cover image All Yours

All Yours

Claudia Piñeiro, trans. from the Spanish by Miranda France. Bitter Lemon, $14.95 trade paper (186p) ISBN 978-1-904738-80-0

At the start of this nicely mordant novel of revenge set in 1998 Buenos Aires from Argentinian author Piñeiro (Thursday Night Widows), Ernesto Pereyra tells his wife, Inés, one night that he must go take care of an office emergency. Having just found a suggestive love note in his briefcase, Inés secretly follows him, not to his office, but to an isolated wooded area, where Ernesto meets his secretary, Alicia. From a distance, Inés witnesses their encounter, which turns violent. Alicia falls and hits her head against a tree with fatal results. Inés returns home undetected, convinced that Ernesto still loves her. She’s prepared to go to any lengths to conceal her husband’s role in Alicia’s death, until she discovers his extramarital escapades are more complicated than she thought. Piñeiro artfully telegraphs the plot’s direction by interjecting sections detailing evidence later used against someone in a criminal prosecution. Noir fans will appreciate the final twist. (Jan.)