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Brazil

Posted on July 30, 2025 in Jaq Silver

The third title in the Jaq Silver series is now online.

The Chemical Cocktail was first published by Oneworld (Point Blank) in 2022 and follows Jaq’s search for a missing person. This time we’re up close and extremely personal as we travel from Portugal to Brazil.

I made several work trips to Brazil for my day job, visiting Curitiba and Araucária, Criciuma and Floripa, Rio and Sampo, Salvador de Bahia and Praia de Forte. It’s a beautiful and fascinating country to visit.

But there’s a dark underbelly to Brazil. The terrible legacy of slavery (over 5 million enslaved Africans were shipped to Brazil) and ongoing corruption that makes it one of the most unequal societies in the world.

When I first moved to Lisbon (for work) in the 1980s I learned Portuguese from Brazilian soap operas and game shows. All of those experiences – the good, the bad and the vibrant – probably seep through into The Chemical Cocktail.

Let me know what you think.