num_pages: 204
description: Maquel is a young used car salesman from the mean streets of So Paulo with a bad toothache and a bleak outlook: The essence of man the material he's made of is something black and stinking. When a petty barroom tiff turns sour Maquel gets his first taste of the kill. But instead of being arrested he is lauded as a local hero. Yet something in the undertow continues to trouble him. Deeply. Maquel pays a visit to Dr. Carvalho--a dentist with gleaming canines and a peculiar interest in violence. The doctor lectures Maquel on the theory of the born criminal and offers him a deal: free dental care in exchange for the death of the man who raped his daughter. Soon the dentist's wealthy friends want to make deals with Maquel too. Maquel has become The Killer. Thus bombarded from without and within Maquel's life in crime escalates to stunning heights. Brutal infidelities are committed Mafia-style dealings are conducted and civic honors are bestowed. From there the fall is devastating.
language: Portuguese
title: O Matador
publisher: Companhia das Letras