Novela misógina a niveles realmente difíciles de alcanzar. Tras un primer capítulo en el que el protagonista demuestra ser increíblemente creepy y baboso, con detalladísimas descripciones del cuerpo de la chica que trabaja para él de secretaria y cómo interpreta que ella haga crujir su cuello tras horas escribiendo en la misma postura como un claro intento de seducción por parte de ella (claro, ¿qué otra cosa puede ser?), decido seguir leyendo para ver si el machismo del protagonista es intencionado, pero tras un segundo capítulo en el que la protagonista describe a su abogada como “una gorda que odia a los hombres”, dejo de torturarme. Por lo demás, ni está bien escrita ni el misterio me ha parecido demasiado interesante.

This book meandered a little bit. It had difficulty getting to the point, and although it was quick, I still felt like it took forever to finish which is never a good feeling. It brought up some interesting quandaries, but they were not fully explored, and it felt like Martinez opened up a lot of different directions without fully understanding how to tie them up.

An Argentinian writer gets a call from a former secretary (Luciana), ten years after working with her for a single month. She's desperate to see him. He remembers her. That beginning pulled me in. The tension in this book from the very beginning had me turning pages.

Readers learn of the brief, but alluring relationship between the writer and Luciana, as well as her abandonment of him when she returned to the distinguished older writer Kloster. Luciana returns to the writer with an incredible story - Kloster is killing off all those close to her, slowly, decisively, but not inexplicably. Luciana relays her story. A brief flirtation turned sexual harassment case against Kloster leads Kloster's wife to divorce him. Kloster loses his child. Luciana believes this is the motivation for his revenge. It has taken years. Years of fear that have driven Luciana to the brink of madness.

The writer intervenes. Here, Martinez builds more tension into the story with the writer's admittance that he never should have taken that step or if only he could have foreseen...language that foreshadows the evil ahead. He meets with Kloster and hears another side to the story. Back and forth the story bounces all the while building to some deadly ending.

And then, it just falls kind of flat. Although the suspense built throughout the story around these 3 characters, it goes a very different direction toward the end. And I have to say it wasn't as satisfying as the other possibilities I was working through in my mind.

A well-written book, full of tense, foreboding language and an intriguing premise, but a less than satisfying ending.

2.5⭐️ interesting murder mystery but constantly uncomfortable with how women were portrayed in the book

O aventura politista mai sofisticata, captivanta, povestita de un scriitor a carui dactilografa trece prin niste intamplari de necrezut. Romanul trateaza tema hazardului, a coincidentelor, a puterii individului de a influenta curgerea evenimentelor sau a destinului, a cuplului cauza-efect. Intriga porneste din rivalitatea amoroasa intre doi scriitori si se dezvolta pana la razbunare si crima.