William Bayer

City of Knives William Bayer

BUENOS AIRES, rich and cruel, haunted by a violent past - a gorgeous city of intrigue and decay, a city of tango dancers, a dangerous city...a CITY OF KNIVES. CITY OF KNIVES is a psychological thriller set in one of the world's most fascinating capitals. The destinies of four main characters, each pursuing his/her own agenda, criss-cross and finally intersect: MARTA ABECASIS, homicide detective, known as La Incorrupta ("The Incorruptible One") assigned to investigate the bizarre murder of a prostitute. As her investigation unfolds she uncovers a huge political conspiracy involving powerful people who will stop at nothing to obstruct her. BETH BROWDER, a San Francisco professor, comes to Buenos Aires to search for her missing lover and to immerse herself in the tango. Soon after her arrival she is drawn into a frightening decadent demimonde that pushes her to the brink of madness. DR. TOMÁS HUDSON, a psychoanalyst specializing in the treatment of the damaged children of los desaparecidos ("the disappeared ones"), is approached by an extortionist offering to sell him the name of the person responsible for the arrest and murder of his wife. HANK BARNES, a militaria dealer, hired by an anonymous stranger to travel to Buenos Aires to retrieve a long-lost jewel-encrusted dagger that once belonged to Nazi leader, Hermann Goering. As he pursues this quest, he suspects he is being manipulated by the intelligence service of a foreign government. Other characters include a corrupt priest, a young investigative journalist, an incestuous brother-sister, and an imprisoned right-wing military leader. But perhaps the most important character is Buenos Aires itself - the City Of Knives, in which all the characters eventually cross paths in an extraordinary denouement.