"With frenetic pace and a hypnotic plot, Urgent Matters is an essential read." --Agustina Bazterrica, author of Tender is the Flesh
An electric Argentinian thriller featuring a deadly train crash, two unidentified bodies, and a missing murder suspect--perfect for fans of Attica Locke and Steph Cha
The Americans are more astute when it comes to matters like these. They say “not guilty”. They don’t say “innocent”. Because as far as innocence goes, no one can make that claim.
A train crashes in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, leaving forty-three fatalities, two of which have not been identified. A prayer card of Saint Expeditus, the patron saint of urgent matters, flutters above the wreckage.
Hugo, a criminal on the run for murder, is on the train. He seizes his chance to sneak out of the wreckage unsuspected, abandoning his possessions – and, he hopes, his identity – among bodies mangled beyond recognition.
As the police descend on the scene, only grizzled Detective Domínguez sees a link between the crash and his murder case. Soon, he’s on Hugo’s tail. But he hasn’t banked on everything from the media to his mother-in-law getting in the way.
“[A] perfectly paced and plotted Argentine thriller... one of the most delightful cat-and-mouse thrillers I’ve read in quite some time.” --Crime Reads “Raymond Chandler by way of Jorge Luis Borges… for an adventurous reader of literary noir, Rodríguez’s intriguing take on the genre should prove a treat.” --Toronto Star
“[A] breathless procedural... a notable addition to South American noir.” --Times and Sunday Times Crime Club
"Part thriller, part telenovela, Paula Rodríguez’s bleakly comic novel is all Argentine in its awareness of how society makes accommodation with corruption… [a] well-wrought tango noir." --Times (UK)
"A vivid and unforgiving depiction of a world in which everyone... is guilty of something." --Guardian
"This fast-moving novel evokes the teeming metropolis of Buenos Aires in a vibrant fashion, travelling between its poles of social differences and affording insights into a country still divided by race and class." --Crime Time
"Written in the taut, clean style of the classic pulp noir... the story barrels along at a ferocious rate" --Irish Times
"Paula Rodriguez’s debut novel beautifully evokes the sense of disjointed strangeness and shattered reality that descends in the immediate aftermath of a major disaster, before the dust has settled and the victims accounted for." --Breaking News
"Fast-paced and funny, breathing life into an intriguing cast." --Observer
"With frenetic pace and a hypnotic, disturbing plot, Urgent Matters is an exploration of how facts are constructed and which of them prevail to become realities. In the post-truth era, it is an essential read." --Agustina Bazterrica, author of Tender is the Flesh
“Brilliantly-developed characters and a suspenseful journey with an Argentinian noir backdrop.” --Murderjowrote
“If this novel by Paula Rodriguez is anything to go by Argentinian noir may be the next big thing.” --Book Phace
“It is a perfect slice of Argentine Noir with a current of dark humour running through it and I would highly recommend picking this up if you are looking for a sharp, energetic and compelling read.” --Life with all the books
“The stand out element of the story was the fabulous character development. All the key players feel like they are pushing their way out of the book into my world.” --Grab this book
Paula Rodríguez is a journalist, editor, co-founder, writer, comedian, ghostwriter, and feminist activist. She has worked for twenty-five years in magazine editorial. Urgent Matters is her first novel.
Sarah Moses is a writer and translator of French and Spanish. She co-translated Sos una sola persona by Stuart Ross and Die, My Love by Ariana Harwicz, which was longlisted for the International Booker Prize, among other awards. Her translation of Agustina Bazterrica’s Tender Is the Flesh was originated by Pushkin Press in 2020. Sarah divides her time between Buenos Aires and Toronto.
"With frenetic pace and a hypnotic plot, Urgent Matters is an essential read." --Agustina Bazterrica, author of Tender is the Flesh
An electric Argentinian thriller featuring a deadly train crash, two unidentified bodies, and a missing murder suspect--perfect for fans of Attica Locke and Steph Cha
The Americans are more astute when it comes to matters like these. They say “not guilty”. They don’t say “innocent”. Because as far as innocence goes, no one can make that claim.
A train crashes in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, leaving forty-three fatalities, two of which have not been identified. A prayer card of Saint Expeditus, the patron saint of urgent matters, flutters above the wreckage.
Hugo, a criminal on the run for murder, is on the train. He seizes his chance to sneak out of the wreckage unsuspected, abandoning his possessions – and, he hopes, his identity – among bodies mangled beyond recognition.
As the police descend on the scene, only grizzled Detective Domínguez sees a link between the crash and his murder case. Soon, he’s on Hugo’s tail. But he hasn’t banked on everything from the media to his mother-in-law getting in the way.
Reviews
“[A] perfectly paced and plotted Argentine thriller... one of the most delightful cat-and-mouse thrillers I’ve read in quite some time.” --Crime Reads “Raymond Chandler by way of Jorge Luis Borges… for an adventurous reader of literary noir, Rodríguez’s intriguing take on the genre should prove a treat.” --Toronto Star
“[A] breathless procedural... a notable addition to South American noir.” --Times and Sunday Times Crime Club
"Part thriller, part telenovela, Paula Rodríguez’s bleakly comic novel is all Argentine in its awareness of how society makes accommodation with corruption… [a] well-wrought tango noir." --Times (UK)
"A vivid and unforgiving depiction of a world in which everyone... is guilty of something." --Guardian
"This fast-moving novel evokes the teeming metropolis of Buenos Aires in a vibrant fashion, travelling between its poles of social differences and affording insights into a country still divided by race and class." --Crime Time
"Written in the taut, clean style of the classic pulp noir... the story barrels along at a ferocious rate" --Irish Times
"Paula Rodriguez’s debut novel beautifully evokes the sense of disjointed strangeness and shattered reality that descends in the immediate aftermath of a major disaster, before the dust has settled and the victims accounted for." --Breaking News
"Fast-paced and funny, breathing life into an intriguing cast." --Observer
"With frenetic pace and a hypnotic, disturbing plot, Urgent Matters is an exploration of how facts are constructed and which of them prevail to become realities. In the post-truth era, it is an essential read." --Agustina Bazterrica, author of Tender is the Flesh
“Brilliantly-developed characters and a suspenseful journey with an Argentinian noir backdrop.” --Murderjowrote
“If this novel by Paula Rodriguez is anything to go by Argentinian noir may be the next big thing.” --Book Phace
“It is a perfect slice of Argentine Noir with a current of dark humour running through it and I would highly recommend picking this up if you are looking for a sharp, energetic and compelling read.” --Life with all the books
“The stand out element of the story was the fabulous character development. All the key players feel like they are pushing their way out of the book into my world.” --Grab this book
Author
Paula Rodríguez is a journalist, editor, co-founder, writer, comedian, ghostwriter, and feminist activist. She has worked for twenty-five years in magazine editorial. Urgent Matters is her first novel.
Sarah Moses is a writer and translator of French and Spanish. She co-translated Sos una sola persona by Stuart Ross and Die, My Love by Ariana Harwicz, which was longlisted for the International Booker Prize, among other awards. Her translation of Agustina Bazterrica’s Tender Is the Flesh was originated by Pushkin Press in 2020. Sarah divides her time between Buenos Aires and Toronto.
