The Mastermind

"Unger bases his latest novel on the true story of a Guatemalan lawyer who planned his own murder in 2009, fleshing out the story with healthy shots of sex and corruption....The political elements in Unger's story become more gripping through the eyes of his flawed protagonist. He's especially good at subtly shifting the tone of the narrative so that danger signs build up around Guillermo before either he or the reader realizes."
--"Kirkus Reviews"
"In "The Mastermind," David Unger s compelling antihero reminds us of the effects of privilege and corruption, and how that deadly combo can spill from the public to the private sphere. Unger s Guillermo Rosensweig is on a hallucinatory journey in which everything seems to go right until it goes terribly, terribly wrong. I couldn t put this down."
--Achy Obejas, author of "Ruins"
"Swaggering, visceral, and sharply astute, "The Mastermind"is a riveting account of one man s high-stakes journey to self-reckoning."
--Cristina Garcia, author of"King of Cuba"
"David Unger has taken one of the strangest, most sinister affairs in Guatemalan history and, through the power of his imagination and mastery of his art, made it even stranger, richer, disturbingly more human and universal."
--Francisco Goldman, author of"The Interior Circuit"
""The Mastermind"is a merciless analysis of the dark web of a country, perhaps of a whole continent, and, finally, of all forms of organized power. The novel raises fascinating questions regarding the literary tensions between real-life events and their fictionalization, between Guatemala s incredible Rosenberg case and Rosensweig, Unger s imagined alter egothe way these two characters blur, argue, and battle in the reader s mind make this an engrossing read.
--Andres Neuman, author of "The Things We Don t Do"
By all appearances, Guillermo Rosensweig is the epitome of success. He is a member of the Guatemalan elite, runs a successful law practice, has a wife and kids and a string of gorgeous lovers. Then one day he crosses paths with Maryam, a Lebanese beauty with whom he falls desperately in love...to the point that when he loses her, he sees no other option than to orchestrate his own death.
"The Mastermind" is based on the bizarre real-life story of Rodrigo Rosenberg, a Guatemalan attorney who, in 2009, planned his own assassination after leaving behind a video accusing Guatemalan president Alvaro Colom of his murder. (In April 2011, the "New Yorker" published an article by David Grann about Rosenberg which has been optioned by Matt Damon for his directorial debut.) This is a fascinating depiction of modern-day Guatemala and the corrupt, criminal, and threatening reality that permeates its society.
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