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Chief Inspector Max Cámara #3
The Anarchist Detective
Sent on leave after his last, brutal, case, Max Camara returns to his home town in La Mancha, famous for producing the finest saffron in the world.
There, the past keeps pulling at him. The town is exhuming a mass grave from the Civil War, but why is his grandfather behaving so strangely? His old friend Yago is investigating a particularly nasty murder which sets off memories Max has been trying to bury for years. And then there are Yago's whisperings about a saffron mafia...
Max finds himself plunged into the thick of a complex and intensely personal case that will put him in severe danger and have him questioning his past - and his future in the police.
There, the past keeps pulling at him. The town is exhuming a mass grave from the Civil War, but why is his grandfather behaving so strangely? His old friend Yago is investigating a particularly nasty murder which sets off memories Max has been trying to bury for years. And then there are Yago's whisperings about a saffron mafia...
Max finds himself plunged into the thick of a complex and intensely personal case that will put him in severe danger and have him questioning his past - and his future in the police.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published June 6, 2013
About the author
Jason Webster
32 books98 followersJason Webster is a highly acclaimed Anglo-American author and authority on Spain whose work ranges from biography to travel, crime fiction and history. His books have sold in over a dozen countries, including the US, the UK and China, and have been nominated both for the Guardian First Book Award and the Crime Writers’ Association New Blood Dagger Award. He has been favourably compared with writers such as Bruce Chatwin (The Daily Mail), Gerald Brenan (El País) and Ernest Hemingway (Sunday Telegraph).
Webster was born near San Francisco and brought up in the UK, Germany and Italy. After finishing a degree in Arabic and Islamic History at the University of Oxford, he worked as an editor at the BBC World Service for several years before becoming a full-time writer and moving to Spain. He is married to the flamenco dancer Salud and they have two sons. They currently divide their time between Valencia and the UK.
Webster was born near San Francisco and brought up in the UK, Germany and Italy. After finishing a degree in Arabic and Islamic History at the University of Oxford, he worked as an editor at the BBC World Service for several years before becoming a full-time writer and moving to Spain. He is married to the flamenco dancer Salud and they have two sons. They currently divide their time between Valencia and the UK.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 27, 2013
“The Anarchist Detective” is the third in an on-going series of crime fiction novels set in Spain. Soon after publication of the first in the series, “Or the Bull Kills You”, reviewers were acclaiming Max Cámara as an excellent addition to the long list of crime fiction detectives. A second novel, “A Death in Valencia”, consolidated this interest, but throughout both books, Max would display interesting levels of non-conformity. Despite his success in closing cases, his continuous desire to go his own way brought him to the attention of his police superiors for all the wrong reasons. On occasion, he would travel away from Valencia to see his anti-authoritarian grandfather and to collect another supply of his favoured drug, grown in his grandfather’s flat in Albacete. Long hours would then be spent smoking and thinking. There were hints in both novels as to what might be behind the cynicism and his brooding nature, but readers can now begin to understand some of the reasons why such a non-conformist works for the state police.
On the website www.crimetime.co.uk Jason Webster describes his new novel “The Anarchist Detective” as “a defining book in the series”, and indeed, that is exactly what it is. It begins with Max urgently called back to Albacete because his grandfather, Hilario, has suffered a stroke. For four months, Max has been on sick leave, living with his girlfriend Alicia in Madrid, putting off any decision about his future. Should he return to his police role in Valencia? Should he start a new life in Madrid with Alicia? Albacete, with all the ghosts of his past that it holds, is perhaps not the best environment to help him make up his mind. It was there that he had been brought up by his grandfather after tragic family events. Indeed the ghosts soon come rushing out to haunt him. The body of a young girl is found; she had been raped and killed in an almost identical manner to his sister years ago.
Of course, Max, despite being on leave and not a part of the local police force, cannot help being pulled into the investigation of the murder. As in previous books in the series, he is also drawn into an investigation of local corruption. This time it involves the saffron trade. In Webster’s words, “about 90 per cent of the saffron sold in the world is labelled as ‘Spanish’. Yet Spain produces less than 10 per cent of the total annual crop”. In fact, much of what is sold as saffron around the world is not the real thing either; other substances have been added to bulk out the product. Albacete, the setting for the novel, is in the middle of a main area for the cultivation of saffron in Spain, and so, with Cámara’s police connections this becomes an additional investigation.
Echoes of the Spanish Civil war also come through in the book. We learn more of the history of the Cámara family, Max’s grandfather, Hilario, being induced to tell the tale since there is a local group – the Historical Memory Association – opening a mass grave in the local cemetery. Once again, Jason Webster makes use of a current theme in Spain, but in doing so, he shows a real empathy for the feelings of those who lived through the difficult times, both during the war and afterwards under Franco’s rule.
That Jason Webster should include modern social themes from Spain in his novels is no surprise since he had previously built an impressive reputation as author of four books about the culture and history of Spain. Since he embarked on this new crime fiction series, introducing his readers to Chief Inspector Max Cámara, Hispanophiles have enjoyed that Jason took forward his knowledge of what is happening in modern Spain, and provided a truly Spanish setting to these new novels. Once again this is evident in “The Anarchist Detective”. The setting moves from busy, cosmopolitan Valencia to a well described Albacete – a city with “nothing to recommend it”. We can see why Max would spend much of his life avoiding the city where he was brought up, and how difficult it is for him to be brought back now.
However, there is more in the writing here than a continuation of an authentic Spanish setting and an awareness of social themes in Spain. Those who have read all of the series to date will see a real progression in “The Anarchist Detective”. Not only has Jason Webster opened up the character of Max Cámara to us, but he has also revealed some of his own character. Over and above the ever present quality of the writing, there is a real sensitivity shining through. I found this book to be - much more than is the norm in a crime fiction novel - a truly emotional read. I could identify so much with the thoughts and feelings of the main modern-day characters, and Webster expresses so well those of the characters from Spain’s difficult past. I highly recommend “The Anarchist Detective” to you. Get to know the world of Max Cámara – you will not be disappointed!
This review is dedicated to the memory of Rod Younger, founder of www.Books4Spain.com whose untimely death sadly occurred whilst I was reading this book. Rod had arranged for me to write the review to be posted on the Books4Spain blog. This and one other book were the last two that he sent me for review. It is thanks to Rod that I started writing book reviews, and through his contacts, I have had the pleasure of meeting several wonderful authors, including Jason Webster. I understand that there is an intention for Books4Spain to continue and so this review may one day appear on that website. In the meantime, I offer it to you with this dedication.
On the website www.crimetime.co.uk Jason Webster describes his new novel “The Anarchist Detective” as “a defining book in the series”, and indeed, that is exactly what it is. It begins with Max urgently called back to Albacete because his grandfather, Hilario, has suffered a stroke. For four months, Max has been on sick leave, living with his girlfriend Alicia in Madrid, putting off any decision about his future. Should he return to his police role in Valencia? Should he start a new life in Madrid with Alicia? Albacete, with all the ghosts of his past that it holds, is perhaps not the best environment to help him make up his mind. It was there that he had been brought up by his grandfather after tragic family events. Indeed the ghosts soon come rushing out to haunt him. The body of a young girl is found; she had been raped and killed in an almost identical manner to his sister years ago.
Of course, Max, despite being on leave and not a part of the local police force, cannot help being pulled into the investigation of the murder. As in previous books in the series, he is also drawn into an investigation of local corruption. This time it involves the saffron trade. In Webster’s words, “about 90 per cent of the saffron sold in the world is labelled as ‘Spanish’. Yet Spain produces less than 10 per cent of the total annual crop”. In fact, much of what is sold as saffron around the world is not the real thing either; other substances have been added to bulk out the product. Albacete, the setting for the novel, is in the middle of a main area for the cultivation of saffron in Spain, and so, with Cámara’s police connections this becomes an additional investigation.
Echoes of the Spanish Civil war also come through in the book. We learn more of the history of the Cámara family, Max’s grandfather, Hilario, being induced to tell the tale since there is a local group – the Historical Memory Association – opening a mass grave in the local cemetery. Once again, Jason Webster makes use of a current theme in Spain, but in doing so, he shows a real empathy for the feelings of those who lived through the difficult times, both during the war and afterwards under Franco’s rule.
That Jason Webster should include modern social themes from Spain in his novels is no surprise since he had previously built an impressive reputation as author of four books about the culture and history of Spain. Since he embarked on this new crime fiction series, introducing his readers to Chief Inspector Max Cámara, Hispanophiles have enjoyed that Jason took forward his knowledge of what is happening in modern Spain, and provided a truly Spanish setting to these new novels. Once again this is evident in “The Anarchist Detective”. The setting moves from busy, cosmopolitan Valencia to a well described Albacete – a city with “nothing to recommend it”. We can see why Max would spend much of his life avoiding the city where he was brought up, and how difficult it is for him to be brought back now.
However, there is more in the writing here than a continuation of an authentic Spanish setting and an awareness of social themes in Spain. Those who have read all of the series to date will see a real progression in “The Anarchist Detective”. Not only has Jason Webster opened up the character of Max Cámara to us, but he has also revealed some of his own character. Over and above the ever present quality of the writing, there is a real sensitivity shining through. I found this book to be - much more than is the norm in a crime fiction novel - a truly emotional read. I could identify so much with the thoughts and feelings of the main modern-day characters, and Webster expresses so well those of the characters from Spain’s difficult past. I highly recommend “The Anarchist Detective” to you. Get to know the world of Max Cámara – you will not be disappointed!
This review is dedicated to the memory of Rod Younger, founder of www.Books4Spain.com whose untimely death sadly occurred whilst I was reading this book. Rod had arranged for me to write the review to be posted on the Books4Spain blog. This and one other book were the last two that he sent me for review. It is thanks to Rod that I started writing book reviews, and through his contacts, I have had the pleasure of meeting several wonderful authors, including Jason Webster. I understand that there is an intention for Books4Spain to continue and so this review may one day appear on that website. In the meantime, I offer it to you with this dedication.
June 26, 2021
Another good one
September 12, 2021
Max Cámara is my kind of detective: one with a private life worth knowing about, set in locations which are believable and atmospheric. Here, he's on sick leave in his home town in la Mancha from his post in Valencia. But once a detective, always a detective. A recent murder brings up awful memories for him, of the murder of his sister while he was still a child. At the same time his old friend and police colleague Yago tells him that he'd appreciate a bit of on-the-side help as he follows up his suspicions about the existence of a saffron mafia. Tourist Spain this isn't. Fly-blown and shabby, it may suck you in as Cámara himself is sucked in. But does he want to continue his life in the Police force? This case, and his complicated family life brings things to a head. How will this book end? You won't find out till the last page ... and perhaps not even then.
November 1, 2022
The first book I have read in this series, and I did enjoy the way the author wove in the historical narrative and the current issues around saffron. Max Camara is likeable and interesting, and complex in the way of world-weary, talented police inspectors that inhabit this genre. Particularly liked his grandfather, Honoria. I have primarily been reading Nordic noir and this series brings a different perspective. Recommend it.
March 16, 2019
Not that good
Good points - Spanish atmosphere. End of good points.
Bad points - Page after page of padding, uneven pace, ludicrous plot, not particularly likeable main character, with some unpleasant habits, presumably to make him seem "real". Yet another maverick detective (yawn).
Good points - Spanish atmosphere. End of good points.
Bad points - Page after page of padding, uneven pace, ludicrous plot, not particularly likeable main character, with some unpleasant habits, presumably to make him seem "real". Yet another maverick detective (yawn).
December 13, 2020
My favourite detective - I've read all of these Max Cámara books, and they are all well worth reading. Max is an interesting character, and the author evokes the atmosphere and culture of Valencia and regions brilliantly (as far as I can tell, as an occasional visitor). The plots are tense and engaging and touch on wider issues than most detective novels.
September 26, 2018
I cannot remember the last time a book gave me goosebumps from sheer enjoyment. This is excellent; well observed characters who are genuinely interesting, great sense of place and a good plot. A brilliant page-turner. Cannot wait to read more.
January 4, 2019
El mejor de la serie hasta ahora en algunos aspectos. A nivel de historia y a nivel de adentrarnos mejor en el personaje principal. Genial historia una vez más de Jason Webster. Me confieso muy fan de él y ahora seguir con la siguiente en la serie.
December 8, 2019
Psychological policier with historical and economic backdrop
May 20, 2013
This is the first of Webster's detective series about Max Cámara which I have read, but it's not the first in the series. This turned out not to be a problem, I didn't feel a lack of back-story. The story was interesting enough, two strands combining a saffron scam and unearthing the truth about Max's great-grandfather in the Spanish Civil war [not much of a surprise that, for an author who has written non-fiction about the war]. But there was something missing, for me, something I couldn't put my finger on. The plot was fine, the history was fine and no doubt accurately portrayed. It was only when I finished the book and described it to my husband that I realized what my difficulty was: Max is a Spanish character, written by an Englishman. Albeit an Englishman who lives in Spain, is married to a Spaniard and who speaks the language fluently. But still, not a Spaniard. I'd expected more, well, 'Spanish-ness'.
I can see a TV series here, along the lines of Falcon based on Robert Wilson's Seville detective Javier Falcon. I can picture the scene in the saffron village in La Mancha, very photogenic. I will now read Webster's two earlier Max Camara books, which are set in Valencia. Perhaps the setting will make a difference.
For more about our life in Andalucía, see www.notesonaspanishvalley.com
Read more about by thoughts on books and writing at www.sandradanby.com
I can see a TV series here, along the lines of Falcon based on Robert Wilson's Seville detective Javier Falcon. I can picture the scene in the saffron village in La Mancha, very photogenic. I will now read Webster's two earlier Max Camara books, which are set in Valencia. Perhaps the setting will make a difference.
For more about our life in Andalucía, see www.notesonaspanishvalley.com
Read more about by thoughts on books and writing at www.sandradanby.com
May 17, 2013
Max Camara makes a welcome return in this his third outing. His last case took its toll on Max and he has been on leave deciding whether or not he should remain a detective. When his grandfather suffers a stroke, Max returns home to Albacete and finds himself not only searching for a killer but also being drawn into a web of deceit involving the saffron mafia.
Jason Webster draws on the darker side of Spain for his inspiration in the Max Camara series, he portrays the real Spain, one which is still coming to terms with it's past. Highly readable with a believable protagonist at it's core, the Max Camara series is well worth investigating if you haven't all ready.
Jason Webster draws on the darker side of Spain for his inspiration in the Max Camara series, he portrays the real Spain, one which is still coming to terms with it's past. Highly readable with a believable protagonist at it's core, the Max Camara series is well worth investigating if you haven't all ready.
March 23, 2014
Max Camara is a Valencian police detective with a very trouble early life. This novel, the third in the series by British ex-pat Jason Webster and is an real mix of Spanish history, life and the mayhem of a police procedural. In this outing Max must attend to his grandfather laid low by a stroke and the journey home leads to an active present day investigation into the Saffron industry as well as a 30 year old unsliced killing of his sister and an even older mystery entangled in the mixed loyalties and the nature of betrayal that marks so much of the story of Spain's civil war.
May 18, 2014
In the book the spotlights are on Max Cámara´s adolescence, his grandfather Hilario´s life, his grand grandfather and namesake Maximiliano Cámara and the Spanish civil war. At the same time our detective looks for his sister´s killer, unmasks a saffron scam, smokes cigarettes and joints and contemplates his career and private relations. It is a very nice and cozy read and in addition you get to know a lot of interesting Spanish history.
May 24, 2015
A little disappointing, but this was partly due to the blurb's promise that Jason Webster is for Spain what Michael Dibdin was for Italy. Unfortunately Max Cámara is not in the same league as Aurelio Zen. Interesting novel, nevertheless, and will probably try another one, without the mental comparison running in the background...
June 21, 2013
The third Max Camara book. Is time Max is recovering still from the finish of the last case and home in Albacete with his ailing grandfather when he is drawn into a local murder case plus an unraveling of a saffron trade fraud....all the twists and links to the past make the read flow. A good read.
January 26, 2014
I quite enjoyed this third Max Camera mystery, set in Spain, learning more about his earlier life and events shaping his current one, as well as seeing how he is evolving in this more introspective mystery in which he cares for his grandfather for a time. It's not essential to have read the first two in the series, but you will get more out of the story if you have read them.
September 10, 2014
Max Camara returns to his hometown after his grandfather suffers a stroke and becomes embroiled in a case involving a murdered teenage girl and saffron organised crime. Although this is the third in the series featuring the Spanish detective, it's the first one I've read but this held no bearing on my enjoyment of the novel.
August 29, 2022
#3 in a very good series. Brilliantly depicts the Spanish atmosphere and even more so the Spanish persona. Very similar in style to the Inspector Falcon novels by Robert Wilson.
I love the food and drink references, even down to the cafe con leche with Torres 10 Brandy for breakfast! Don't knock it until you have tried it!!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for this one!
I love the food and drink references, even down to the cafe con leche with Torres 10 Brandy for breakfast! Don't knock it until you have tried it!!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for this one!
November 3, 2015
Third in the series, but first I've read. Set in Spain, the shadow of the civil war and Franco's regime is still being felt. Max is currently on leave from the police, but of course there is a murder in his hometown, where he has gone to look after his ailing grandfather (the anarchist).
April 12, 2013
Great reading, Max Camara at his best...
September 28, 2013
Exciting adventure novel, highly recommended
WARNING! ADULT THEMES AND INFREQUENT COARSE LANGUAGE.
WARNING! ADULT THEMES AND INFREQUENT COARSE LANGUAGE.
December 30, 2013
I love Jason Webster's books. The Spain setting is great. This book was intriguing and entertaining
February 21, 2014
I've given it a 3. Its really more of a 3.5, in that I'll read others in this series. I like this guy's writing style, and have enjoyed some of his non-fiction too!
July 26, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed this had would read another one. I loved the characterisation and the story.
April 15, 2016
Would have given 3.5 stars. Good for the Spanish background. Could do for Valencia what Montalbano did for Sicily if made for TV!
June 29, 2016
Another good-ish plot, with interesting information about Valencia and Spain.
April 6, 2016
Another great Max Camara story.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews