Descripciones mejoradas de Syndetics:

"Mascaras is part of the tetralogy « The Four Seasons, featuring lieutenant Conde. Through this likeable character, Padura traces both the small triumphs and the great adversities of daily life in contemporary Cuba, while submitting it to a profound serutiny. The corpse of a transvestite is found in a Havana Forest. To add to Conde's problems, this « woman dressed in red is actually Alexis Arayan, the son of a respected diplomat of the Cuban regime. The investigation begins with Conde's visit to the extraordinary Marques, a man of letters and a homosexual, who has been exiled within his own country to a ruined old mansion. Conde gradually enters the seedy world into which Marques introduces him, a world inhabited by beings who appear to know the whole truth about Alexis Arayan.

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Library Journal Review

The author of novels, short stories, and essays, Padura is creator of the detective Mario Conde, a popular figure in Spanish-language noir. The International Association of Crime Writers awarded him the Hammett Prize in 1998, and he also received Spain's prestigious Cafe Gijon award in 1995. Originally published in 1997, this novel takes the protagonist into the world of transvestites, homosexuals, and political connections. When Conde investigates the murder of a transvestite, the son of an important political government figure, he gets drawn into the marginal world of homosexuals by the dead man's partner and finds himself attracted to it, leading him to question his own identity. Perhaps more than the plot itself, the novel is interesting as a character analysis and a portrayal of society. The premise isn't new, and the plot is slightly freeform. Nevertheless, as part of the work of one of Cuba's best-known contemporary novelists, it is a desirable addition to large library collections.-Kathleen March, Univ. of Maine, Orono (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.