{"product_id":"the-mastermind-9781617754425","title":"The MasterMind","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eThe Mastermind\u003c\/em\u003e teems with the pulse of daily life in the tropics: the sights and sounds, the smells and tastes. He takes millionaires, whores, provocateurs, hit men, bankers with deep pockets, and political agendas, and weaves them into a dazzling tapestry. What befalls those driven by hubris--the writing on the wall, a fall from the heights to the depths--are part of the pattern, the biblical tales of warning, the consequences that cannot be avoided . . . Unger is the poet of his complicated homeland . . . How fortunate we are that when Unger speaks for them, his words soar.\" --\u003cem\u003eAmerican Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy all appearances, Guillermo Rosensweig is the epitome of success. He is a member of the Guatemalan elite, runs a successful law practice, has a wife and kids and a string of gorgeous lovers. Then one day he crosses paths with Maryam, a Lebanese beauty with whom he falls desperately in love . . . to the point that when he loses her, he sees no other option than to orchestrate his own death.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe Mastermind\u003c\/em\u003e is based on the bizarre real-life story of Rodrigo Rosenberg, a Guatemalan attorney who, in 2009, planned his own assassination after leaving behind a video accusing Guatemalan president Álvaro Colom of his murder. (In April 2011, the \u003cem\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e published an article by David Grann about Rosenberg which has been optioned by Matt Damon for his directorial debut.) This is a fascinating depiction of modern-day Guatemala and the corrupt, criminal, and threatening reality that permeates its society.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGuatemalan novelist \u003cb\u003eDavid Unger\u003c\/b\u003e was awarded his country's Miguel Ángel Asturias National Prize in Literature in 2014, despite writing exclusively in English. He is the author of the novels \u003ci\u003eThe Price of Escape\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eLife in the Damn Tropics\u003c\/i\u003e. His short stories and essays have appeared in \u003ci\u003eWords Without Borders\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGuernica\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eKGBBarLit\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003ePlayboy Mexico\u003c\/i\u003e. He has translated fourteen books from Spanish into English. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Akashic Books, Ltd.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50474336026898,"sku":"9781617754425","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_2e3695c6-d7a8-4d3e-a1c4-4ff29388291e.jpg?v=1730217365","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-mastermind-9781617754425","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}