The Summer of Dead Toys: A Thriller (Inspector Salgado)
Hill’s first novel introduces Hector Salgado, a soulful Barcelona police inspector who is coping reasonably well with being single again. His wife has left him for a woman, and he’s unofficially on “probation” for savagely beating a shady doctor who worked for a group of child traffickers. Hector’s tack-sharp assistant, Leire, is young, ambitious, and newly pregnant. She’s planning on having the baby but has no idea how she can work and raise a child alone. It’s a good thing that the novel is heavily character-based, because the plot, which begins simply with the apparently accidental death of the 19-year-old son of a prominent family, quickly darts off in many different directions, including drug dealing, voodoo, family dysfunction, deceit, and pedophilia. Each thread introduces new, carefully drawn characters, all harboring secrets. Sadly, Barcelona doesn’t receive equal attention. One of the world’s most fascinating cities, Barcelona deserves better than easy nods to summer heat, pickpockets, and the revelry of the San Juan holiday. Perhaps Hill will hit his stride with a second Salgado novel. --Thomas Gaughan