Repentance

Get in the xigxag app
Already purchased

Click to open directly in the xigxag app.

This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book. Pre-order Buy Now £{{ price }} Send as a gift

Listen to a sample

What to expect

'Very impressive... Repentance is an evocative crime thriller with a likeable, self-aware protagonist, but also skilfully explores the darkest period in Argentina's modern history'
Financial Times

'An astonishingly assured first novel, both funny and moving'
The Times Crime Club

'An accomplished, inventive detective novel thrumming with tension and family secrets'
Sanaë Lemoine, author of The Margot Affair

Buenos Aires, 1981.
Inspector Alzada's work in the Buenos Aires police force during the Dirty War exposes him to the many realities of life under a repressive military regime. Personally, he prefers to stay out of politics, but when his hot-headed revolutionary brother Jorge is disappeared, Alzada knows he will stop at nothing to recover him.

Buenos Aires, 2001.
Argentina is in the midst of yet another devastating economic crisis. Alzada is still an inspector, determined to keep his head down in anticipation of a peaceful retirement with Paula and the nephew they've raised together. But all his plans are derailed when a young woman's dead body lands in the dumpster behind the morgue on the same day a woman from one of the city's wealthiest families goes missing.

Critics Review

An accomplished, inventive detective novel thrumming with tension, family secrets, and the trauma of a violent military dictatorship. Seamlessly moving between the Dirty War and the economic crisis of 2001, Eloísa Díaz displays an acute understanding of Argentine history and politics. Repentance is both a riveting noir and a moving exploration of one man’s search to repair the past.

Sanaë Lemoine, author of THE MARGOT AFFAIR

An astonishingly assured first novel, written in English by a Spanish lawyer, that is both funny and moving

THE TIMES CRIME CLUB

Repentance is an apt title for this very impressive debut which works on multiple levels. It is an evocative crime thriller with a likeable, self-aware protagonist, but also skilfully explores the darkest period in Argentina’s modern history

FINANCIAL TIMES

An outstanding debut… Aficionados of mysteries with a hard edge will welcome Inspector Alzada.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review)

A dark political thriller guaranteed to satisfy fans of Andrea Camilleri, Donna Leon, and Leonardo Padura.

BOOKLIST

Admirers of Buenos Aires’ impeccable stylishness will be delighted, as will seekers of new brands of fictional police work

STRONG WORDS

This superbly written political conspiracy thriller shuns both sentimentality and cynicism

THE MORNING STAR

A powerful crime novel … Opening old historical wounds that still strongly affect Argentinian society, this is a tale with many layers, many of them painful to evoke and a strong depiction of a country and a period that still simmers between the pages of history books and the crime novel is a perfect way of lancing the boil. Recommended.

CRIME TIME

Repentance is a brilliantly plotted thriller that was impossible for me to put down. Set in a Buenos Aires roiled by political corruption and economic crisis, we’re introduced to the charismatic Inspector Alzada who must unravel a murder mystery in the present that unearths painful secrets from the past. Eloísa Díaz is a fantastically talented writer, and her debut is easily one of the best crime fiction reads of the year

Lauren Wilkinson, author of American Spy

This impressive, multi-layered debut is both an evocative crime thriller and a journey back to the darkest era in Argentina’s modern history

Financial Times Summer Pick

A thriller that proves what this genre is capable of

Buchkultur

The criminal case takes a secondary seat as the author knows how to impressively transport the reader to the years under the brutal dictatorship and then the demonstrations of 2001, when the Argentine people rebelled against the economic crisis

Luzerner Zeitung

The novelist Eloisa Diaz signs a beautifully mastered novel set in a tormented historical context where family dramas intertwine with a great national tragedy. And where neutrality has become poison

Le Journal du Dimanche

Díaz combines skilfully constructed moments of tension with a history lesson about the Argentine military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

About xigxag

Enjoy the best audiobooks on xigxag, an innovative, user-friendly audiobook platform that makes it easy to find, purchase, and enjoy your favorite books in audio format. xigxag’s flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less – affordable prices and the best audiobook deals with no subscription required.  Give the perfect gift with our audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.

 

xigxag’s commitment to sustainability and ethical practices ensures a guilt-free listening experience from an exceptional digital book platform – an exciting alternative to big tech.  Enjoy audiobooks from the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service and a leader in audiobook innovation.

 

Search effortlessly, read honest audiobook reviews evaluating both the book and the narration, and discover hidden gems.  Download or stream top audiobook titles anytime, anywhere and get the best possible listening experience on the UK’s best independent audiobook app.  Experience the future of audiobooks today.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to get tailored content recommendations, product updates and info on new releases. Your data is your own: we commit to protect your data and respect your privacy.