Los Crímenes de Castañal

Los Crímenes de Castañal opens the José Expósito trilogy in 1885, in the fictional Salamanca village of Avernesa, centered on the prestigious Castañal bull-breeding ranch. When murders follow the ranch's change of ownership and a young local is arrested as a suspect, the killings continue regardless — prompting Castañal's owner to call in her friend Commissioner Holguín.

Holguín dispatches his most capable investigator, sub-inspector José Expósito, to Avernesa. As he works the case, Expósito uncovers a network of private grudges and interconnected motives running through the close-knit community, with the danger mounting around him as he closes in on the truth.

A historical police-procedural mystery with a noir edge, praised by readers for its period atmosphere, engaging dialogue and surprising conclusion.