The Hand That Feeds You by Mercedes Rosende
I would like to thank Anne from Random Things Tours and Bitter Lemon Press for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher - Bitter Lemon Press
Published - Out Now
Price - £9.99 paperback £7.59 Kindle eBook
The attempted robbery of the armoured car in the back streets of Montevideo is a miserable failure. A lucky break for the intrepid Ursula Lopez 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 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 humour, a lovable criminal with an edge and she is practically invisible to the men who dominate the deeply macho society of Uruguay.
Crime is often about transgression - how far past the rules of society will someone go to get what they want? In an old fashioned sense it is about how far can someone get corrupted but it also raises an interesting idea of how much are you prepared to change too. In the really interesting character-focused crime thriller The Hand That Feeds You by Mercedes Rosende (and ably translated by Tim Gutteridge) we travel to Uruguay to meet a fascinating woman on the cusp of such a transformation though her actions put her and loved ones in danger.
Ursula Lopez has got involved in an armoured truck robbery involving a corrupt police officer and lawyer; she has shot the ultra-violent and murderous lead thief known as The Hobo; her and an accomplice took the money and ran from the rest of the crime ring. Now Ursula awaits her partner to say the coast is clear…and yet he has still not called. Meanwhile the lawyer known as Antinucci takes the betrayal personally but does not know who Ursula is. Alongside this a conscientious police Captain has suspicions this is not a simple street robbery and a private detective is hired to spy on Ursula as well. Can Ursula navigate these dangerous waters or are the sharks finally going to get her.
This is the next in the series of novels focused on Ursula Lopez but it kindly explains gently what has happened so far. It also didn’t matter because very quickly when Rosende grabs us with a flash forward to her and her sister racing through their life through a tunnel and then a haunting almost gothic scene where Ursula appears to be talking to the ghost of her disapproving father. Rosende has a gift for making you understand a character in a few words and gestures and this spectral conversation both explains what has happened so far and also shown us the complexity of Ursula who seems to have fallen into crime without any initial sign but also it reveals that she is holding many issues of self-esteem and guilt after suffering a ultra-strict and cruel childhood that as the story evolves hints that when Ursula decides she needs to act she will do so with full commitment. Ursula a supposedly meek middle-aged woman battling an eating disorder (or at least told she had one by her family) ; loves her increasingly suspicious sister and yet also smart and a quick learner - already knowing the law; learning via online instruction videos to hide gunshot evidence and when under pressure not afraid to answer back to her pursuers. The central mystery is less who is guilty - we soon all know the crime details but more is Ursula just in too deep or is she really starting to love this way of life?
In contrast we have her principle adversary in the form of Antinucci who cannot believe a woman of all things stands in the way of his wealth; especially one who has already given him a slip. With his buggy eyes and expensive clothes he is enjoyably loathsome yet smart and dangerous; and we so want to see him humbled but we also think he is likely too experienced to lose to Ursula. When thy do finally meet in the story the confrontation scene is both tense; a battle of wits and the outcome is uncertain - perfect for rising tension
Another compelling attraction for me is Rosende’s narration. This novel shifts narrator voice. Sometimes neutral; sometimes passing comment on events and moving to first person to give us character’s insight. The benefit of this approach is that each chapter has its own energy and style. Rosende plays with time; shifts our character focus and gives us a feel that this version of modern Uruguay is a dangerous one that does not value women; where the authorities can be as corrupt as the criminals they are supposed to pursue and respectable families hide dark secrets. Its a perfect noir setting but bustling with a chaotic energy like Ursula figuring out who they ultimately are. Although the ending feels more open-ended than I was expecting it does wrap up the immediate plot and I wonder if we will meet Ursula again and what form she will take this time.
The Hand That Feeds You is an impressive crime thriller; with not just a magnetic lead character but an assortment of unusual people who are never simple in her way and her wake. It is incredibly refreshing and well worth a read! Highly recommended!
