"Mixing a flair for pulpy dialogue and even pulpier characters, Vargas Llosa manages to convey empathy for that seediest of figures, the tabloid journalist. In venturing into genre territory, Nobel Prize-winner Vargas Llosa finds a sweet spot with this textured thriller that will appeal both to his established audience of literary-fiction readers and to fans of international crime novels." –Booklist, starred review
"Reminiscent of Pynchon's Inherent Vice in its use of genre fiction for higher purposes, this is an audacious and skillful novel. –
Publisher's Weekly ...this work is both crime thriller and social commentary and will keep fans of Nobel Laureate Vargas Llosa happy. –Barbara Hoffert,
Library Journal