Redemptoris: The Saga of the Missing Christ

A columnist with a keen sense of humor, journalist Carlos Eduardo Novaes is often compared to the brilliant Stanislaw Ponte Preta. His writing possesses the same subtle irony, the same talent for exposing the nation's political ills and machinations, and the Rio de Janeiro underhandedness. In Redemptoris, he debuts as a novelist, but without losing the ironic streak that made him famous in his short writing. In this ambitious novel—a mix of social commentary and detective novel—he creates a hilarious plot about a situation as absurd as it is original: the theft of the Christ the Redeemer statue during the mayoral campaign of Rio de Janeiro. The story plays with the possibilities of this impossibility and with the behavior of politicians during the elections. With the mayor's promise of a reward for any relevant information, lines of people from the most diverse fields form in front of the city hall building: doctors, mediums, astrologers, teachers, samba dancers, kabbalists, etc. And even a kidnapper claiming to have the statue: he sends a finger of Christ and asks for an advance ransom. At a fast pace, where the action opens up and incorporates new characters, the story's detective enters the scene: Jamie Trent, an investigator obsessed with Sherlock Holmes. Around him circulates an impressive gallery of hilarious characters: his wife Rita, his sister Suelen, his love interest Laura, and his sidekick Robson Formiga Gigante. Redemptoris is also a declaration of love for Rio de Janeiro. More than a reference, the carioca is a generic character, punctuating the narrative with his recognizable characteristics.