Either you kill the bull, or the bull kills you - traditional proverb.
Chief Inspector Max Cámara hates bullfighting but one hot afternoon in Valencia he has to replace his boss, judging a festival corrida that stars Spain's most famous young matador. That night, he is summoned back to the bullring where the young matador's dead body now lies, naked and mutilated.
As the city prepares for the Fallas, the five day festival of fireworks and celebrations, and the politicians work feverishly towards an election, Cámara hunts down his prey through the city's streets and bars. But as he follows the trail of death, money, corruption and sex in search of the killer, he must also battle his own demons and desires...
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One of the most attractive figures to enter recent detective fiction... Like the best detective stories, this book becomes a scrutiny of our most powerful drives and secrets - Independent
Does for Spain what Michael Dibdin did to wonderful effect in his 'Zen' novels for Italy ... a marvellous novel ripe with passion, love and murder ... it is wonderful to read about a crime thriller in the sun - rather than the latest fashion of Swedish murders with its freezing cold and bleak weather, short days and long nights! bit.ly/heaQv6 - Crimesquad.com
He mixes the various ingredients of Valencian tradition, political factions and personal intrigue into a memorable paella of Mediterranean noir - Independent
Nifty plotting, great descriptions and the most enchanting new detective I've come across in a good while - Guardian
More than a thrilling story of violence and detection; it takes the reader deep into the core of the Spanish culture... With well-portrayed characters - who could forget Carmen? - and a gripping plot led by a charismatic Cámara, Or The Bull Kills You is an excellent fanfare for what I hope will be a long series to come - Shots Magazine
Cámara's approach to policing is pleasantly quixotic, involving as little time on the job as possible, but the shambolic cop with virility issues is absorbing company and Webster captures the manic atmosphere of the fiesta - Metro
Webster has completely nailed Chief Inspector Max Camara, while vividly bringing to life Valencia - Daily Mirror
The antidote to all those dour Nordic thrillers has arrived in the shape of Jason Webster's Chief Inspector Max Camara... With local colour and a protagonist who is not afraid of life's sensual pleasures, Webster's creation, in the first of a planned series of books, has hit the ground running - Glasgow Herald
Camara is set to be the central figure in a series of novels by Webster and, if his first outing is anything to go by, he should grow into a popular figures - Press Association
An excellent first novel .... The author's voice is fresh and authoritative, and both the setting (Valencia at the height of the bullfighting season) and the underlying subject (the rights and wrongs of bullfighting) are fascinating.... Highly recommended - Literary Review
A page turning read ... Webster succeeds here in creating a truly gripping tale - Compass
This book marks Jason Webster's stylish move into fiction. He was born near San Francisco, brought up in England and Germany and after spells in Italy and Egypt, he moved to Spain, the subject of his widely acclaimed books. These include Duende: A Journey in Search of Flamenco; Andalus: Unlocking the Secrets of Moorish Spain; Guerra!: Living in the Shadows of the Spanish Civil War and most recently the mesmerising Sacred Sierra: A Year on a Spanish Mountain. He and his wife Salud divide their time between Valencia and their farm in the high mountains. See his website www.jasonwebster.net
