Did I Write Omar García Harfuch Into Existence?
The surreal experience of discovering that your fictional protagonist’s resume belongs to Mexico's Batman
Welcome to the Crime Fiction Files. I’m Carmen Amato, a CIA veteran sharing the encounters, experiences and current events behind my crime fiction.
First, a big welcome to new readers from Book Throne! You are in the right place if you love mystery and thriller books that pull from real life.
Second, for those who have been around for a while, Mystery Ahead is now Crime Fiction Files. Same every-other-Sunday schedule. More in-depth content.
Noir Reality
Like many of you, I was stunned when on 22 February 2026, Mexican forces supported by US intelligence killed everybody’s Public Enemy #1, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, aka El Mencho, head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
In retaliation, CJNG did its best to set Mexico on fire. Cities in Jalisco state, including Guadalajara and Puerta Vallarta, locked down as paramilitary cartel fighters torched vehicles, set up roadblocks, and battled the Mexican National Guard. Violence soon radiated outward leading to over 250 confirmed blockades in 22 states.
At least 70 people died in the days-long violence, including 25 National Guardsmen and over 30 CJNG fighters.
The Protagonist
Who in Mexico led the charge to get El Mencho?
Meet Mexico’s point man on security, Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar Garcia Harfuch. An attorney and former chief of police for Mexico City, Garcia Harfuch bears a striking similarity to Eduardo Cortez Castillo, the protagonist of THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY. Both attorneys, former cops, national-level crime fighters and easy on the eye.
It’s as if I wrote Garcia Harfuch into existence.
Photo of Omar Garcia Harfuch by EneasMx - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=149169092
Mexico’s Batman
Six years ago, when Garcia Harfuch was police chief in Mexico City, CJNG sicarios attacked his convoy as it passed through the upscale Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood, the same neighborhood where I lived a decade earlier.
Two bodyguards and a bystander were killed. Garcia Harfuch was shot three times.
The attack earned him the nickname, Mexico’s Batman.
The LA Times recently profiled him, saying “Like the stalwart Dark Knight, García Harfuch emits the vibe of a vigilant protector who compensates for a lack of superpowers with more cerebral skills — a mix of intelligence, resolve and moxie.”
Batman Builds a Network
No one fights the pervasive influence and power of cartels alone.
In the HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY, Eduardo Cortez Castillo has Los Hierros, a brotherhood of cops across Mexico who have sworn to be incorruptible.
With the support of President Sheinbaum, Garcia Farfuch is building his own version of Los Hierros by inserting allies into key roles in national intelligence, the Attorney General’s office, and the embattled national gas company, PEMEX.
Beyond that, he’s quietly building an elite civilian investigative and special operations force to fight the drug cartels. According to AP News, the new unit will be the National Operations Unit (UNO) with plans to “claw back security capabilities from the armed forces with a civilian force under his direct command.” I don’t know if the nascent UNO was involved in the action against El Mencho.
Batman’s Next Job
Garcia Harfuch is no stranger to national attention. He is the grandson of General Marcelino Garcia Barragan, a former secretary of defense, and the son of politician Javier Garcia Paniagua, although both are now controversial for heavy-handed policies of the past. His mother is María Harfuch Hidalgo, an actress and singer known by the stage name María Sorté.
Most would agree that after Sheinbaum, he’s the most well known and popular figure in Mexico’s government today.
Could Omar Garcia Harfuch become President of Mexico in 2030?
Before I write that chapter, let’s see what other tricks CJNG has up its sleeve.
The cartel isn’t done just because El Mencho is gone.
#listen
Another charismatic and effective fictional crimefighter is Lieutenant Leonel Cardenas from 43 MISSING. In this Detective Emilia Cruz mystery, Cardenas teams with Emilia on a national task force to determine the fate of 43 students who disappeared in central Mexico. The crime in the book mirrors Mexico’s 2014 notorious true crime.
Narrator Leanne Maksin brings the sizzle between Cardenas and Emilia to life in the audiobook of 43 MISSING, now available on Audible.
Listen to this chapter:
#watch
UK crime fiction writer Jane Harvey Berrick (DEAD WATER, etc) and I talk about unauthorized/illegal migration in our most recent video for the Crime Conversations YouTube channel.
The issue is a factor in DRAGON CARTEL, the next Detective Emilia Cruz book, but not the way you expect.
#noticed
WATCH: The latest season of The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix was terrific. Mexican actor Manuel Garcia-Rulfo plays lead character Mickey Haller. He could play Eduardo Cortez Castillo if there’s ever a movie made out of THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY (or a biopic of Omar Garcia Harfuch!)
EAT: I’m obsessed with the recipes from Italian chef Michele di Pietro and her website Mangia with Michele. It’s a beautiful site and loaded with foodie inspiration.
Feature photo by Naqi Shahid via Unsplash
That’s all for this edition of Crime Fiction Files. Thank you for spending this time with me.
Until next time,
PS: A percentage of book sales and affiliate links go to support veterans and first responder organizations. When you buy a book, invite me on a podcast or recommend this newsletter, you help me help others. Thank you.
MY BACKSTORY— I learned a few things about danger, deception and resilience during a 30-year career with the CIA focusing on counterdrug and technical collection. Now a mystery author, those lessons play out on the page, especially in the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in Acapulco. Starting with Cliff Diver, the series is a back-to-back winner of the Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America. I’ve also written historical and political thrillers, essays about the craft of crime fiction, and live with a very large white dog named Bear.
So interesting, Carmen! And wow, art imitates life or life imitates art? It's that kind of a moment! Love when that happens. The chapter reading was great too. The slight accent really makes it so authentic. Is that directly from Substack's choice of voices? Or from your audiobook? I love it! Also, the Chinese immigration --so interesting. Looking forward to how that works in your next book.
Congrats, Carmen! You're always a couple of steps (books) ahead of actual events,