Remember My Face: A Willie Cuesta Mystery

John Lantigua

Sep 2020 · Arte Publico Press

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Willie Cuesta, former Miami Police Department detective turned private investigator, is relaxing at a beachfront hotel when he receives a call from an immigration attorney about a case. He’s reluctant to leave the view—of the sea and several bathing beauties—but Willie can’t afford to turn down work. He agrees to travel to central Florida to search for Ernesto Perez, an undocumented farmworker who has disappeared. His family is worried sick because, though he had been calling and sending money home regularly to Mexico for years, he hasn’t been heard from in three months. In Cane County, Willie discovers a healthy agricultural industry, a large migrant population picking the crops and a heavily armed, anti-government militia. Willie quickly discovers Perez isn’t the only undocumented worker to go missing; several have disappeared, though their illegal status means no one has bothered to investigate. As he digs into the case, several suspicious characters surface: Narciso Cruz, who is responsible for smuggling in the undocumented workers willing to do the backbreaking labor for minimal pay; Quincy Vetter, a local landowner who has imposed his anti-government sentiment county wide; and Dusty Powell, a drug dealer who has contributed to several heroin overdoses in the area. And there’s the very beautiful daughter of a farm owner who wants salsa lessons … is someone setting him up? When people he talked to start turning up dead, Willie knows he’s onto something big—and dangerous. But is it related to the local drug business? Or the anti-government lunatics? When his investigation leads to a piece of property near the Everglades, Willie Cuesta finds himself playing cat-and-mouse with several armed men intent on putting an end to the case—and him!

Autoren-Profil

JOHN LANTIGUA is an award-winning journalist and novelist. His novels include On Hallowed Ground (Arte Publico, 2011), The Lady from Buenos Aires (Arte Publico Press, 2007), The Ultimate Havana (Signet, 2001), Player’s Vendetta (Signet, 1999), Twister (Simon and Schuster, 1992), and Burn Season (Putnam, 1989). His first novel, Heat Lightning (Putnam, 1987), was a finalist for the Edgar Awards Best First Novel. He is the recipient of numerous awards for his journalistic writings, including two Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards (2004, 2006) and the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting (1999). He lives and works in South Florida.