One misty autumn dawn in a quiet fishing port in northwest Spain, the body of a sailor washes up in the harbour. Detective Inspector Leo Caldas is called in from police headquarters in the nearby city of Vigo to sign off on what appears to be a suicide. But details soon come to light that turn this routine matter into a complex murder investigation. Finding out the truth is not easy when the villagers are so suspicious of outsiders. As Caldas delves into the maritime life of the village, he uncovers a disturbing decade-old case of a shipwreck and two mysterious disappearances. Death on a Galician Shore is a chilling story of violence, blackmail and revenge that has enthralled readers across Europe...

Firstly a recommendation do try to read Water-Blue Eyes before you read Death on a Galician Shore! When you have read the two, I think, like me, you will be hooked and eagerly awaiting the return of Leo Caldas and Rafael Estevez when Domingo Villar brings us his next volume. Water-Blue Eyes introduces us to Inspector Caldas and his fellow police officer Estevez and their developing relationship. The insights into Spanish character displayed by the two characters, one Galician and one Aragonese, are an on-going pleasure of both books. Equally as satisfying is the insight into Galicia itself. The city of Vigo and its surrounding coast and countryside are almost as much stars of the books as Caldas and Estevez. If you only know the Spain of the costas, you will have every sympathy for Estevez and his struggles with the Galician weather!Set against these on-going themes, developing nicely across the two books, of course there are the murders and their respective investigations. Do read Rod Younger's review here, where he contrasts the Spanish crime thriller with the Scandinavian and British. I can only agree with what he says there. I do hope that Jason Webster's Max Camara and Domingo Villar's Leo Caldas have long running careers ahead of them! What you have with the stories of these new Spanish police detectives are tales of detection rather than the shocks, thrills and political intrigues so common elsewhere. Not that there are no shocks, thrills or intrigues! It's just that they are more low key and all the more credible for that.I have given Death on a Galician Shore four stars simply because I would give Water-Blue Eyes three stars and I can't wait to meet Leo Caldas again when I'm sure I will be suggesting five stars. Please don't make the wait too long Domingo!
Posted by : Malcolm Cliff
12 Jan 2012

It appears that modern Spanish crime fiction is a very poor third cousin to the “noir” Scandinavian version and the more sensionalist UK version. This despite the fact that Spain and its culture provide a rich source of material for the creation of interesting scenarios and characters.

Scandinavian crime fiction has been fashionable now for a number of years following the phenomenal success of the Stig Larsson trilogy, the Wallander series and a number of other writers such as Lisa Marklund and Soren Sveistrup (The Killing).  Some of it is taut drama – The Killing being a good example, however, some of it, frankly, stretches the imagination - Larsson being a prime example. Is Scandinavia really such a hotbed for international crime and terrorism?

At the end of the day crime fiction is not only about extreme excitement and shock.  In the UK Val Mcdermiad, Lynda la Plante, Martina Coles, amongst others, are major proponents of these emotions  but, lets face it, on the whole theirs are also unrealistic scenarios which stretch the imagination – albeit very successfully!

What I can say is that, having read Death on a Galician Shore, it appears modern Spanish crime fiction is more than capable of competing with clever, intelligent AND realistic scenarios, of which The Killing and P. D. James are prime examples.

Rather than focus on unrealistic scenarios, Domingo Villar plods that well trodden route of a local crime motivated by “normal” reasons.  Vigo is hardly the best known city in Spain let alone Europe, but the descriptions of the city and the surrounding area are vivid, one can empathise and sympathise (or not) with the principal characters, and the scenarios and plot are entirely credible.

The main character, Leo Caldas, inspector of Vigo police, is someone most people should be able to relate to - no major quirks, defects, strange habits or skeletons in the cupboard.  However, like many of us, he has his issues, his problems and his idiosyncrasies - the thing is they are realistic and not exaggerated for affect.

The plot contains no politics, no internal feuding or direct confrontation – I’ve often wondered if there really is so much confrontation and bickering in police forces or whether it is just another device used by authors to cover up weaknesses in the plot.  Death on a Galician Shore is book which focuses equally on the plot and the characters.  It may sound boring to some but it’s a relief to read a crime novel which is not attempting to be sensionalist and which focuses on telling a realistic story.  Villar also draws attention to the well known (to Spaniards at least!) Galician trait of never answering a question with a straight answer – which is a nice “local” touch and something I myself was not aware of, and one of my best friends is a Galician!

If I had to find fault with the book it would be the lack of any acknowledgement of the role of technology or the internet in today’s modern world and, at a push, the localised nature of the story – Spain has a lifestyle and culture which merits greater exploration but then I’ve learnt very little about Scandinavian or UK history and culture from reading Larsson et al.

In truth, Death on a Galician Shore could have been based in any coastal fishing town/city in northern Europe but I wonder if it had been written by a Scandinavian author if it would have created a much greater splash than it actually has in the English speaking world (it has been a best seller in the Spanish speaking world)?

To summarise, Death on a Galician Shore is a well written, well plotted, “classic” crime novel and I’m looking forward to reading Water-blue Eyes by the same author and discovering more Spanish crime fiction, written both by Spaniards as well as non-Spaniards.

Rod Younger, January 2012

The rugged coastline of Galicia makes a suitably unsettling setting ... Caldas is an engaging copper -- Marcel Berlins The Times A satisfying read ... a traditional procedural laced with gothic menace -- John O'Connell The Guardian Villar seduced us with his first novel, and now confirms himself as an excellent writer with Death on a Galician Shore. The plotting is as good as his descriptions of maritime life. El Pais A precise portrait of a misty, insular environment, of peaceful people caught up in violence. And a very clever plot. La Vanguardia