title: Made in Acapulco: The Emilia Cruz Stories
author:  Carmen Amato 
description: <b>MEET EMILIA CRUZ</b><br /><span>Detective Emilia Cruz is a good liar, a fast thinker, a determined investigator and a mean kickboxer. An Acapulco native forced to grow up too fast, she's been a cop for nearly 12 years and a detective for two; a strong woman in a squadroom that didn't want her and is still trying to break her. But Emilia isn't afraid to defend herself and get what she's rightfully earned. But she doesn't know how to handle gringo Kurt Rucker, the manager of a luxury hotel in Acapulco. A former U.S. Marine, he has the confidence and leadership qualities she admires. A triathlete, he's calm under pressure and knows what he wants. But does Emilia?</span><br /><br /><b>THE TWO FACES OF ACAPULCO</b><br /><span>There's the Acapulco that tourists know; luxury hi-rises, candlelit nights on the beach, the sweep of the most beautiful bay in the world, the majesty of the clear blue Pacific. There's also the Acapulco that is a prize to be fought over by drug cartels--the city that is home to hookers and thieves, the streets where life is cheap and poverty is as pervasive as the wind off the ocean. Both of these versions of Acapulco claw at each other and force Emilia to survive between them. No investigation will be easy, no crime will be simple.</span><br /><br /><b>Grab a margarita and come on down to Acapulco . . . If you can take the heat.</b><br /><br /><span>MADE IN ACAPULCO also contains the first two chapters of Carmen Amato's political thriller THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY. Attorney Eddo Cortez Castillo's unexpected relationship with housemaid Luz de Maria Alba Mora becomes a dangerous vulnerability when he investigates links between Mexico's Minister for Public Security and the country's most elusive drug cartel leader. As presidential elections near, Eddo's investigation will uncover a political double-cross fueled by drug money. He'll follow the money trail deep into the underbelly of Mexico's drug culture, where violence buys loyalty, votes are for sale, the odds are against survival, and only a woman whose name means Light of Mary can guide him out.</span><br /><br /><i>Note: This is the second edition of MADE IN ACAPULCO and contains additional original content. The 2012 edition is no longer in print.</i>
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  Copyright
  
  
  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either
  the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
  resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely
  coincidental.
  
  
  Copyright © 2020 by Benedict Brown
  
  
  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any
  manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of
  quotations in a book review.
  
  
  First edition September 2020
  
  
  Cover design by info@amapopico.com
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Contents
  
  
  [Chapter One](part0003.html#_idTextAnchor001)
  
  
  [Chapter Two](part0004.html#_idTextAnchor002)
  
  
  [Chapter Three](part0005.html#_idTextAnchor003)
  
  
  [Chapter Four](part0006.html#_idTextAnchor004)
  
  
  [Chapter Five](part0007.html#_idTextAnchor005)
  
  
  [Chapter Six](part0008.html#_idTextAnchor006)
  
  
  [Chapter Seven](part0009.html#_idTextAnchor007)
  
  
  [Chap