When life loses all meaning
El adiós de
los nuestros*
Javier Menéndez Flores
Ediciones B, October,
2006, 189 pages
Alex Martín Escribá
Translation: Jean Burrell
I
always associated Javier Menéndez Flores ( Madrid 1969)
with the world of music. I knew his journalistic career was connected
with that world. His interesting, well-known books, such as Miénteme
mientras me besas (Lie to me as you
kiss me) and the much-discussed biographies of Joaquín Sabina and Miguel Bosé, are
some of his most celebrated productions.
With the publication – by Ediciones B – of
El adiós de
los nuestros the Madrid writer is breaking, interestingly
enough, into the crime genre and demonstrating that he is also
an excellent storyteller.
On this occasion the author recounts a gripping thriller with present-day
Madrid as its backdrop. Its main character, David Mendoza, a man
traumatized by the loss of one of his best friends in the army's
Special Operations squads, decides to try to lead a peaceful life
so as to get himself out of the black hole in which he has been sunk
for several years.
The apparent tranquillity is shattered
with the appearance of Elena – the
love of his life – who tells him her current boyfriend has been murdered
in a shady drug-trafficking affair. When they meet again she asks
for his help, as she is being pursued by various criminal gangs trying
to discover the whereabouts of the 30 kilos of cocaine which are
in an unknown location. This takes the hero down into the depths
of society where every sort of person appears: pimps, prostitutes
and thugs make up the cast of characters.
Running desperately through the whole story with death at their
heels, the two main characters set out on a frantic struggle to survive
in the environment of Madrid 's underworld and its mafias, where
they constantly risk their lives up against dangerous men.
The whole plot turns on prototypical features of the genre: drugs,
sex, violence and shadowy Madrid settings are some of the elements
that fit into the genre. Its local city context reminds us of the
classic American novels in which the hero seldom has space to save
himself.
But here we have a frenetic storyline that does not end until the
author pulls the trigger for the last time. His clever entertaining
style makes it an excellent crime tale.
* Our loved ones say goodbye
