Sergio Olguín was born in Buenos Aires in 1967 and was a journalist before turning to fiction. Olguín has won a number of awards, among others, the Premio Tusquets 2009 for his novel Oscura monótona sangre ("Dark Monotonous Blood"). His books have been translated into German, French and Italian. The Veronica Rosenthal series (The Best Enemy, There Are No Happy Loves, The Fragility of Bodies and The Foreign Girls) are his first novels to be translated into English.

The translator Miranda France is the author of two acclaimed volumes of travel writing: Don Quixote's Delusions and Bad Times in Buenos Aires. She has also written Hill Farm and The Day Before the Fire and translated much Latin American fiction, including Claudia Piñeiro's novels and all the Veronica Rosenthal series for Bitter Lemon Press.

The Best Enemy

"...Olguín is interested in exploring the porous bonds of romantic relationships and the shifting meanings of fidelity and commitment. But those explorations pay off in surprising (and juicy) ways. I know I'll be reading the three earlier installments immediately." The New York Times

"An impressive, well-written and consistently interesting work." ---The Critic

"One of the pleasures of Sergio Olguin's slow-burning series, is the way it uses Verónica's inner life to show why she acts as she does -- here reuniting with childhood friends one moment, fending off hitmen the next. And as ever in Buenos Aires, those who send the triggermen are rarely those who pay the price. ---Times (London)

"There are kidnappings, bangs on the head, and chloroform knock-outs; it's not easy being an investigative journalist in Buenos Aires. In fact, the author's admiration for Verónica and her colleagues comes across repeatedly, as does his disdain for those who choose to turn a blind eye to crime, whether that be diplomats or senior press management.Just as enjoyable is the author's attention to Verónica's life outside work, her lovers, her friends, her family. He leaves a couple of bombshells for Verónica to navigate, and our protagonist ends the book a different woman from how she began."---CrimeFictionLover

Others in the series:

1.The Fragility of Bodies

"One of the three best thrillers of 2019."--Financial Times

"A distilled single malt noir, a gripping reflection on the woes and angst of Argentinian society."--NB Magazine

2.The Foreign Girls

"An excellent thriller, with a fully-developed, wholly engaging protagonist."--CrimeFictionLover

Book of the Month: "in the gutsy, raunchy Veronica we have a contemporary heroine to cherish."--The Times

3.There Are No Happy Loves

"Like The Wire, does a great job of connecting the dots between religious, political, and judicial institutions. An impressive series."--KIRKUS Reviews

"Full of swaggering attitude, this gritty and raw novel peels open the horrors of corruption and exploitation within the state and church."--LoveReading

"I don't think there's a character in all of crime fiction quite like "Vero." She's irresistible and mesmerizing."--Morning Star

Publisher: Bitter Lemon Press

Pub date: 2025-03-25

Length: 352 pages