An Easy Thing

Praise for the books of Paco Ignacio Taibo II... "The real enchantment of Mr. Taibo's storytelling art lies in the 'wild and melancholy' tango of life he sees everywhere." -New York Times review of Some Clouds "Required reading for followers of the tradition of hard-boiled private eyes...No novelist since Fuentes has described Mexico City with more power." -The Nation Set amid the political turbulence and social unrest of contemporary Mexico City, An Easy Thing introduces independent detective Hector Belascoaran Shayne. Hector, who possesses an insatiable appetite for Coca Cola and cigarettes, tackles three cases simultaneously: a killing in a corrupt factory; the deadly threats against a former porn starlet's teenage daughter; and, the search for Emiliano Zapata, folk hero and leader of the Mexican Revolution, rumored to be alive and hiding out in a cave outside Mexico City. Combining black comedy, social history and a touch of surrealism, Paco Taibo's wonderfully idiosyncratic detective novels are admired the world over. Paco Ignacio Taibo II has lived in Mexico City since 1958 when his family fled from Spain to escape the fascist dictatorship of Francisco Franco. Considered the founder of the neopolitical genre in Latin America, more than 500 editions of his 51 books have been published in 29 countries and a dozen languages. His novels featuring Mexican Private Investigator Hector Belascoaran Shayne are among his most popular works.