The Mastermind

By David Unger

David Unger's finest work to date, the novel's protagonist is based on a real-life character who has made world headlines. A New Yorker article on the subject titled “A Death Foretold” by David Grann has been optioned by Matt Damon for his directorial debut.

Unger was recently presented with Guatemala's National Literature Award.

Simultaneous publication of paperback and e-book editions.

International sales potential for English-language bookstores, including in Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and the rest of Latin America.

Broad appeal across both literary and crime-fiction genres.

Galleys (and e-galleys via Edelweiss) available in August 2015.

Digital Reading Group Guide available from Akashic's website.

Galley display & giveaways at ALA Mid Winter.

Major media push to national TV, radio, print, and online publications.

Nomination to all appropriate literary awards.

Giveaways on Goodreads, LibraryThing, and through Advance Access.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Akashic Books
• Release date: Mar 14, 2016
• ISBN: 9781617754555

David Unger

DAVID UNGER is an award-winning translator and author born in Guatemala. His work has been translated into Italian, Spanish and Chinese. He received Guatemala’s 2014 Miguel Angel Asturias National Prize in Literature for lifetime achievement, though he writes exclusively in English and lives in the US. His many translations include The Girl from Chimel, The Honey Jar and Popul Vuh: A Sacred Book of the Maya.

Reviews for The Mastermind

[kcaroth1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Mastermind by David Unger is based on the strange true story of a Guatemalan who planned his own death while leaving a video tape of accusations against the Guatemalan President. The novel is well-written with third person narration that allows the reader to be both very close to the main character, Guillermo Rosensweig, and still at a distance. The author has managed to keep the main character compelling when he is essentially unlikable--Rosensweig doesn't respect his parents, feels superior to his peers, cheats on his wife and on his mistresses, and is disgusted by his country.Although the first half is slow-moving it gives a good look at Rosensweig and his motivations as well as the political landscape that is developing around him. The second half moves into more action and focuses on the "thriller" and intrigue aspects of the tale.This is not a title that I would recommend to everyone but those who are interested in modern day Guatemala or power dynamics both within relationships and larger societal constructs would likely find it an interesting read.

[almadmc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It took me awhile to read and review this book. I can't say I liked the main character Guillermo. He wasn't a very good son and really was a very poor husband. His sexual needs trump everything. He seems to blame everyone else for his unhappiness. His relationship with Maryam redeems him somewhat and the book became a little more interesting. The political situation in Gautemala brings a little more excitement to the story.Both Guillermo and Maryam's escape from their assassinations were a bit much. I enjoyed this part of the book. There was some redemption for Guillermo. He finally takes responsibility for his life. The strangest part of the book comes at the end. I had to read the last few chapters more than once. Was the lady on the bus Maryam? Im still not sure.

[seeword · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A strange story, based on a real 2009 event, of a Guatemalan lawyer who is drawn into planning his own assassination as a gesture of patriotism. It more than just patriotism, he is in grief over a devastating love affair.I went back and forth on whether I liked the book and I almost didn't finish it. I did finish it and I'm glad I stayed with it. My main problem was with the depiction of the love affair--it seemed shallow and based only on sex. The death plot, however, was intricate and fascinating. Guatemala is a scary place and no one know who they can trust.Advance review copy through LibraryThing.

[crowvoice-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A twisting path of a story that swells into a frantic highway. The more pages read, the more the characters matter and the harder it is to put the book down. Loved spending some time in a very different Guatemala than the one I've spent time in - glad my experience was real and this one safely in a book.

[kara.shamy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Having heard nothing of The Mastermind or its author, David Unger, before reading the synopsis, my imagination was immediately captured by the concept of this novel. I was drawn first of all by the contemporary Guatemalan setting as depicted by an author intimately familiar with that society so as to provide the realistic texture and detail of the particular politics and culture. Moreover, the novel's categorization as a "literary thriller" matched my overall prefernce for literary fiction over otherwise appealing genre fiction, and the peculiar real-life story that inspired the book seemed to present an array of potentially fascinating psychological elements that could be featured in Unger's cast of characters. I entered to win an advance copy of the novel through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program, in which winners are expected to provide honest reviews in return for the free new releases they receive, and I caught a lucky break. Upon receiving the book this week, I commenced reading and consumed it whole in short order. I usually do not finish novels -- even relatively short ones in genres with fast-paced plots like this 330-page thriller -- in just one or two sittings. The Mastermind definitely engaged my interest and was a truly entertaining -- and therefore ultimately rewarding -- read for me. That said, the book wasn't exactly what I expected it to be. I found that I was so engrossed in the protagonist's psychological experience (as intimately related by the third-person narrator) and the unfolding action itself that I didn't engage with any nuance in the text. Because of the narrative style, my intake of the story could almost be described as more experiential (i.e. seeing the action through the protagonist's eyes) than literary. Usually, I am able to engage empathetically with character perspectives, anticipate unfolding events in the story, as well as appreciate specific aspects of the author's craftsmanship in relating the narrative. Unger's writing just sucked me in, for better and for worse, I'd say.I think I may re-read this novel to see if it bears more serious scrutiny. In the meantime, I would recommend it to all readers intrigued by the story-line who possess a tolerance for novels where events are filtered through the perspective of a largely unlikable and/or unrelatable main character. I did not find this protagonist personally endearing at all (but then again, I didn't get too irritated by any particular of this character either). I don't expect my negative general impression will be universal among readers, but I think it wise to warn those who cannot abide unsympathetic main characters to consider this issue in evaluating this potential read.Thanks for reading my ideas; I hope they prove somehow useful for at least some of you!

[poetvictoria · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Mastermind was a quick read for me. It was interesting to get closer to the violence and corruption in Central America, the history of which I am only vaguely familiar with. As I read this book, I kept thinking back to the author and how it is obvious that he is a male. I wasn’t able to really get inside the story as I kept thinking that many of the scenes seemed more likely to be indicative of male fantasy than anything that might have actually happened. I was originally drawn to the comparisons that had been made to Kafka. When I just didn’t see that, I reread the inside front cover to find that it was an earlier book which had been likened to Kafka. It was a good story which kept me reading to find out what happens next, but I was a bit disappointed due to the buildup. I loved the cover graphic and the slick feel of the cover along with the rough-cut pages. This did seem to coincide well with the contents. Thanks to the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[lnduff · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book has lots of promise: political intrigue, power and corruption, public and private betrayals. David Unger has fictionalized the bizarre real-life story of Rodrigo Rosenberg, a Guatamalan attorney. Itself a complicated and frustrating narrative, the truth of Rosenberg’s 2009 death remains disputed and murky.The book starts slowly, with lots of detailed setup which feels somewhat tedious. The characters seem flat, not too believable. The action picks up a bit in second half of book, but it still feels more like a dry newspaper reconstruction than a thriller.The Mastermind’s ending is not very satisfactory, though it might be the most intriguing part of Unger’s work. All in all, an interesting effort at reimagining this strange episode, perhaps constrained by the limits in the original source material. But not a masterpiece, by any means. Without the Rosenberg backstory, it would be hard to imagine why this book was worth writing, or reading.

[catscritch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This historical based novel is compelling from beginning to end. The characters are strong and well defined with out of control egos, self-loathing and deadly encounters. Guillermo is sitting on top of the world and doesn’t care who he spits on as long as everyone acts like it’s cool. He had no problem cheating on his wife but once he falls in love with one of his paramours, everything changes. Now that he has a passion, paranoia, fear, depression all kick in to ruin his once picture-perfect life. Making him the perfect pawn to political agendas. And through it all, Unger manages to make this cave man sympathetic! A parallel to his Guatemalan homeland. All is believable if you let yourself believe.An advanced copy of this book was provided for an honest review.