Manuel Marlasca

Full of authenticity, narrative tension, and devoid of authorial vanity. A great debut.

Marlasca’s novel brings together the insight of someone who’s met countless real-life police officers with the literary skill of someone who truly loves fiction. A rare mix in crime novels. If you read it, you might understand why police officers — so far removed from both the soulless clichés and the superhero portrayals — can sometimes win the most difficult and uncertain bet: the one about what really stirs within the human heart.

A detective thriller with an incredible plot.

A solid police procedural featuring unforgettable characters. The story follows Madrid’s Group X as they investigate a brutal murder connected to an old case. Jimmy, the main character, is complex without being overbearing, and pairs brilliantly with Mangas — a character made of scars. No cheap tricks here, just a powerful ending that places both story and reader in uncomfortable but meaningful places. And yes, there’s a cat named Udyco.

A remarkable debut, as Carlos Zanón already noted. This police novel isn’t just for officers — it portrays them as few stories do: real, flawed, and human. The pacing grips you from the start. The writing is clean and confident, and within its 500 pages lies the author’s love for literature.

A noir novel with many characters (mostly cops) and an escalating suspense. It all starts with a woman’s torso found in a suitcase in an abandoned factory. From there, Group X of the Madrid Judicial Police dives into a dark, complex investigation.