Our next story takes us a world away—literally—to quite a different murder investigation. Author Tom Larsen set this tale in Manta, Ecuador, a popular tourist destination along the coast. You’ll find this story in the Best Mysteries of 2022.

This is one of the longer stories in our anthology, and you’ll notice that Larsen takes the time and description to re-create the culture of the town, the workings of the police system, and the characters of Captain Delgado (the outsider/newcomer) and Sargent Ortega (young, native to area, proud).

While their relationship doesn’t exactly parallel Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin’s, see if you can find some similarities in how the fellows work together to solve a crime.

Click here to download or print a pdf copy of this lesson.

Larsen talks about how he got interested in mystery writing, and what he is learning about the genre.

I’ve always loved reading but my introduction to crime fiction didn’t come until I was in college—the same time I discovered The Blues. I bought my first Muddy Waters album at a used-records store in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and my first Raymond Chandler work—a short story anthology entitled The Red Wind—in a nearby used-bookstore. Just as I was hooked by the sound of Muddy’s voice growling the opening lines of “Blind Man Blues” I read this passage in the bookstore and I knew that I had to buy the book:

“There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands’ necks. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge.”

Chandler led me to Hammett of course, and then McBain and the MacDonalds—John D. and Ross. Through the years I’ve read—and attempted to write—every kind of story imaginable, but I always seem to come back to crime fiction, specifically those in the Noir genre.

I think Netflix more than anything is responsible for piquing my interest in foreign authors. I’ve always loved British mysteries and at one point I stumbled upon a short-lived BBC series based on Ian Rankin’s John Rebus character. I’ve since read all the Rebus novels, and I’m currently awaiting the October release of “A Heart Full of Headstones”—Book # 24 in the series.

When I used to read Stephen King—I still think he’s a great writer, but I only have room in my head for so many 700-page novels—it wasn’t for the horror aspect but because of the characters and the sense of place. The same thing goes for Rankin. In all his Rebus novels, Edinburgh Scotland is as much a character as Rebus himself. Chandler’s L.A, McBain’s New York—I know he didn’t call it NYC, but c’mon—and the Russia of Martin Cruz Smith led me to Stieg Larrson’s Sweden and Jo Nesbø’s Norway.

As far as movies and series, I’ve now become a fan of Australian, Polish, German, and even Icelandic mysteries.

I am a huge fan of the Akashic Books series of Noir anthologies from around the world. Since I lived in Ecuador from 2014 to 2020, I particularly enjoy the South American anthologies. I even pitched an Ecuador Noir anthology to Akashic but alas, it was not to be.

I was able to create a series of my own featuring Wilson Salinas, an Ecuadorian P.I. I based the character—very loosely—on the Ecuadorian taxi driver who picked us up at our hotel in Guayaquil and took us on the four-hour drive through the Andes Mountains to our new home in Cuenca. Wilson’s exploits led me to the creation of another character. Capitán Ernesto Guillén of Ecuador’s policía nacional is a corrupt cop, but also an excellent detective.

Stories featuring these two characters have been published in AHMM, Mystery Tribune, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, and Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine. Throughout these stories I’ve tried my best to give readers a sense of the beauty as well as the darkness and complexity of life in this wonderful country.

One of my favorite pastimes of late is to discover new authors in the genre—at least new to me. Over the past year I’ve discovered some fine authors who let you travel the world without leaving home: Caimh McDonnell—Ireland, Renee Pawlish—Denver, and Lee Goldberg—L.A. If you haven’t read anything by these authors, you owe it to yourself to check them out.

When I retired from my “real” job in 2014, my wife and I sold everything and relocated to Cuenca, Ecuador, where we lived for six years. We had contracted with a driver to meet us at Guayaquil Airport and take us on the 4-hour trip through the Andes to Cuenca.

Emilio turned out to be the perfect individual to introduce us to our new home.  He was friendly, knowledgeable, and his English was great, having lived in Minneapolis for 10 years.

As a writer I am always looking for new characters, and Emilio’s journey intrigued me. What would it be like to leave your home at the age of 21 and travel to a frigid northern city where you knew no one and didn’t even speak the language? And what changes would you find when you returned?

Emilio was the inspiration for my Ecuadorian PI Wilson Salinas, whose first story appeared in the July 2017 issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Wilson needed a nemesis, so I created Capitán Ernesto Guillén of Ecuador’s policía nacional. I made the captain an overbearing, bungling, corrupt tub of lard—a bit of a stereotype, I admit. Then I began to wonder: what if he was still overbearing, fat, and corrupt, but he was in fact a skilled investigator. Thus began my second series set in Ecuador—The Capitán Guillén Mysteries.

With its numerous short chapters/scenes, Larsen paints a portrait of the poverty and corruption of a small Ecuadoran city. He layers this world with glimpses of desperation, greed, jealousy, but also integrity and belief in justice.

Setting
What impressions do you take away of Manta, and why? Notice how Larsen describes the city and the people. What details stay with you?

While we don’t know how much of this story is true (about the drug running, for example), it does show us how a legal system works in another country. 

Characters

Delgado’s (which ironically means “skinny” in Spanish) is a huge presence in every way. It takes a while to learn all the backstory. Why did he end up in Manta? What’s the deal with his wife and estranged son? Consider his investigative methods and handling of suspects. There’s a lot to this “fat toad” of a man. How do you think he changes by the end?

Ortega must be constantly reminded that he is not a colleague or a partner, but rather the “go-fer” and driver for his new boss. As he says at one point, in his life he never uttered as many “Yes sir’s.”  It’s very clever how we guess and predict each next clue based on Ortega’s enthusiastic reactions and follow-up questions. It’s also interesting what Larsen does NOT reveal; Ortega’s silence (about his old boss, for example) almost derails Delgado’s logic.

Who are the other good and bad guys?

The plot is familiar: catch the murderer. But first we have to sort out the clues, involved characters, and possible motives. Those motives tie back to the theme of the story—what’s the WHYDUNNIT?

As we come to our final weeks of the semester, you can look back and see a good variety of mysteries and why they captivate us.

Take notes as you work through “El Cuerpo” so we can look more closely at how this story works.