A really interesting story set in 1950s Francoist Spain, shining light on the political climate of the time through a riveting murder mystery. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Contrapaso by Teresa Valero is a fantastic graphic novel that will transport you back into the past. It will appeal to fans of historical thrillers like Sherlock Holmes or Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. The story is set in Spain in 1956, when a dictator controls the presses. Two journalists, Emilio and Leon, investigate a series of murders in order to try to spread awareness of the truth. Who is murdering these people? Will the pair get in trouble for reporting what they find out? And how far will a dictatorship go to suppress dissidents?

Overall, Contrapaso is an interesting look into criminal investigations in Spain in the past. One highlight of this book is the stunning artwork. I felt like I was reading a comic book that had been drawn during the golden age of comics. However, the colors were definitely updated and picked to evoke an earlier, nostalgic time. I took off 1 star, because I was a bit put off by 4-5 disturbing images of murders. Although I was prepared for a bit of that, the images of the corpses were too much for me. I'm sure though that there are plenty of readers who don't mind that sort of thing though, and it was a relatively minor part of the book. If you're intrigued by the synopsis, or if you're a fan of graphic novels in general, I recommend that you check out this book, which is available now!