1.5 stars. Barely. Some people will like this more than I did.

Fun fact: in Spanish the word “victim” is always feminine. Oh, so much here.

Professor Cristina Rivera Garza (yep, that’s the author, but this isn’t non-fiction. How very….meta. Wait. No it isn’t.) finds a mutilated corpse in an alley and calls the police. As you would do. If this is NOT what you would do…tell me more. Oh, and forget you ever knew my name.

When she and the detective investigating the crime see the crime scene photos….wait, this can’t be right. I have it in my notes, but surely they wouldn’t let HER look at the photos. Anyway, SOMEONE notices a poem on a brick wall by the body. It’s by Alejandra Pizarnik.

Additional mutilated bodies continue to turn up around the city and each castrated man has an additional Pizarnik poem somewhere near the body. The detective, who has had issues in the past, becomes obsessed with both the verse and with finding the killer.

I guess if you come to your crime novels looking for an exploration of Latin American poetry you are in luck. However for the rest of us this is tedious, pretentious and really has absolutely nothing to say. Skip it.

Death Takes Me by Cristina Rivera Garza is a haunting and intricately woven crime novel that defies the conventions of the genre. When professor Cristina Rivera Garza discovers the mutilated body of a man in a dark alley, she unwittingly becomes entangled in a disturbing case. A cryptic message written in coral nail polish beside the body leads the investigation into an escalating series of murders, each more bizarre and chilling than the last. The detective assigned to the case, with his obsession for poetry and his long list of failures, is forced to grapple with the cryptic verses left at each crime scene in an attempt to decode the killer’s motives.

Garza’s novel stands out not only as a thrilling mystery but also as a profound meditation on gender, violence, and identity. By flipping the traditional crime narrative, where female victims are often the focus of violence, Death Takes Me challenges readers to confront the realities of gendered violence from a fresh perspective. The language of the book itself—sharp and surreal—mirrors the disorienting experiences of those involved in the case, weaving a dream-like logic throughout the investigation.

The novel is intricately structured, transitioning from the police station to the professor’s classroom, and delving deep into the complex worlds of Latin American poetry and art. Rivera Garza uses these intellectual and cultural landscapes as a means to explore the fraught terrains of desire and sexuality. This rich intertextuality adds layers of meaning to the book, creating a reading experience that is as thought-provoking as it is unsettling.

The atmospheric tension of the book makes it perfect for spooky season, as the eerie setting of the city and the sinister crimes unfolding within it seep into the reader’s consciousness. While the novel’s pace may be deliberate at times, it builds to an unforgettable conclusion that leaves a lasting impact.

With a strong focus on the interplay of language, desire, and violence, Death Takes Me is a brilliant and unconventional crime novel that challenges the expectations of its genre. A compelling 4/5, it is an immersive read that will resonate with those seeking a dark, intellectual thriller that pushes boundaries and explores uncomfortable truths.

This novel is a story about a professor and a detective working to uncover the secrets regarding a case involving men who have been mutilated. Moreover, it quickly becomes obvious that there are themes and deeper messages about gendered violence as they continue to unravel the details of the case.
There were many unique aspects of how the story is told to the audience that I had never experienced in a novel before. For example, the storytelling seemed very sporadic and almost disorienting in some parts and then clearer in others. Another example of a distinctive trait of this book includes its close relations with poetry and how it's very deeply integrated into the plot and the writing. While I commend these aspects of the novel, I do not believe they were for me personally (hence the lower rating). However, this could also be attributed to the way I read the book which may have hindered my overall understanding. I read a lot of the book in short spurts and did not do any annotation which may have caused me to miss important details among other things. Additionally, I am not a big poetry fan so it being a large part of this book likely caused me to not feel as connected to the plot and not fully understand some of the knowledge about famous works or structure of poetry, etc. Nonetheless, it is obvious through the writing and unfolding of the events that the author is very talented, which is a feeling that remained from the beginning to the end of my time with this novel.

Cristina Rivera Garza’s Death Takes Me is a genre-defying, multilayered exploration of violence, justice, and identity. This bold novel begins with the discovery of a mutilated man’s corpse in an alley, accompanied by a cryptic poem scrawled on the wall. The story follows a professor-turned-informant, Cristina Rivera Garza, and a detective as they attempt to unravel a series of grotesque murder in their dark atmospheric city.

What sets Death Takes Me apart is its refusal to conform to traditional thriller tropes. Rivera Garza combines elements of noir, metafiction, and poetry to create an intricate tapestry of narratives. At its heart, this is not just a murder mystery but a meditation on systemic gendered violence, inspired by real-world tragedies like the femicides of Ciudad Juárez. The novel uses the victims—castrated men—as a startling reversal of societal norms, forcing readers to confront the pervasive culture of fear and violence faced by women.

The writing is audacious and unconventional. Shifting between perspectives, timelines, and genres, Rivera Garza blurs the lines between fiction and reality. Essays on the poetry of Alejandra Pizarnik, surreal interludes, and fragmented narrations create a novel reading experience. The inclusion of art references and philosophical musings, make it sometimes an intellectual challenge. Rivera Garza masterfully dissects themes of power, identity, and the societal structures that enable violence, offering no easy answers but leaving an indelible mark.

Death Takes Me is not just a novel—it’s a daring literary experiment that pushes the boundaries of storytelling. For those willing to embrace its complexities, it’s an unforgettable journey into the darker recesses of humanity. #randomhouse #deathtakesme #cristinariveragarza

this was a good book! The writing was so interesting, poetic and moving. Some parts definitely went over my head. this author used a lot of metaphor mixed in with the story so it was interesting. I liked it over all and the author is talented and skilled

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Cristina Rivera Garza’s Death Takes Me is a challenging, poetic labyrinth that blurs the line between prose and verse. Her language flows extravagantly—cryptic and hallucinatory—demanding patience and a willingness to embrace discomfort. The exploration of Alejandra Pizarnik’s longing for prose adds haunting depth, while the repetition and fragmented style teeter between brilliance and frustration.

However, the relentless vagueness and circular metaphysical musings can feel self-indulgent, alienating readers searching for clarity or narrative progression. At times, the text seems more concerned with its own linguistic experimentation than with connecting to its audience. While the audacity of Rivera Garza’s approach is undeniable, this stylistic intensity risks overshadowing the emotional core of the story.

Though maddening at times, its dreamlike detachment and boldness leave a lasting impression. For those willing to grapple with its complexities, Death Takes Me offers a unique, if polarizing, literary experience.

Very interesting plot, but I found it to be a little all over the place— shuffling between metaphors and sticking to the actual plot. Unfortunately, I don’t think that this book is for me. However I do appreciate the thought put into the book and the opportunity to read it early in exchange for my honest thoughts, however little I have to say.

I finished reading the author's Liliana's Invincible Summer: A Sister's Search for Justice, and I was puzzled by the writing style. The first third of the book was prose, and the rest of the book was diary excerpts and interviews. I would have preferred the author had summarized the content of these sections as I do not like to read letters in books. When I started reading this new book, it was even more frustrating because the entire book was seemed to be typing rather than writing. It was totally unreadable. It seems like authors don't want to write anymore and editors don't want to edit books, but this author won a Pulitzer?

My first Garza read and went into this a little blind, expecting a conventional mystery thriller. Nope! I absolutely loved it, but my tastes run more to the literary fiction side of things and I do enjoy “plotless fiction” so the leap to prose poetry wasn’t too far, but my mom who loves thrillers would not be into this and that makes me wonder about how it will be marketed. I’d like to read more of this author now that I’ve gotten to know her. Fascinating.

I really enjoyed the way Cristina Rivera Garza wrote this and enjoyed the overall feel that I wanted from the description. The plot had that overall feel that I was hoping for and enjoyed the way it worked overall in this genre. The characters had that element that I was looking for and glad they were so well written.

I love to pick books that have been translated because there is always some unique storytelling in them. This book is definitely included there. Garza had me engrossed with this very unique book. Reading the book felt like poetry (makes sense since it’s about a Poet). Overall an enjoyable read even with a plot that doesn’t feel like it was completed.

I received a free advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Death Takes Me was exactly what I want from literary fiction — sharp, artistic, poignant. The writing is at times stilted but in a way that makes it read in a poetic sort of rhythm — fitting for the content. I would love to read it in the original Spanish, especially as gendered words and translation is a recurring point within the book. It is by no means an easy read — in content or execution — but an extremely engrossing one.