Delirium

Renata has a premonition: a vision of a savage and cruel murder. She doesn’t recognize the victim but does recognize the place where the crime is going to be committed: Delirio, a hotel located in the city of Guanajuato, Mexico, owned by Juanjo, an old friend and literature professor.

Kika, a young transgender woman and Renata’s best friend, arrives at Delirio with the need to hide. She is fleeing from her lover, an influential politician. Because of his position, she knows he has unleashed the dogs to hunt her down; that and because of the bag full of money with which she arrives at Delirio. And with that money, she intends to buy herself a new life; but first, she must preserve the one she has. Risking her reputation and even her marriage, Renata decides to do whatever it takes to prevent the homicide. The problem is that destiny always wins the game even if it shows us its cards.

Natalia M. Alcalde debuts with this overwhelming noir novel where violence, social criticism, and magical realism are masterfully mixed in an intoxicating cocktail that passes through the reader’s stomach to ascend to their heart and linger in their brain.
Hypocrisy and social prejudices, systemic police and political corruption, sensationalism in the media, and a rotten judicial system are present on every page of Delirio. Alcalde portrays contemporary Mexico with universal elements such as the search for justice; although it is difficult to find when your life is worth less than the coins that jingle in your pocket.