Iberian Ties is the first book I've read by this author. It wasn't quite what I expected. For me, there was no flow to the story and I couldn't finish it, I'm sorry.

In creating the aspect of a thriller, the idea and execution should be based in a unique or at least smooth parable of plausible scenarios. in "Iberian Ties" [Quintin Vargas/Vanguard/418pgs], the mystery of what is being shown has different ideas of what the outcome needs to be and how it gets there. The interesting element here is that the way the uncovering of the different motivations of the characters which although at times is good, is sometimes overly and overtly explained in the dialogue so matter of factly that the tension is completely drawn out in every scene. It becomes plain. Characters continually say what they are going to go and do and think in the presence of others so it takes the reader completely out of the story. Nate Shelley and his fiancée Miro Epstein are at a conference in the Canary Islands when a murder happens. The reasoning and the reasons such an occurrence and how it happened with the actions behind the scenes are laid out but almost with a lack of mystery. And there seems to be especially with Miro and Nate that it is a game. There is no fear (except at one point). It feels like they are taking it about as serious as a escape room version of "Clue". As a result, most of their journey has no tension despite life and death occurrences seemingly happening around them.

The aspect of point of view inside characters' head would have given a much better progression of sorts because the eventual exposition reads alot of times as corny or self evident which eventually makes the entire story seem very contrived. The way people act though supposedly done out of civility seems untrue to life. Even the way some of the characters take action into their own hands comes off as extremely implausible. The two lead characters are supposed to be world class psychologists but the way they use deductive reasoning, act and even speak seem more amateurish than accomplished. While the setting is nice and many of the details do make sense at times, the character work does not bring it together well. There is a much tighter book here somewhere but only by streamlining it and giving some more dimension to characters would it work. The female lead inspector (as her countenance and approach changes throughout the book) becomes very one dimensional and her reasonings, even with her husband and supposed history, do not add up as they should. The eventual climax and would-be resolution is meant to point to the essence of a whodunit but actually turns remarkably bland and unfulfilling. "Iberian Ties" has a good story base at its core but its execution leaves a lot to be desired. C-

By Tim Wassberg

I did not FINISH this book. I've read 10% and the book is extremely poorly written. The characters are unbelievable, their dialogues are random and so are their thoughts. I don't think I can continue to read this book.

Among the other better books there are to read, I can't bring myself to read a book where the person's thoughts are so messed up within themselves that there is no logic or flow to them. It just didn't seem realistic.

"It's one thing to fight for what someone stole from you, quite another to eliminate bystanders."

Iberian Ties by Quintin Vargas starts right off with a dead body. Or does it? For Dr. Nate Shelley and his fiancée, Miró Epstein, the questions surrounding an alleged murder in their hotel room in the Canary Islands just keep piling up. Are Nate and Miró suspects? Are they victims of a hoax? Are they in danger? Who is Penny Rhoads, and why would anyone want to kill her? This plot-driven crime thriller leads the reader on a chase for answers to a baffling crime that seems to have too many suspects and too many seemingly unrelated pieces to the puzzle. Determining who is on the right side of the law also proves to be quite tricky. Trust no one appears to be the rule in Iberian Ties.

Nate and Miró quickly find themselves in an international quagmire involving Interpol, a well-guarded suspect/victim who is too afraid to speak, and immense danger at every turn. Miró's parents and her young daughter fly from Chicago to the Canary Islands to offer Miró and Nate their help and support, but are they now in danger as well? Questions abound, but the answers finally start falling into place one by one as the true colors of certain characters start showing and as evidence comes to light. While the unraveling of the mystery sometimes inches along, the overall pace is moderate, with the action quickly gaining speed in the ending chapters as Nate and Miró get too close to the truth and begin to see a possible motive for all the mayhem and murder.

Iberian Ties is heavy on the dialogue, the characters are engaging, and the overall motive for the murder and subsequent crimes is interesting as each detail is revealed. As with many crimes, greed plays a big role, with the ultimate perpetrator stopping at nothing to get what they want. As a side note, many chapters begin with bulletin-like headlines that position the timing in context with the most recent US presidential election and subsequent Trump administration. While the reason for this seems unclear at first, a passage toward the end might just offer an explanation for what at first appears to have no correlation at all to the plot and may or may not be off putting for some readers in today's political climate. Keep an eye out for that scene toward the end to see if you come to the same conclusion. Intrigued? Pick up your copy of Iberian Ties today and enjoy for yourself this debut fiction by Quintin Vargas.

If you enjoy international crime fiction that keeps you wondering who did it and why all the way to the end, then Iberian Ties is for you. And that ending will make you gasp and wonder if the nightmare really is over for Nate and Miró.

“Sanchez walked down to the greenroom, and greeted Diego. Diego was using his hand lens and some tiny scissors to work on his infant plants. “You’re a real master, son. These exotic plants are the best I’ve seen,” said Sanchez. “They all foxgloves?”



My grandfather always said a man who owned land was way richer than anyone else. Wow – did Quintin Vargas write a twisting story around that concept and included a few murders, a kidnapping, and multi-level intrigue.

Iberian Ties starts off immediately with a dead body and then the dead bodies multiply. The story is woven around a newly engaged couple who are targeted for both being killed and being the killers.

The story is arresting all on its own but one of the personal connections I love is the references to foxglove plants. Foxglove was among the first toxic plants I learned about and its importance to human health, as well as its use as a poison for hundreds of years.

The item I found most disconcerting was the continual references to the US 2016 Presidential Election. I might have missed the connection within the book but the story would be so much more profound without the referrals back the election – unless the author intended to use it as a timeline reference. The author could have easily used just years for a timeline reference point.

Iberian Ties is well-written though it could have used another pass for editing and tightening of the storyline. What was refreshing was the non-cliché writing of bad cops who were actually trying to solve the murders. Major kudos also go to the cover image which is dark, draws your eyes to it and begs to be picked up from a bookshelf. The addition of the map at the very front put the location of the story into a good perspective.

If you love a good thriller mystery then give Quintin Vargas’s debut book a chance.

Iberian Ties starts off with a bang as our main character Nate discovers a dead body in his hotel room. From that dead body, we have a twisting and turning crime thriller, where the main characters are trying to solve the who and the why behind the body. The plot, and more importantly, the why behind the dead body, is the foremost driver of the novel. I was following along with the characters as the clues unfold, to the final reveal of the AH HA moment. I was really surprised at how the story unfolded, with shocks continuing to unfold around each corner.
A lot of the characters in the novel are quite slippery. From our main characters, Nate and Miro, to the lawyers and police officials, I was not sure if I could trust anyone! Take the chief of police, for instance. He plays his cards very close to the vest, revealing little tidbits of information to Nate, but holding back other vital information. I do want to avoid any spoilers as to why the chief is holding back information. We’ll leave it Mr. Vargas does a good job balancing the good and evil in all of us. I imagine Mr. Vargas thinking mwa-ha-ha while writing and tormenting his readers!
Being a psychoanalyst really does play well into Nate’s private investigative skills. Nate’s P.I. persona is quite the opposite of his normal, day to day life. He takes charge, hiding in plain sight, wearing a
“flowery yellow beach shirt, purple undershirt, khakis, and sneakers.”
Nate is observant, a good listener, analytical, and dives in to solve the various mysteries occurring around him. These are key characteristics of any sleuth, fictional or not.
Minnie, Miro’s daughter, is another character of note for me. She’s so enthusiastic about everything, and quite a joy to read her scenes.
I’m seriously struggling lately with reading anything. I’m just not in the reading mood. It’s more of an it’s me, not the book, situation that’s causing the problem. Iberian Ties took a good 40% of the book for the reading spark to hit me. There is a lot of backstory and discussion in the beginning of the novel. It also took quite a while for me to appreciate the characters, Miro especially. I was never sure I could trust her story. Once the action picks up in the novel, and PI Nate gets to solving the crimes, I became a much more enthusiastic reader.
I also labored with some formatting and editing issues in the e-book. (I do wonder if the formatting issues were just translation from using the Kindle App on my iPad or my NetGalley ARC.) There are some passages in italics that I couldn’t determine why. And in other cases, sentences would drop to the next line at random. I also wrestled with the need to use the 2016 U.S. presidential race as a timeline. Maybe I missed the link between the actual story and the presidential race?
I’m giving bonus points for the cover design of Iberian Ties. I love the cover. It drew my attention right away. And after reading the novel, the cover ties into the story very well!
I’m recommending Iberian Ties for any mystery reader. The twisty-turny plot is imaginative and original. I’m certainly in again, if P.I. Nate is out to solve any more crimes!

Here's a novel where a minimal and strange plot has been supplemented with loads of meaningless dialogue. No suspense, no action, very boring. And the Canary Islands belong to Spain, but they are not in Europe or Iberia.