Böcker av Mercedes Rosende

The sequel to last year's much-lauded Crocodile Tears ("Reads like a marvellous mash-up of Anita Brookner and Quentin Tarantino." The Times). The attempted robbery of the armored truck in the back streets of Montevideo is a miserable failure. A lucky break for the intrepid Ursula who manages to snatch all the loot, more hindered than helped by her faint-hearted and reluctant companion Diego. Only now, the wannabe robbers are hot on her heels. As is the police. And a private detective. And Ursula's sister. But Ursula turns out to be enormously talented when it comes to criminal undertakings, and given the hilarious ineptitude of those in pursuit, she might just pull it off. She is an irresistible heroine. A murderess with a sense of humor, a lovable criminal with an edge and she is practically invisible to the men who dominate the deeply macho society of Uruguay.

The setting: Montevideo's crumbling Old Town. The gig: an armoured truck robbery. The cast: Diego, a failed kidnapper, Ursula Lopez, an amateur criminal with an insatiable appetite, El Roto, a notorious but inept hoodlum. Dr Antinucci, a shady lawyer with big plans. And finally, Leonilda Lima, a washed-out police inspector.