Steve Lewis
CAROLINA GARCIA-AGUILERA The Right Profile.†Short story. Maria Magdalena “Maggie” Morales #1. First published in Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery, edited by Sarah Cortez & Liz Martinez. Probably never reprinted or collected.
As a Cuban-American private eye based in Miami, Maggie Morales seems to work exclusively for a low level attorney named Bobbie O'Meara. (She tries to get paid in advance but doesn't always succeed.) In this case, her only appearance on record, her assignment to get the goods on an ex-husband who claims he can't pay the money he owes to his former wife because he can't work. He's a photographer by trade, and in court, he's an awfully good faker.
Posing as a client who needs a photo shoot done, Maggie gets the evidence that proves otherwise, with a final shot back at the man in court that he richly deserves. It's a minor case, but even so, it provides the reader a solid ten minutes of reading fun. The author, Carolina Garcia-Aguilera, a PI herself, is better known for the six novels she has written about another Cuban-American private eye by the name of Lupe Solano, also based in Miami.
11 comments:
I've read some of her Lupe Solano stories and liked them, Patti. Most especially, I like the look they give at the Cuban and Cuban-American community in South Florida. This one sounds interesting.
I've seen her name but never read anything by her.
I'm reading a collection of modern noir0ish stories. They're pretty dark, for the most part. Something lighter was John Scalzi's "An Election," originally published more than a decade ago (apparently), in the same world as his recently published novella CONSTITUENT SERVICE. The Councilman in the Third District, the "majority minority" district, is killed by a city bus, and this shorter story details the special election to replace him. I paid 99 cents to download it. Good (if minor) fun.
I have an Aquilera book or two around here somewhere. I'm starting to locate Christmas short stories for December!
New to me.
I don't have a single anthology of Christmas stories.
As a lifelong atheist, I've gathered several, perhaps even a couple of dozen, which various takes on the religious holidays aren't too problematic for me...the occasional evangelical one I see are usually more amusing than anything else...
I got one, just arrived but worth the holler! https://socialistjazz.blogspot.com/2025/11/short-story-wednesday-book-received.html
THE LOST COAST AND OTHER SHARON McCONE STORIES (2026), a best-of by Marcia Muller...
The short story sounds interesting. I will look into the author and her series also.
I have a good number of Christmas anthologies but I am not in the mood for them right now.
A few of her novels are in the library catalog. I'll have to put her on the TBR.
Thanks for the add, Patti!
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