Blood Lake — K.J.A. Wishnia / Ken Wishnia

Wishnia transplants her New York City private detective Filomena Buscarsela back to the swampy town of Guayaquil in her native Ecuador in a mystery that successfully serves up exotic atmosphere, complex family relations, social unrest, and dazzling characterization. Filomena and her teenage daughter visit family in Ecuador--for Filomena, this means dredging up past traumas, including her work as a revolutionary, during which she witnessed the execution of her boyfriend. During their stay, the priest who rescued her from her rage is murdered, presumably by one of the death squads or rabid politicians he opposed. Filomena has quite a task before her. On the detective side, she must sort through the volatile politics of a nation from which she has grown estranged. And psychologically, she must come to terms with her own love-hate for her family, her country, and her own past.