Dark Echoes of the Past

Heredia Detective #13

by Ramón Díaz Eterovic, Patrick Blaine (Translator)

The first novel by multiple-award-winning Chilean author Ramón Díaz Eterovic to be translated into English―a landmark event for fans of crime fiction. Private investigator Heredia spends his days reading detective novels; commiserating with his cat, Simenon; and peering out over the Mapocho River from his Santiago apartment. The city he loves may be changing, but Heredia can’t stop chasing the ghosts of the past. This time, they’ve come to him… Virginia Reyes’s brother, an ex–political prisoner of dictator Augusto Pinochet, was killed in an apparent robbery. Yet nothing of value was taken. The police have declared the case closed, but Virginia suspects that things aren’t quite as they appear and turns to Heredia for help. Heredia couldn’t agree more―but he can’t shake the feeling that there’s something Virginia’s not telling him. Heredia knows this is not a simple crime. His investigation proves it. Drawn back into a world where murderers nest, secrets are to kill and die for, and Pinochet’s legacy still casts a long, dark, and very threatening shadow, it’s all Heredia can do to crawl out of it alive.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Noir, Detective, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

270 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2008

About the author

Ramón Díaz Eterovic es un escritor chileno, conocido principalmente por su detective privado Heredia, protagonista de más de una decena de novelas, que ha sido adaptado para la televisión en la serie Heredia y Asociados.

Ramon Diaz Eterovic is a writer Chilean , known for his private detective Heredia, star of more than a dozen novels, which has been adapted for television in the series Heredia y Asociados.

wikipedia: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram%C3%...

Reviews

[Glenn Russell]

Santiago, Chile - setting for Ramón Díaz Eterovic's dark tale that turns murkier and deadlier as it winds deeper and deeper into the horrors of the past.

"With a bit of patience, I had managed to get through my first fifty years - a late age to change professions in a country where the passing years weighed like a criminal conviction upon anyone looking for work." So reflects the novel's narrator, a shamus by the name of Heredia.

As any avid fan of the genre knows, a detective novel narrated in the first person by the sleuth is all about voice. Great news for all you bloodhound buffs - Ramón Díaz Eterovic has created a PI right up there with Philip Marlow. I wouldn't say our Chilean ink slinger writes at the level of Raymond Chandler, but it's close.

And that's not all. If Latin American fiction seasoned with hefty helpings of history and politics is to your taste, you've come to the right place. As Juan Gabriel Vásquez has Antonio Yammara from The Sound of Things Falling dig into Colombia's recent past revolving around drug lord Pablo Escobar's reign of terror, so Ramón Díaz Eterovic has Heredia investigate a possible killing which leads him to unearth, step by painful step, cases of torture, murder and other sordid atrocities during Chile's military dictatorship in the years 1973 to 1990.

Fortunately, Ramón Díaz Eterovic lightens up his tale with whimsy, banter and dry humor throughout. Please keep this in mind as I fire off a round of Dark Echoes bullets:

Bookworm - Not only does Heredia share Phil Marlowe's quick wit, sturdy body, tendency to wisecrack and down the occasional whisky, our Santiago flatfoot prides himself on being a lover of literature. Heredia owns a bookcase full of novels and poetry and continually references what he reads: Dashiell Hammett, The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, A Shadow You Soon Will Be by Osvaldo Soriano, to note just three. As a booklover myself, I found this side of Heredia most appealing.

Savvy Feline - Heredia engages in an ongoing dialogue with his pet cat Simenon (named after the great writer of detective novels, Georges Simenon). Simenon usually comes up with a bit of wise advice for his owner. Now most North American readers will probably think Heredia is simply mulling over possibilities in his own mind while he ponders his silent cat. But could Simenon, via the power of telepathy, really be sharing his own cat thoughts with the detective? After all, keep in mind we are in Chile, land of Isabel Allende and the Latin American tradition of magic realism.

Dude from Dreamland - Heredia has an unnamed writer friend who dedicates himself to writing novels based on the stories Heredia feeds him. Of course, Heredia speaks of the novelist as if he's a real flesh and blood character. But we might ask if this scribbler possesses any more substance than the advice our narrator receives from Simenon. In other words, might not we be dealing here with a second helping of magic realism? My guess: a Latin American author just can't help himself.

Brutal Backstory - Out on the street, the detective relates: "My attention was drawn back out to the sidewalk, where a boy pulled on his mother's sleeve in front of a store that sold used toys and clothing. I came up beside him and saw him point at a discolored astronaut that was missing an arm. Beside the astronaut was a doll with matted hair and a bear with a split stomach. i remember the kids i had shared my childhood with in the orphanage and felt rage bubbling up in my guts. The little boy was like so many children who have to learn to accept their lack of privilege. Kids condemned to misery, to run-down schools, and later to poorly paid jobs and a life without any meaning beside pure animal survival." Heredia spent his boyhood as an orphan - this to say, he knows the grimy consequences of social injustice from firsthand experience.

Local Color - In the course of his investigation, Heredia pays a visit to the Cultural Center of the Americas, which leads him to witness a funa. In the country of Chile, a "funa" takes the form of a march whereby a group of protesters will expose someone, usually a political or military leader, who has escaped punishment in the law courts. Nice touch, Ramón Díaz Eterovic! Thanks for giving readers, especially North Americans, a unique taste of your country's culture.

The Case - Here's what gets, to use an overused cliché, the whole ball rolling: Griseta, Heredia's girlfriend, brings the math teacher she had back in high school, a woman by the name of Virginia Reyes, to Heredia's office. Ms. Reyes explains the police failed to give the proper attention to the fatal shooting of her brother, Germán. Germán was shot and killed on the sidewalk right outside the lumberyard where he worked. The police wrote the murder off as a robbery but, Virginia Reyes continues, don't you believe it.

As a first step Heredia examines Germán's room and meager possessions. What he finds leads him to the next step and the next and the next. Along with way, the detective deals and sometimes wheels and deals with a host of individuals from all strata of society. And herein lies author Ramón Díaz Eterovic's artistry: we come to know these women and men and their role in Chile's society and history. This is the beauty of Dark Echoes, a first-rate detective novel that captures the vibrant city life of Santiago along with an important part of the country's viscous, cold-blooded not so distant past.


Chilean novelist Ramón Díaz Eterovic, born 1956

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
Attention cat lovers!! This book was written for you. Heredia is a Santiago, Chile private detective who makes much of his income by writing reviews of books that he reads. He also talks to his cat, Simenon, and Simenon talks back to him. Virginia Reyes asks him to investigate the murder of her brother, German. The police have written it off as a robbery gone wrong. Heredia investigates and suspects that the murder has to do with German's arrest and torture under the Pinochet dictatorship. German had been trying to find out who tortured him. They wore masks and used false names, but he is determined.
Heredia does solve the case with some unorthodox help from another detective, Montegon.
I thought that the translation was very good. This book has some interesting information on Chilean society.
Some quotes:
Santiago coffee shops--"...the cafes con plemas--'coffee with legs,' where drinks are served by waitresses in high heels and miniskirts..."
Book reviewing-- "Boredom was eating away at my skin like voracious bacteria, and I was still stuck on the first page of the book I was trying to review. It was as seductive as a drunk's breath the morning after."
Chilean past-- "It's not my fault there are so many times between the past and the present. History can't be left behind, especially when the picture is drawn in blurred lines,..."
Cat conversation-- "I said to him, 'Haven't you ever asked yourself what your life would be like if you had a master who came home every day and the riskiest thing he did was cross the street?'
'Dont't screw with me, Heredia, you know I'm used to your foolishness."
Thanks to AmazonCrossing for sending me this e book through NetGalley.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eterovic is a rather popular crime fiction writer in Chile and has published at least fifteen Heredia detective novels in Spanish as well as putting out Heredia television episodes. Eterovic is not shy about giving credit to the long line of private eyes that Heredia evolved from and throughout this novel we find a Heredia constantly picking up private eye novels and paying homage to great literary private eye writers like Hammett. One interesting quirk is that not only does Heredia chat with his cat, but the cat chats back.

This story starts out with Heredia being asked to investigate a killing of a lumber yard worker, which the deceased man's sister suspects is something else, but what she doesn't know. Chile, as beautiful and prosperous as it is now, is a country haunted by its past as many countries are, a past where in the Pinochet Seventies, army officers worked out of a secret building known for the most bizarre tortures. The officers involved have often decades later disappeared into society and there are some victims and their families who still yearn to bring these evil ones to justice just as the famous Nazi hunters have done. It is into this maelstrom that Heredia ventures.

It is often a quiet patient investigation as Heredia pokes around here and there until like a lightning strike he realizes the connections.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading Dark Echoes of the Past by author Ramón Díaz Eterović, which was translated by Patrick Blaine

This is the 13th book in The Heredia Detective Series, but the first one translated for English readers

A book which takes place in Santiago Chile, around 30 years after the fall of the Pinochet dictatorship

Even though I had not read any of the previous books in the series, I could easily follow along and quickly get into the story

Great writing, with a gritty and intriguing story

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy!

[Taveri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wavered between giving this two or three stars and settled on three on account it brings to light some of the atrocities of the Pinochet years. The characters were one dimensional. Although other characters called the Detective an asshole he didn't come across that way. After all he talked to his cat and his cat conversed back - what cat was going to talk to an asshole? The recurrence of not getting Happy Sunday's name right wore thin - maybe he was an asshole after all.

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 4 out of 5]

For various reasons, I had some minor distractions when I first started this. I think I might have enjoyed this more had I been paying closer attention. There are a *lot* of characters. When they popped up later I was a bit disconcerted in trying to remember who they were and how they fit in. This was remedied by context, but it slowed things down for me.

I keep stumbling across mystery/crime novels that have prose I like. It is very nice finding these more literary contributions to the genre. This is always a bonus as I expect the genre to be plot focused entirely. This is not the first installment in the series, but the first English language translation. There is at least one other, Angels & Loners, which I would gladly read. I must say I *am* sorry they have not been translated in order, as I suspect the first novel and the establishment of Heredia as a detective in the first novel would likely provide background/context.

I was amused that Heredia has a cat with whom he has conversations. I never for a moment thought the cat actually answered, it was sort of Heredia arguing with himself, and the cat seemed to be the more logical thinker! But more amusing is that the cat is named Simenon (for the French author of the Maigret series), and there are references in the novel to Wilkie Collins, Dashiell Hammet, Raymond Chandler, and Henning Mankell. Heredia reads when he doesn't have a case to work on!

Though published in 2008, and seems to be contemporary to its time, this novel focuses on the brutality of the Pinochet regime, which lasted from 1973-1981. The torturers are still around, though their names have been changed and they appear to be leading more or less normal lives. Except, of course, that Heredia is investigating a murder that the police have called a botched robbery and aren't especially interested in any investigation.

I warmed to this as I got deeper into it, and had fewer distractions. Hopefully I'll find a way to slip in another by Eterovic. 4-stars from me, though perhaps it only just crosses the line.

[Alondra Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Won through Goodreads Giveaways!!**

4 Stars (review to follow)

This reads like classic noir from the 50s. Tough, Hard-nosed detective, on the case after a damsel in distress walks in with a tale of murder. The background of this murder is Chile about 30 years after the Pinochet regime. A victim looking for justice, is murdered. Why?? Robbery gone wrong or something more sinister??

The tale that the author weaves is full of conspiracy, torture, lies upon lies, and in the end some resolution. Not as neat as you want, but realistic.

The history lesson given, the characters and sub-plots, make this book work. No huge twists, chase scenes or innuendo. Just a simple tale of murder.

Highly recommended

[Thebooktrail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visit the locations in thenovel

I love a good novel set in South America. There’s something about novels set here that really get me wanting more. It’s the setting, the heat, the passion and the way of life, the people…everything about this region of the world seems to add that little added air of excitement to my reading.

Having read many Spanish language books, I was keen to read this one in English. I’ve bought this author’s other novels based on this one – more need to be translated now!

It’s a gem of a novel and very visual – so much so it could be a TV program in the making. Heredia is your classic PI working in the backstreets and back offices of Santiago. He cares deeply about what he does despite his rather lazy attitude to life or is it world weariness? He likes the bottle, but he likes books more it would seem as he’s forever reading inbetween cases. He has a cat called Simenon! Could I love this character any more?

IF that character doesn’t’ grab you , then the setting surely will. The blend of 1950s Noir scenes in offices and in street confrontations blend nicely with the modern day problems which form the background to the novel. The story is set in present day Chile with a legacy of problems beginning with a capital P. That’s P for Pinochet. The man in La Moneda Palace may have gone, but his legacy remains and there’s a lot of secrets, dark stains on society and trouble in his wake. The police seem to have more to deal with than just crimes any other city has to deal with, but Heredia is keen that his case is not going to be lost underneath the rubble of history.

This is meaty, gritty and chewy Chilean feast. It’s ingredients are delicious – history, war crimes, dictatorship and the behaviour of the military, modern society, Chile’s transformation to democracy and more.

It’s all very vividly drawn and brilliantly executed. This is an exciting series and I’m going to cheat and read the other ones in Spanish but I hope there’s some English translations soon.

[Lady Alexandrine · Rating 2 out of 5]

“I want to silence the echoes of the past that I can’t stop hearing.”

I enjoyed parts of this book that remarked on Chilean history and culture, but apart from that "Dark Echoes of the Past" was a letdown for me.

I didn’t like the main character, a private detective Mr. Heredia, who seemed like some kind of dinosaur from the old noir fiction. Through the whole book he was in a permanent state of existential crisis. All days he slept, suffered from bad memories and the general pain of existence. Every day he drank rivers of alcohol and smoked cigarette after cigarette. He was the ultimate macho man. He had trouble with expressing his feelings, knew how to take a beating and refused to go to a hospital when he was wounded. He refused to use mobile phones, faxes or computers. He carried an old Beretta with him and mused continually on a poor state of things. Also he talked with his cat Simenon and the cat replied him. It made me worried about both him and his cat.

The author wrote about the time after the government of Salvador Allende was overthrown and Chile was ruled by the military. During that time many people were detained and tortured. Some of them were killed and some disappeared without a trace. In a place called Villa Grimaldi ‘some 4,500 people were detained and tortured’. According to official information that were revealed years later 226 people were ‘either killed or disappeared from Villa Grimaldi’.

The main character detective Heredia investigated a murder of a man, who survived Villa Grimaldi but couldn’t let go of the past and worked to undercover crimes committed there and to bring his torturers to justice. It all seems very interesting, but unfortunately, "Dark Echoes of the Past" is the most boring crime-novel I have ever read. There was more alcohol drinking, cigarette smoking, talking with a cat and redundant intellectual musings, than conducting a proper investigation. That Heredia found out the truth at the end was a real wonder.

I am glad that I read this book, because I enjoy discovering different authors and reading about history of different countries, but it was really boring at times.

I received "Dark Echoes of the Past" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.

[Harriet Steel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the character of Heredia, the private investigator in this series by a Chilean writer who is, apparently, much loved by readers in his own country, but he was new to me.
Heredia is world weary and a bit lazy but can be jolted into action if his sense of justice requires it. When he doesn't have a case, he earns his living reviewing dull books on politics and economics. In his leisure time, he reads detective novels compulsively. He thrashes out his cases with his talking cat, Simenon, which endeared him to me.
When Virginia Reyes comes to see him and asks for help finding out who murdered her brother, German, Heredia agrees to take the case. The police have closed the file writing it off as a robbery gone wrong, but Virginia thinks there's more to it than that. Heredia's investigations raise some very dark echoes of the past indeed - the days of the dictatorship of General Pinochet. There are accounts of torture that were very distressing. Ultimately, Heredia gets to the bottom of the mystery but not before his own life has been in danger.
I didn't feel this book quite merited five stars. When Heredia catches up with the villains, they give up their secrets rather too easily to my mind and the ending was a bit rushed. It was a good read all the same and I recommend it.

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

GNAB Dark Echoes of the Past was first published in 2008, and translated into English for US publication in 2017. Ramon Eterovic tells of the lingering problems and pain experienced in Chile long after their troubles resulting from the coup d'etat beginning in 1973. This was a very interesting read, and awoke in me a desire to know more about the history here. When the coup began, encouraged by President Nixon, Chile was the only nation in South America with a democratic government. Following the coup, from Sept 1973 through the 1990's there was continuing turmoil with torture and 'disappearing' happening and all communications, newspapers, and news outlet controlled by the acting government. This novel highlights some of the difficulties in daily living and establishing trust for Chileans in all walks of life into the 21st century. Private detective Heredia is an interesting character, one I would like to visit again.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Ramon Diaz Eterovic, translator Patrick Blaine, and AmazonCrossing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.
pub date Dec 1, 2017
AmazonCrossing

[Duncan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Private detective talks to his cat (who talks back) and eats and smokes while drinking heavily through a case that holds all the tension of a two day old balloon.
The character just wasn't believable that he was someone who could handle himself in the underbelly of society. Seemed more of a sad figure that time had passed by.

Anyway, maybe the original language novel holds more nuance than this version.

[Lawrence FitzGerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I'm a cop and I just do my job. Not like you, always looking for five legs on a cat."

Thus spake Bernales the police detective to Heredia the private detective which sums up the novel nicely. Throw in the mandatory cynicism and futility characteristic of Ibero-American literature since...forever and you have the whole enchilada.

[LVLMLeah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is like a throwback to detective novels of the 40's. Author even pays homage to character Philip Marlow. I liked private investigator Heredia. He's that jaded, but do the right thing guy. He has a cat that plays a prominent role in this book, which as a cat person I liked. He also reads detective novels.

I really don't know anything about Chilean politics or the history of their dictator rule. But interestingly it rather shows the affects of a dictatorship and how cruel it is on citizens under this type of rule. Kind of apropos to today.

I loved the narrator- he did an amazing job of bringing Heredia to life, including the gruffness in his voice. I will be getting the second book to this series.

[Seawood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Riot Challenge '18: A novel in translation

I quite liked this, though crime is not really my favourite genre. The pacing is a little slow for my taste, but I loved the character of Heredia - his snarky relationship with his cat is the perfect counterpoint to the difficult and upsetting material he is investigating (and his off-the-boil kinda-romance). I knew very little about this period in Chile's history and I think I would have liked a little more background, but that's the thing with novels in translation; they often assume a familiarity with the context that foreign readers don't have. And that's fine, it's a spur to finding out more, which I certainly intend to do.

[Carol Dimitriou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, which I won in a Goodreads giveaway, was an interesting and enjoyable read. It was a detective story as well as a story about Chile's violent past. The detective, Heredia, has a cat that he talks to, and imagines talks back to him. He reads poetry, and the American author of detective stories, Dashiell Hammet, and has an office in his apartment. This is the first American translation of the author's work, but he is read in many other countries and is very popular. Judging from this book, I think he will probably become popular here as well.

[Book Him Danno · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by Ramón Díaz Eterovic.
It is always tricky to read a book that has been translated into English from another language because some words and means will not always be the same.

This book is one that feels as if it was lost in translation though out the book.
The history was fascinating and I can't wait to learn more about this time in Chile. The story has moments that will grab readers and other times they will feel lost in the story.
Thank you to Netgalley for the copy of Dark Echoes of the Past

#RamónDíazEterovic. #NetGalley

[Chris Chanona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

At the heart of it all a world weary detective who talks to his cat ...... who replies, often with admonishments. Enjoyable read with literary and music references. Heredita investigates a murder which is anything but simple, leading to Chile's past of torture and dictatorship.

[Jyne Christine Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark Echoes of the Past

It is the first book of a Chilean author that co have read. I found it interesting and confusing at the same time. I think I would have enjoyed it more of if I had understood the regime that existed out there? I would certainly read another of this author's books. After I have read about the culture of the country.

[Snorki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Translation of a Chilean crime novel featuring Heredia, a private investigator living in Santiago. It’s quite a slow-paced tale, but an enjoyable read and conjures up a sense of living in Chile amid the political and cultural implications of the previous dictatorship under Pinochet.

[lesley travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this novel about Chile fascinating as the dictatorship of Allende is a dark time in the relatively recent past.Echoes of Los Desparicdos in Argentina.Muy bueno un otro mas por favor

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

No, not for me. I just couldn't get in to it. Not really a good review but I do think it was probably just me and not the book.

[Kathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like it, but I think it would have been better in Spanish as opposed to the English translation. Too many metaphors and too much flowery language

[Julie Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of global fiction (from the US) and some of them seem to run together story wise when you read enough of them. Needing a book from Chile, I searched for a detective fiction and I fortuitously stumbled upon the father of Chilean Crime Fiction (!) and the author of a wildly popular detective series and tv show. This is the first in the Heredia series and one of only two translated so far into English. It's also on Kindle Unlimited, in the U.S.
PI Heredia is the very epitome of a street wise, jaded detective who looks upon the world with ennui and a sceptic eye, taking cases from his apartment office in between reading books and holding conversations with his cat, Simenon (there are several delicious little bits like the cat's name dropped here and there). Picture a rumpled Columbo. As he's lamenting his boredom, (the book opens with "The worst is not having anything to do."...) his woman friend brings in a former teacher of hers, who asks Heredia to investigate the death of her brother. German Reyes was leaving his work at a big lumberyard/home building supply store when he was shot. The police, known for covering up tricky situations that might be connected to Chile's past, have deemed it a robbery, but the sister notes nothing was taken from him. Heredia takes on the case and we follow him down the elevator and into the streets of Santiago, streets seething with tension still boiling years after the "retirement" of the dictator Pinochet and numbers of former torturers moving in anonymity and freedom among the population. The past hasn't been buried along with all the bodies, and Heredia steps carefully into the bands of ex military who's names and identities are hidden. I got a bit lost following the trails of several individuals up the ladder of former command, but I am guessing some of these men bring up particular characters in the past to Chilean readers. With many bars, cafes, restaurant meetings and local landmarks spicing up the trail, I felt immersed in Chile and the coup of 1973, where the military, with the aid of the U.S., overthrew the socialist Allende government, installed Pinochet as leader, and disappeared many of the trade unionists and artists and students, and tortured many others. Living through this has given Heredia a jaded outlook on life, but he determinedly persists in finding out what a lumberyard worker would have gotten involved in to cause his murder.
Recommend if you like history, global literature, and dense, detailed crime fiction. The detective is highly literate and poetic and books and words are secondary characters. I found myself completely caught up in the Chile of 2008 and will read the second in the series that's available in English.

[Pep Bonet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suelo ser indulgente con los libros de detectives y le dedico la cuarta estrella, aunque bien hubiera podido darle tres, por ser un entretenimiento cordial. Los quioscos de estación (hoy día de aeropuerto) están llenos de buenos entretenimientos sin más. Si le doy la cuarta es por la construcción del personaje y porque cumple bien la función que, desde los tiempos de Hammet y Chandler, se asocia con la novela negra, es decir, la crítica de la sociedad. Para ello, hace falta un investigador privado desapegado de los condicionamientos de la sociedad, con esa libertad que, nos decía Kris Kristofferson por boca de Janis Joplin (Me and Bobby McGee), significa que no te queda nada que perder.
Será por ser una novela en español, o por estar escrita en América, o por pura asociación de ideas, me recordó mucho la serie de novelas de Paco Ignacio Taibo II con Belascoarán como personaje. Similar cinismo del detective, similar vida sexual (es importante que sea un poco desestructurada). Pero el nuestro tiene una relación muy diferente con la policía y con el mundo. Aparentemente menos politizado, al menos en superficie, se dedica a hurgar en los rescoldos de la dictadura. Con lo que, al final, pasa cuentas con el Chile de hoy (muchas) y el de ayer (muchísimas).
En un arranque pirandelliano, el personaje se encuentra en algunas ocasiones con su Escribano, lo que refuerza la idea de que no es una simple historia de aventis, sino que se trata de una obra sesuda, escrita para un público más amplio.
Nota final: el diccionario que viene con el Kindle no sirve de mucho. Si lo lees en Kindle o tableta, asegúrate de tener conexión internet o te perderás en cierta terminología, por ejemplo, culinaria.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ramon Diaz Eterovic is one of the best known writers of crime stories in Chile, where the exploits of his private investigator Heredia are very popular. This was the first of his novels to be translated into English and a welcome addition to the genre. I don’t read many crime novels myself and when I do I particularly enjoy those set in other countries as so often you can learn a lot about another culture through its tales of crime. And this one was no exception. One day Guzman Reyes is gunned down and murdered outside his work and it seems that the police are happy to consider it a botched robbery. However his sister is convinced it had more sinister motives and persuades Heredia to take on the investigation, and inevitably there is indeed a dark background to the murder. Chile’s dictatorship and military rule is only slowly and reluctantly being forced to account for the crimes committed by the Pinochet regime, and Reyes’ murder is just one small part of a tangled web of revenge and demands for justice. I enjoyed the book very much. Heredia is a quirky character – as all good detectives are doomed to be – and a wide cast of diverse characters people the pages. It’s a relatively lightweight novel, even humorous at times, but doesn’t shy away from confronting the grim reality of the past that still haunts the country. A good read.

[The Bamboo Traveler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth book about Chile that I've read on my Chile reading marathon before my trip to Chile later this year.

I love mysteries, and I also like my detectives with some edge to them. Detective Heredia has a lot of edge. He's a 50-year-old bachelor who lives alone with his cat. He actually talks to his cat (and his cat talks back to him.) He smokes, he drinks, he gambles, and best of all, he reads books. Poetry, sci-fi, mysteries. He's sarcastic and abrasive and he has a healthy dose of skepticism for those in authority or any bullshit someone throws at him.

I also love history and this book mixes crime with Chilean history. A man is murdered in what police say was an attempted robbery. The man's sister doesn't think so and hires Heredia to find out what really happened to her brother. Heredia's investigation soon leads him to the man's past and his time spent in Pinochet's prisons being tortured for being a union leader. Was he murdered for attempting to bring to justice those who tortured him?

Intriguing plot and intriguing characters. Too bad the story peters out toward the end. Much of the evidence that Heredia uncovers is circumstantial, and all Heredia needs to do is point a gun at a suspect and he confesses--too easy!

[VT Dorchester · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed reading this book. I would certainly be interested in reading further translations of this Chilean author's detective novels, as everything is quite wonderful here - the fantastic noir style, with the occasional funny bits, the hero who talks to both his cat and his writer, the allusions to the crime writers and their heroes who have come before, which do not quite overwhelm us but wink at us instead. And for someone not well versed in Chilean history, that this novel calls on relatively recent historical crimes in that country is also both interestingly done and informative. An all around class act, I give this novel four stars out of five simply because as it is part of a series and I have not had access to the novels which come before this, there were a few times I felt a little left out of the characterizations which have probably been developed over many years and books before this one. Please translate more!

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for this review.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this was a standalone novel, I think I would be much harsher on this. However, as it appears there are other books in the series, my opinion has softened a bit.
The story follows Heredia, a private investigator in Chile. Along with him is a newsagent, and his talking cat Simeneon, whom he helps talk and solve cases with his advice. Unusual and quirky, but kind of cool.
The novel itself almost feels like a Western, something from a bygone era, where crime and punishment were solved and dished out in different ways to today.
However where the book started to fall down for me was in the point of view. First person for me didn’t work. It’s not necessarily a bad thing at all but, as our lead character was pitted against danger it felt a little too obvious he would survive, at least in my eyes anyway. Really my only complaint, but it was something that gnawed away at me throughout the novel.

[Mary Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe Dark Echoes wasn’t the best choice in this series to translate, at least as an initial offering. The extremely heavy post-Pinochet subject matter melds awkwardly with what seem like established whimsical elements (the extended conversations between the detective and his cat, for example). Moreover, the plotting here is awkward and uneven, with way too much of an info dump right at the end when a suspect responds to accusations with improbable (and surely out-of-character) verbosity. It’s clear enough why the series works elsewhere—Díaz Eterovic is a good writer, with a flair for detail, and Heredia an interesting protagonist in the noir tradition—but Dark Echoes can’t possibly be the best example of it.

52 Book Club’s 2025 Reading Challenge
49. Set in a country with an active volcano.