Leighton Gage (1942–2013)

This is the second book in the Chief Inspector Mario Silva series set in Brazil. This book is a page-turner for sure. This is a series not for the faint of heart. There's lots of violence and propulsive action, and nothing is really sacred in Leighton's delivery. The book is a compelling story about the difference between the haves and have-nots in modern-day Brazil where the politicians and the police officers seem to have their fingers in every pot. But not Mario Silva and his team. Silva show more will go as far as he needs to get to the bottom of a mystery. When a plot of land is discovered deep in the Amazonian forest that holds approximately thirty graves, Silva knows that this is not a case that will be easily solved. The fact that the bodies are unidentifiable, and had been there for seven years and didn't match with any missing persons listed, make him realize that this was a graveyard for the forgotten poor. As they dig, Silva is horrified to uncover what has been actually going on for decades right under police noses. While trying to find the guilty parties, and doing this while keeping his superior completely in the dark, Mario is shocked to the core as the appalling details come out. The book moves along very quickly, and left me wanting to quickly read the next in the series. The scope of the police corruption in Mario's police force was as frightening as the degradation of the killers. show less

Blood of the Wicked by Leighton Gage is the first book in the series featuring Chief Inspector Mario Silva of the Federal Police of Brazil. This is a book that reached out and totally grabbed me. A murder mystery wrapped in a layered, well written novel that shines a light on the plight of the poor and landless against the rich and landed. Involving priests, corrupt officials, political activists and journalists this was a roller coaster ride that informed as well as thrilled.

When a Catholic show more Bishop arrives to dedicate a new church in the city of Cascatas and is immediately murdered, Chief Inspector Mario Silva is sent to investigate. Silva and his team arrive at a time of political unrest in the area as first a local agitator and his family are horribly murdered, than in apparent retaliation, a wealthy landowners son goes missing. Meanwhile a group of poor farmers have taken over a portion of an estate and are trying to draw attention to the conditions they are having to live in. Trying to figure out if all these cases are connected has Silva desperately trying to fit the pieces together.

In Blood of the Wicked there are more than enough bad guys, but there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest and I haven’t felt such hatred for a villain in a long time. I truly wanted this guy to not only be exposed but for him to come to a bad end as well. The story contains torture, rape, corruption, murder and violence and as such, would not be suitable for everyone. This is a tale of retribution, revenge and ultimately justice and, as a first book in a series, Blood of the Wicked had me riveted and now wanting to see what comes next after such an emotionally charged debut. show less

Reading The Ways of Evil Men was bittersweet. I have been a tremendous fan of the Chief Inspector Mario Silva books since the very first one, Blood of the Wicked. But with author Leighton Gage's death due to pancreatic cancer in 2013, it was tough knowing that this is the last book in a truly remarkable series. Each book is a seamless blend of police procedural, character study, and social commentary. I can think of no other series in crime fiction that gives such a heartfelt and unflinching show more portrait of a country than Gage's.

" The State of Pará was Brazil's modern-day equivalent of the old American Wild West. Life was cheap; violence, rife; ignorance and poverty, endemic."

By setting his book in a place that is identifiable to anyone remotely familiar with the American Wild West, Gage lets us know that the past isn't always past. Horrible things are still happening around the world in a daily basis, and in an area where travel is difficult and distances vast, it is a simple matter for those in charge to do whatever they like. City people aren't going to care what's happening almost a thousand miles away in a place no one's heard of. What difference does it make that a tribe has been almost completely wiped out? There were only 41 of them anyway.

The characters Leighton Gage created are the type of city people to whom such atrocities matter. All it takes is one person who refuses to accept the status quo, and in The Ways of Evil Men, that one is tribal agent Jade Calmon. She knows her limitations, but she will not quit, and it's her lucky day when Silva is assigned to the case.

Silva is another person whose moral code will not let him rest, and he's assembled a team cut from the same cloth. In many ways, he's the Marshall Matt Dillon or Sheriff Walt Longmire of Brazil. If he sees something wrong, he's going to fix it. If he has to work around corrupt or lazy officials above him in the food chain, that's exactly what he'll do, and he does it with grace, style, and a dash of humor.

Silva is the man you want on your side, and as I followed him through this investigation-- as I've followed him through six previous books-- it reminded me of how fortunate the world is that people like Calmon and Silva really do exist, and that writers like Leighton Gage tell us about them. Certain events in The Ways of Evil Men show us new, exciting directions in which the author was planning to take the series, and they will forever remain speculation amongst his fans. Some of the color went out of the world when Leighton Gage died, but his literary legacy is pure gold. I can't recommend his books highly enough. show less

Bishop Dom Felipe Antunes arrives in the remote Brazilian town of Cascatas do Pontal to consecrate a newly built church and is shot by a sniper the moment he steps off his helicopter. Mario Silva, Chief Inspector for Criminal Matters for the Federal Police is sent to the town to investigate the high-profile death. What he finds is a corrupt local police force with friends in very high places and near-war brewing between wealthy landowners and the farmers who are fighting for the law which show more says that uncultivated land can be appropriated for genuine farming.

Upon arrival, Silva finds himself at odds with almost everyone, from the police department to the parish priests to the local residents, both rich and poor, who consider him an outsider. But Silva, together with his nephew Hector Costa, is determined to discover who killed the priest and why. When the adult son of one of the wealthiest men in the town disappears, tensions are raised another notch. Silva is under pressure from twice daily phone calls from his Director to sort out the mess which is playing badly in the media and also from local activists who are desperate for genuine justice to be implemented in their town.

Blood of the Wicked, is a compelling mystery set in modern Brazil and reflects the conflict between the few large land owners and the many landless in the country. This was a great introduction to the political and cultural system of Brazil, a country I admit I know virtually nothing about. It's definitely not for the faint hearted because there are numerous brutal deaths including innocent women and children. Mario Silva is a sympathetic protagonist, not without his own personal demons, and I really look forward to continuing this series. show less