discovers no a simple lot, but a hotel, sealed shut for thirty years. He finds is property also contains a corpse, bedded there for a lie period of decades. When the body is tied to the frozen pair, Laura Badia, a suspended investigator, joins Julian in a search for answers and family secrets that eventually take them back to Spain.

While Julian was a rather boring character to follow, the story was intriguing, the scenery descriptions wonderful, and the writing easy to follow. There is an element of the illogical and some questionable decisions made. However, there are ample twists and turns that culminate in a serious of surprises. I look forward to more as it seems a series is in the plans.

[georgia lyster]

This book was a complete surprise. I thought it would be an interesting book, I know very little about Argentina other than Spanish history, Buenos Aries and gauchos.

This book truly moved me. The characters were well thought out. The mystery kept churning along. The descriptions of Patagonia and the mountains and glaciers I followed along on my cell phone to discover were truly beautiful places. When the story would return to Barcelona I was entranced by that area also especially the Gaudí church.

The plot followed a logical pattern and the final discovery was a complete surprise. I’m thinking of starting volume 2 tomorrow.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be very well written great character development. Book kept my interest. I had no clue who had done it until the last few chapters. It was a wonderful set up to the “who done it”.
The setting sounds beautiful. I wish I could remember how I chose to add this book to my “To Read” collection, because whoever or however I came across this it was a good book. You can tell that the book was well researched as far as the glaciers are developed, the to use that knowledge to place the bodies in.
What awful behaviours humans will do to be a follower of someone they think is a good leader.

[Anita Dent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and was eager to discover the mystery surrounding Julian’s inheritance.
The body of a person frozen in Patagonia’s largest glacier has been spotted by a tourist. When the body is retrieved the divers discover another body. Both bodies have been in the glacier for around thirty years. One has been shot, and the other has a head injury. Meanwhile Julian discovers he has inherited land in Patagonia from an uncle he did not know he had! As he strives to find out the truth he must understand what has happened in the past to those closest to him and why they want to protect him.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laura meets Julian, on his trip to see the land that he inherited from his Uncle. An Uncle that he did not know that he had. Julian had asked his father about his brother before he flew from his home in Spain to Patagonia, however he did not learn much from his father.
This murder mystery goes deep into the past of the characters and show how interconnected the past is with the present. Twists and turns.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

TWO DAYS!

This book caught my attention, first of all, because the setting is Patagonia. Having recently been there, I felt a connection. From the first page, I was hooked. Starting a story with a dead body in a glacier, how could I not put it down? It took two days to finish! Can’t wait to start #2 tomorrow.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I learned a bit about a part of the world I had never really heard of - Patagonia. The rest of the book took place in Barcelona, a city I have read about many times. The mystery is layered and revealed bit by bit, masterfully. I liked that the characters had flaws and were believable. I would like to read about what happens next to the two main characters.

[Ginger · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book kept me interested, but I found it very irritating that the timeline of the plot kept jumping back and forth. I also don't think that the murders were equal to the crime for which they were committed. They were more a case of retribution rather than justice.

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patagonia Murder? YES.

Very well done. Not only do the characters come alive (good and not), this an excellent mystery with lots of twists and surprises. Sense of place is fantastic. I now wish I could visit Patagonia…and Barcelona.

[Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

This is a very different book, set in an exotic location It look me a little while to get what is happening; but I loved it. I have been to Barcelona and was reliving Spain I can’t wait to start book 2.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story but I just didn’t connect with the characters at all. I thought I would enjoy the geographic locations of a story that takes place in Patagonia (where I’d like to go sometime) and Barcelona (where I spent a few days and loved it.) That alone didn’t hold the story together for me.

[Tim Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, makes me want to try Yerba mate

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book ; it was an excellent read; many twists and turns;

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

living without labels

I will not live long enough to see & experience living without labels. But I have lived long enough to “imagine no religion”. Thank you, John Lennon.

[Peggy Fujimura · Rating 5 out of 5]

the surprises never end

I loved learning about a place I’ve never seen; the background for a complex international mystery
Can’t wait to read the next one

[Lorraine MAINGUY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very intriguing! Could not figure out the plot…A must read

[Alexandra Chouinard · Rating 5 out of 5]

chaque chapitre se termine sur une petite intrigue ce qui fait en sorte que tu as jamais envie de poser le livre!

[Denize Hutson · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful scenery

It took a while to get to the heart of it but it was worth it in the end
The scenery was pure beauty in my mind…. Also very worth it!

[Kgparkhurst Parkhurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mystery that I really enjoyed. Years ago I decided I had read most of them, but this was a spoiler.