cover image Or the Bull Kills You

Or the Bull Kills You

Jason Webster. Minotaur, $24.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-312-58183-1

Webster's remarkable first novel, a baffling mystery centered on the world of Spanish bullfighting, introduces Chief Insp. Max C%C3%A1mara of the Valencia police. Despite attacks from animal rights activists and politicians hoping to ride public opposition to bullfighting into office, the sport has had a resurrection, thanks to a charismatic young matador, Jorge Blanco. When Blanco's naked body turns up one night in an empty bullring, with two banderilla darts hanging from his back, a matador's sword in his rib cage, and a Spanish flag tied around his neck, C%C3%A1mara isn't pleased to be assigned what is bound to be a high-profile murder case. Webster makes the bullfighting integral to the plot rather than a mere backdrop, effortlessly conveying the role of the sport in Spanish society. The well-rounded lead%E2%80%94cynical, willing to bend the rules, emotionally wounded%E2%80%94should be more than capable of sustaining a long series. (Sept.)