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Delegado Espinosa #5
Pursuit
When his daughter disappears and a patient emerges as the prime suspect, a troubled psychiatrist comes to Espinosa for help, in the fifth novel in the beguiling Brazilian crime series
A hospital psychiatrist feels he's being stalked by a young patient. For as long as possible, he convinces himself that the young man is harmless, but when the doctor's daughter disappears and the patient goes missing, too, he calls on Espinosa for help. Soon after, the patient turns up dead.
With his death begins a chain of other deaths, each more mysterious than the one that preceded it, each seemingly linked to the doctor and his former patient. As Espinosa learns more about the doctor's history, it becomes harder to discern the stalker from the stalked, reality from fantasy, and the sane from the diabolical. In this installment of the "seductive, fascinating" ( The New York Times Book Review ) series, the sultry maze of Rio de Janeiro's streets conspires against Espinosa, confounding his judgment, stymieing his search, and, somewhere, concealing a murderer.
A hospital psychiatrist feels he's being stalked by a young patient. For as long as possible, he convinces himself that the young man is harmless, but when the doctor's daughter disappears and the patient goes missing, too, he calls on Espinosa for help. Soon after, the patient turns up dead.
With his death begins a chain of other deaths, each more mysterious than the one that preceded it, each seemingly linked to the doctor and his former patient. As Espinosa learns more about the doctor's history, it becomes harder to discern the stalker from the stalked, reality from fantasy, and the sane from the diabolical. In this installment of the "seductive, fascinating" ( The New York Times Book Review ) series, the sultry maze of Rio de Janeiro's streets conspires against Espinosa, confounding his judgment, stymieing his search, and, somewhere, concealing a murderer.
244 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
4 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza
26 books108 followersLuiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza is a Professor of Philosophy at Rio University in Brazil.
Series:
* Inspector Espinosa
Series:
* Inspector Espinosa
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
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September 11, 2024
Pursuit is a psychological thriller where Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza expands what it means to write a detective yarn. Unlike the Brazilian author's previous Inspector Espinosa novels, with Pursuit, the fifth in the series, Espinosa doesn't make a substantial appearance until the book's final section.
The unfolding drama centers around a young man along with a psychiatrist and his family. Since the intrigue begins on the first pages, I'll avoid any spoilers by shifting to a few words about each of the five players.
Dr. Artur Nesse - As one of the head doctors treating patients at a psychiatric hospital in Rio, Dr. Nesse first encounters a new patient, a tall, thin, young white man named Isodoro Cruz, who rejects the name his parents gave him and insists on being called Jonas. But when Dr. Nesse notices that Jonas continually watches him from a bench in the hospital garden, he begins to feel increasingly uneasy. "Dr. Nesse wasn't physically intimidated; he wasn't scared of verbal aggression, and he wasn't overwhelmed by his patient's intelligence. Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being threatened." This sense of unease intensifies with a series of events, culminating in Jonas's relationship with Dr. Nesse's daughter, Letícia. And when Letícia goes missing, Dr. Nesse is on the verge of panic, convinced that Jonas, a psychotic, is surely responsible.
Jonas – Although Dr. Nesse calls the young man crazy, Letícia and everyone on the hospital staff describe him as a polite, friendly person who has never been aggressive toward anyone, nor is there any record of Jonas committing any act of physical violence. As we turn the pages, the enigma of Jonas deepens.
Letícia - A sensitive, perceptive young lady of seventeen, Letícia has an undeniable sweetness about her. “Letícia herself was planning to study medicine, but she wasn't interested in psychiatry. She didn't like the way her father viewed people, and she didn't like the principles he had tried to instill in her and her sister; she thought there was a considerable distance between psychiatry (or maybe just the way her dad practiced it) and the modern world.” As readers, we will all be rooting for sweet Letícia as the drama torques —and turns into murky darkness.
Dona Teresa – As wife and mother, Dona Teresa long ago submitted to her husband's will. Nevertheless, at certain critical junctures, she doesn't hesitate to stand up for her daughters. Dona Teresa reflects on her husband's feelings toward his loved ones: “Their daughters had been there only to complete the picture of an exemplary family. Even their lunches in the mountains on the weekends, when everyone could share the comfort of their luxury car, were only a scene set up by some imaginary director.” Similar to Letícia, we'll be rooting for demure Dona Teresa.
Roberta – Espinosa calls his assistant, young Welber, to inform his of the latest development in the case. “Dr. Nesse's younger daughter had disappeared. Her name is Roberta and she's not quite seventeen. The disappearance has similarities to her sister's.” Now an already complex case has been made all the more complex.
Similar to the other novels in Garcia-Roza's Inspector Espinosa series, we're taken on a wild ride through the highly distinctive city of Rio de Janeiro. Pursuit showcases the Brazilian author's inventiveness in creating such a unique thriller. A memorable, fantastic read.
Brazilian author Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza, 1936-2020
June 26, 2024
What a delightful surprise! This was a book that was gathering dust on my bookshelf for at least a decade until I finally decided yesterday to pick it up and read it. It is the fifth novel in a series featuring Inspector Espinosa on the Rio de Janeiro police. A young mental patient who is paranoid acts in a threatened way toward an equally paranoid psychiatrist, and in short order the following things happen: The psychiatrist's elder daughter disappears with the mental patient, the psychiatrist commits both his daughter and the mental patient, then the mental patient disappears, then the younger daughter disappears, and then ... Well, you get the general idea.
Years ago, psychoanalysis was considered to be golden. Here, in a mystery written by a Brazilian author who is also the author of psychological textbooks, it is anything but. One doesn't know who or what to believe. And all the while, the psychiatrist and his family are coming apart like a cheap suit:
I am now determined to read the other Inspector Espinosa novels.
Years ago, psychoanalysis was considered to be golden. Here, in a mystery written by a Brazilian author who is also the author of psychological textbooks, it is anything but. One doesn't know who or what to believe. And all the while, the psychiatrist and his family are coming apart like a cheap suit:
Those people in that house [the psychiatrist and his family] are like ghosts. Nobody seems real. The older daughter, who doesn't talk, is a ghost. The mother, from her own account, was always a ghost trying to become a person, except she doesn't know how; with the father it was the opposite. He was the only real figure in the house, but now he's a ghost too. And finally, this girl who just up and disappeared -- nobody has any idea why or how -- became a ghost herself. And then there's Jonas [the psych patient], who seems to have become a real ghost.What I love about Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza's Pursuit is that it shows the effects of a series of contretemps on a whole family.
I am now determined to read the other Inspector Espinosa novels.
February 17, 2017
Perseguido (Inspector Espinosa #5) - Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza | Cia das Letras, 2001, 218 páginas | Lido de 16/02/17 a 17/02/17 | Nota 4 em 5
SINOPSE
O psiquiatra de um hospital universitário sente-se perseguido por um jovem paciente. O sentimento de perseguição aumenta a cada dia e passa a ser vivido por outras pessoas ligadas ao médico. Misteriosamente, o paciente desaparece e, depois de alguns meses, é dado como morto.
A essa morte seguem-se outras, sem que se possa determinar quem está sendo perseguido e quem é o perseguidor. Tampouco é possível concluir com clareza se as pessoas morreram de morte natural ou se foram assassinadas.
Em meio a essa trama, o delegado Espinosa tenta separar o que é real do que é fantasia, tendo como guia apenas a convicção de que a morte não é um delírio.
RESENHA
Um dos melhores da série do Espinosa, em PERSEGUIDO Garcia-Roza cria uma trama complexa que lida com os limites entre a sanidade e a loucura, e lidando com temas muito interessantes, como o abuso de poder médico na psiquiatria, corrupção policial, obsessão e até mesmo tocando em temas psicanalíticos, principalmente na relação doentia da família que é o ponto central da história.
PERSEGUIDO me lembrou as profundidades sombrias da obra de Nelson Rodrigues e filmes como Cabo do Medo. Muito bom, história tensa, com paranóia kafikiana e bem misteriosa, recomendo!
SINOPSE
O psiquiatra de um hospital universitário sente-se perseguido por um jovem paciente. O sentimento de perseguição aumenta a cada dia e passa a ser vivido por outras pessoas ligadas ao médico. Misteriosamente, o paciente desaparece e, depois de alguns meses, é dado como morto.
A essa morte seguem-se outras, sem que se possa determinar quem está sendo perseguido e quem é o perseguidor. Tampouco é possível concluir com clareza se as pessoas morreram de morte natural ou se foram assassinadas.
Em meio a essa trama, o delegado Espinosa tenta separar o que é real do que é fantasia, tendo como guia apenas a convicção de que a morte não é um delírio.
RESENHA
Um dos melhores da série do Espinosa, em PERSEGUIDO Garcia-Roza cria uma trama complexa que lida com os limites entre a sanidade e a loucura, e lidando com temas muito interessantes, como o abuso de poder médico na psiquiatria, corrupção policial, obsessão e até mesmo tocando em temas psicanalíticos, principalmente na relação doentia da família que é o ponto central da história.
PERSEGUIDO me lembrou as profundidades sombrias da obra de Nelson Rodrigues e filmes como Cabo do Medo. Muito bom, história tensa, com paranóia kafikiana e bem misteriosa, recomendo!
November 24, 2019
“Somos todos aos mesmo tempo santos e criminosos.”
Comprei esse livro em um sebo ambulante na saída do metrô. Sempre quando passo por essas vendas dou uma olhada nos livros disponíveis para ver se algo chama minha atenção, e foi esse o caso, sendo que na verdade, o que me saltou aos olhos, foi o nome do autor. Garcia-Roza foi o autor do primeiro livro que li sobre psicanálise na faculdade de psicologia e, até então, não sabia que escrevia livros de ficção também. Nesse livro, além de uma escrita literalmente alucinante sobre uma história de suspense criminal passada em terras cariocas, o autor faz uma dura crítica ao olhar desumanizado da medicina psiquiátrica em relação às doenças mentais, assim como critica a supervalorização da medicalização para tratamento de questões psicológicas. Uma leitura que te prende do início ao fim, abordando temas familiares e cotidianos atravessados por uma visão extremamente peculiar de observar o mundo ao seu redor.
Comprei esse livro em um sebo ambulante na saída do metrô. Sempre quando passo por essas vendas dou uma olhada nos livros disponíveis para ver se algo chama minha atenção, e foi esse o caso, sendo que na verdade, o que me saltou aos olhos, foi o nome do autor. Garcia-Roza foi o autor do primeiro livro que li sobre psicanálise na faculdade de psicologia e, até então, não sabia que escrevia livros de ficção também. Nesse livro, além de uma escrita literalmente alucinante sobre uma história de suspense criminal passada em terras cariocas, o autor faz uma dura crítica ao olhar desumanizado da medicina psiquiátrica em relação às doenças mentais, assim como critica a supervalorização da medicalização para tratamento de questões psicológicas. Uma leitura que te prende do início ao fim, abordando temas familiares e cotidianos atravessados por uma visão extremamente peculiar de observar o mundo ao seu redor.
October 3, 2025
A psychological thriller really. Ordinary people going down because of paranoid delusions.
Intriguing premise. Garcia-Roza has something with troubled minds, which make people go of the rails.
Espinosa gets called by a psychiatrist telling him that he is being stalked by a patient and that now his patient and his daughter are missing.
No crime committed and yet we know something is going to happen. That seems the modus operandus of Garcia-Roza.
Nothing really happens and yet there is an undercurrent that we know will pull us into dangerous waters.
Reminded me very much of the book Southwesterly Wind,
where Espinosa also gets entangled in a case where for a long time no crime is committed, but the looming threat of disaster is always there.
This time, it's all set in motion by a patient (Jonas) of a psychiatrist who stalks not only him, but also his family. The patient seems a very friendly person but he really gets under the doctor's skin. And when his daughter disappears and comes back, only for the patient to disappear, things start to deteriorate.
But still no obvious crime has been committed.
What is going on?
Who is this patient anyway? Nothing is known about him.
And so it goes for most of the book. About halfway in, it all gets very confusing. Welber, Espinosa's assistent decribed it the best what this book is all about; p.134: "Those people [...] are like ghosts. Nobody seems real. The older daughter, who doesn't talk, is a ghost. The mother, from her own account, was always a ghost trying to become a person, except she doesn't know how; with the father it was the opposite. He was the only real figure [...], but now he's a ghost too. And finally this girl (the youngest daughter) who just up and disappeared -- nobody has any idea why or how -- became a ghost herself. And then there's Jonas. of course, who seems to have become a real ghost."
Caught in these circumstances the whole family gets involved in the paranoia of the doctor. The bounderies between patient and doctor are blurred.
For Espinosa the task to determine what is fact and what is fiction. The end is somewhat satisfactory although there remain some questions unanswered.
written: 2003.
Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza: 1936 - 2020
Intriguing premise. Garcia-Roza has something with troubled minds, which make people go of the rails.
Espinosa gets called by a psychiatrist telling him that he is being stalked by a patient and that now his patient and his daughter are missing.
No crime committed and yet we know something is going to happen. That seems the modus operandus of Garcia-Roza.
Nothing really happens and yet there is an undercurrent that we know will pull us into dangerous waters.
Reminded me very much of the book Southwesterly Wind,
where Espinosa also gets entangled in a case where for a long time no crime is committed, but the looming threat of disaster is always there.
This time, it's all set in motion by a patient (Jonas) of a psychiatrist who stalks not only him, but also his family. The patient seems a very friendly person but he really gets under the doctor's skin. And when his daughter disappears and comes back, only for the patient to disappear, things start to deteriorate.
But still no obvious crime has been committed.
What is going on?
Who is this patient anyway? Nothing is known about him.
And so it goes for most of the book. About halfway in, it all gets very confusing. Welber, Espinosa's assistent decribed it the best what this book is all about; p.134: "Those people [...] are like ghosts. Nobody seems real. The older daughter, who doesn't talk, is a ghost. The mother, from her own account, was always a ghost trying to become a person, except she doesn't know how; with the father it was the opposite. He was the only real figure [...], but now he's a ghost too. And finally this girl (the youngest daughter) who just up and disappeared -- nobody has any idea why or how -- became a ghost herself. And then there's Jonas. of course, who seems to have become a real ghost."
Caught in these circumstances the whole family gets involved in the paranoia of the doctor. The bounderies between patient and doctor are blurred.
For Espinosa the task to determine what is fact and what is fiction. The end is somewhat satisfactory although there remain some questions unanswered.
written: 2003.
Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza: 1936 - 2020
August 7, 2024
Gostei bastante da trama do livro
As incertezas sobre o que aconteceu com Jonas e porque ele está perseguindo o médico deixam a estória bem interessante
Gostei do final tb, embora não tenha sido uma surpresa. Já suspeitava de alguns fatos que são esclarecidos no final.
As incertezas sobre o que aconteceu com Jonas e porque ele está perseguindo o médico deixam a estória bem interessante
Gostei do final tb, embora não tenha sido uma surpresa. Já suspeitava de alguns fatos que são esclarecidos no final.
September 1, 2009
I've been a big fan of the author, and have read all of his other books.
This is the first one that was unsatisfying.
Spoiler:
My favorite mystery of all time, Michael Dibdin's "Dead Lagoon" also leaves parts of its core mystery unsolved, but it is still satisfying. So having everything neatly wrapped-up by the end is not a requirement. But we never really find out what was going on through the whole book, and when you have an omnicient narrator, that's not acceptable. We hear from "Lucas" early on - what he's doing, what he's thinking, and then this voice disappears, and we never know what really happened to him, or why he was stalking the main character or the main character's daughter (and he was stalking them). Very irritating.
Also, there are mysteries (some by this author) where the detective's foibles and side-stories are enough to make the book worth reading even with a lame central puzzle. But this time, Garcia-Roza doesn't seem to do much with Inspector Espinoza; the Inspector's usual low-level depression is instead simply transferred to the reader.
This is the first one that was unsatisfying.
Spoiler:
My favorite mystery of all time, Michael Dibdin's "Dead Lagoon" also leaves parts of its core mystery unsolved, but it is still satisfying. So having everything neatly wrapped-up by the end is not a requirement. But we never really find out what was going on through the whole book, and when you have an omnicient narrator, that's not acceptable. We hear from "Lucas" early on - what he's doing, what he's thinking, and then this voice disappears, and we never know what really happened to him, or why he was stalking the main character or the main character's daughter (and he was stalking them). Very irritating.
Also, there are mysteries (some by this author) where the detective's foibles and side-stories are enough to make the book worth reading even with a lame central puzzle. But this time, Garcia-Roza doesn't seem to do much with Inspector Espinoza; the Inspector's usual low-level depression is instead simply transferred to the reader.
May 31, 2015
Série: Espinosa 05 - Perseguido - Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza
Perseguido
Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza
Espinosa 05
Companhia das Letras
2003
É uma trama psicológica muito bem escrita, onde o autor se supera, neste romance policial o mistério fica no ar.
Este é o terceiro livro do delegado Espinosa que leio e cada vez fico mais impressionada com sua capacidade de percepção da realidade, seu vislumbre imaginativo e do seu raciocínio lógico...
Quer ler a resenha completa e muito mais, visite o blog Momentos da Fogui:
site: http://foguiii.blogspot.com.br/2015/0...
Perseguido
Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza
Espinosa 05
Companhia das Letras
2003
É uma trama psicológica muito bem escrita, onde o autor se supera, neste romance policial o mistério fica no ar.
Este é o terceiro livro do delegado Espinosa que leio e cada vez fico mais impressionada com sua capacidade de percepção da realidade, seu vislumbre imaginativo e do seu raciocínio lógico...
Quer ler a resenha completa e muito mais, visite o blog Momentos da Fogui:
site: http://foguiii.blogspot.com.br/2015/0...
August 1, 2010
I picked this up off a friend's book swap pile only because the author is Brazilian, and I don't think I've ever read a Brazilian author.
It's a fantastic, suspenseful thriller about a bookish police chief who gets challenged by a strange psychologist and his obsession with one of his patients. I can't reveal too much without giving anything away, but I read this on one busride between Gyeongju and Incheon. I was on the edge of my bus-seat the whole time and almost jumped out of my (bus) seat once.
It's a fantastic, suspenseful thriller about a bookish police chief who gets challenged by a strange psychologist and his obsession with one of his patients. I can't reveal too much without giving anything away, but I read this on one busride between Gyeongju and Incheon. I was on the edge of my bus-seat the whole time and almost jumped out of my (bus) seat once.
September 30, 2020
Disappointing. Don't let the blurb fool you. It's one of those books that I just wanted to get over with. Usually after I finish a book with a lot of questions left unanswered, I would either get really frustrated and try to "find out" what happened by reading other people's theories or make up my own. But this one, I just didn't care. I think the author wants the reader to be curious to a point that he didn't give out the story at all. None of the characters stood out that when you try to think of an actual person that could reflect them, you can't. The police, they didn't really do any actual investigation. All they did was guess without evidence to support them. And yet they turned out to be right. Just convenient.
If you're into real suspense, I wouldn't recommend this book.
If you're into real suspense, I wouldn't recommend this book.
February 2, 2024
I usually like this author, but this one was a bit of a bust. The first thing that was wrong was that the protagonist didn't play much of a part in the book. It was not about Espinosa and he was particularly dull in this book. The main plot was about a crazy psychiatrist, like that's a bit of a stretch. It was a sad plot with little thought going into it. I would not recommend this to anyone who loves mysteries.
July 6, 2017
Overall I enjoy the Espinosa series but this book did not cut it for me. I am sorry but not solving the case is kind of pointless for a crime detective novel.
July 10, 2020
Ótimo livro, muito envolvente, mas deixar a trama não resolvida em um livro de mistério é uma grande frustração para o leitor.
July 5, 2021
O livro é fácil de ler mas com muitas falhas do autor. A história não parece consistente. parece que coisas óbvias não foram consideradas.
June 1, 2011
I've worked with some wonderfully astute Psychiatrists and some more suited to sheep farming or antique collecting; but none as inept and poorly portrayed as the main character in this Inspector Espinosa novel. this is the 4th Garcia-Roza novel I have read in this series and so far; Inspector Sepinosa has failed to solve a single crime; he does quite a lot of musing; some introspection; and appears to spend his waking hours planning his next meal or eating it. I suppose there is some interest in a Psychiatrist who is being stalked; I have known this with a colleague and that story was much more interesting than this one. So many loose ends with this book; the story starts aroundman called Jonas whom the inept Psychiatrist insists should be called Isidoro; for a large part of the novel it is their interplay that is the main substance of the book until one of them just stops being part of the story; not real explanation as to what happened; we just fall back to the Inspector Espinosa and his search for the next burger.
I think this novel offended me with its shallow portrayal of mental illness; Dr Nesse the Psychiatrist saying of Jonas "He's Psychotic" or "he's paranoid" with no evidence to support this; description as though it is explanation; even as description it is poor; might as well say he is "nice" or "Intelligent"; all meaningless terms unless there is a comparator. fear this just perpetuates them and us notions of mental illness; so my 2 star rating is perhaps generous
I think this novel offended me with its shallow portrayal of mental illness; Dr Nesse the Psychiatrist saying of Jonas "He's Psychotic" or "he's paranoid" with no evidence to support this; description as though it is explanation; even as description it is poor; might as well say he is "nice" or "Intelligent"; all meaningless terms unless there is a comparator. fear this just perpetuates them and us notions of mental illness; so my 2 star rating is perhaps generous
June 6, 2012
Another weird psychological thriller that keeps you turning the pages and then is not really resolved clearly at the end. Garcia-Roza could probably write a thriller about paint drying but the ending would surely be fuzzy. I enjoy the character of Espinoza, the book loving detective, who is the honest cop and seems the most unlikely cop. He thinks too much and so does the author. At the end we still don't know who killed who. I guess some cases are just that way.
August 3, 2011
One of my favorite crime fiction writers and definitely my favorite contemporary Brazilian, there's no question I'm a big fan of Garcia-Roza and his main lead character, detective/police officer Espinosa. Pursuit is a decent book, not one of his best, but it's still a quick entertaining read, as all crime-fiction books should be.
January 9, 2014
Wasn't my favorite of the ones I've read so far in this series. I spent too much time in the head of a deranged murderer (creepy) and didn't get to know other characters very well. Still, I enjoyed it because the plot was interesting and, besides, I've committed to the long haul with detective Espinosa!
September 24, 2014
Um psiquiatra se vê ameaçado por um paciente, que acaba desaparecendo e o médico passa a ser suspeito. O livro prende a atenção, consegue manter um bom clima de suspense o tempo todo, mas acabei me decepcionando com o final.
April 6, 2016
I wish there was a 2.5 stars position. It's not that I didn't like it. It's just that it wasn't ultimately that interesting or that satisfying. There was a story there that I wanted to know more about (the daughters, the mother) but I never did find out enough to make it worth the read.
January 5, 2009
I doubt I'll read anymore of this series. Garcia-Roza is an excellent writer, and the books are very suspenseful, but the endings are a rea let down for me.
April 3, 2017
um dos melhores policias actuais
April 4, 2012
Excelente policial, cheio de mind games e dissimulações, que tem ainda a vantagem de nos transportar para as ruas de Copacabana e Ipanema.
December 27, 2015
Loved this book, a real pychological page-turner.
September 20, 2012
I like that this series is set in Brazil, but the totally convoluted plot in this was not satisfying, when all is said and done
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews