The Bad Daughter (La mala hija)

A fast-paced thriller full of action, but also a heartbreaking family drama. It all begins with the disappearance of a girl and ends up uncovering a dark pedophilia network in which more people than you can imagine might be involved. An impactful story, impossible to put down.

The disappearance of Belén Villalba, a 16-year-old girl, in Almansa shocks the town. The investigation is led by Captain Alma Ortega and her sister Paula, a local Civil Guard lieutenant, reigniting family tensions. As they conduct their initial investigations, Belén’s body is found in a reservoir, beaten and drowned. The main clues are a shoe with blood on it belonging to Simón Castillo (a young man with a criminal record) and a photo on his cell phone of a hooded man.

Initial suspicions fall on Simón, but his brother Diego, a journalist, manages to prove his innocence. Professor Mateo Medina is also investigated for an inappropriate relationship with Belén, but he is ruled out. The focus shifts to Iván Valero, Belén’s ex-boyfriend, a sexist and violent man who participated in the dissemination of a fake sex video to humiliate her. It is discovered that Emma, a friend of Belén’s, also participated in the fake video, and, under pressure from Alma and Paula, she reveals the existence of Neverland. This is a child prostitution ring led by a man known as “Peter Pan,” who organizes sex parties where cartoon character masks ensure the anonymity of the participants. Emma, who implicates Iván Valero in Neverland, is found dead on the train tracks, and although it is ruled a suicide, Alma suspects Iván.

With the help of Irene, another friend of Belén’s, Alma and Paula sneak into a party organized by the network, where they find Iván murdered and discover that Arturo Villalba, Belén’s uncle, is one of the leaders. Arturo flees and asks his brother Lázaro, Belén’s father, for help. Lázaro, previously informed by Alma and Paula of the investigations into the pedophile network, was beginning to suspect Arturo. Finally, Arturo confesses to having sexually abused Belén, after which Lázaro kills him with two shots at point-blank range.

In the end, the truth comes to light: Arturo Villalba participated in those parties and was one of Belén’s sexual abusers. Belén discovered this and, when she confronted him, she was murdered by her aunt Esperanza, who was ultimately responsible for Belén’s murder, acting to protect her husband. Months before her death, Belén had fled to Barcelona with her aunt, where she secretly gave birth to a girl, Verónica, the result of the rape.

Nico, Paula’s son and Alma’s nephew, turns out to be the real mastermind behind Neverland. Under the alias Peter Pan, he ran the child prostitution ring and it was he who murdered Iván Valero to protect his secret. The revelation breaks all family ties: Paula, devastated to discover that her own son is a monster, confronts Alma in a tense moment, gun in hand and her heart torn between duty and blood. But even in the face of the most unbearable pain, the truth prevails, so she agrees to hand him over to justice. No one, not even a son, can go unpunished.

RELEVANT INFORMATION: Pedro Martí is a writer specialized in crime fiction, finalist of the III Cartagena Negra Prize and winner of the award for Best Spanish Crime Novel of 2018.
The Bad Daughter is a raw and emotionally intense psychological thriller, a heartbreaking story about the complexity of family relationships and the different faces of power. The oppressive atmosphere of Almansa, the unexpected twists, and the family secrets build a highly engaging dramatic plot. In addition, the theme of the prostitution ring and the hidden abuses open the door to a socially relevant narrative.

The plot structure—with multiple suspects and layers of mystery, where each chapter unfolds a revealing flashback or a new twist—hooks the audience from the very first page to the last. The character of Alma Ortega, a strong woman fractured by her past, and her rivalry with her sister Paula, as well as the family storylines and friendships at stake in the novel, add emotional depth that brings the thriller closer to a heartbreaking family drama.

AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Miniseries, Feature Film, TV Film.

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish.