The Bad Daughter (La mala hija)

When the disappearance of a teenage girl shakes an entire town, two estranged sisters, a captain and a lieutenant in Spain’s Civil Guard, are forced to work together on an investigation filled with family secrets capable of destroying their own lives. Pedro Martí delivers an addictive thriller that became a major literary phenomenon. 

The disappearance of Belén Villalba, a sixteen-year-old girl from one of the town’s most influential families, sends shockwaves through the entire community. The investigation falls to Captain Alma Ortega, a brilliant officer from the Central Operative Unit who is forced to return to the town she fled years earlier, and to her sister Paula, a Civil Guard lieutenant stationed there. Their reunion reopens old family wounds and a relationship shaped by years of unresolved conflict, yet they must learn to work together if they are to solve the case.

What begins as the search for a missing teenager turns into a murder investigation when Belén’s body is discovered in a reservoir. Initial evidence points to Simón Castillo, a troubled young man with a criminal record. However, his brother Diego, a local journalist who sees the case as an opportunity to revive his declining career, succeeds in proving his innocence. From that moment on, the investigation descends into a labyrinth of suspects, secrets, and half-truths that seems to spread through every layer of the community.

The sisters uncover evidence that, shortly before her death, Belén had been the target of a humiliating campaign orchestrated by her troubled ex-boyfriend, Iván Valero. Following that lead, they reach Emma, Belén’s best friend, who reveals the existence of Neverland, a secret organization dedicated to grooming and exploiting teenagers while operating under a shield of silence, influence, and impunity. Before she can disclose everything she knows, Emma is found dead under suspicious circumstances, reinforcing Alma’s conviction that someone is eliminating anyone who gets too close to the truth.

As the investigation progresses, more deaths follow, and suspicion extends beyond troubled teenagers to respected and powerful members of society. The trail leads Alma and Paula to Arturo Villalba, Belén’s uncle and a member of one of the region’s most prominent families. What initially appeared to be an isolated crime gradually reveals itself as part of a much larger conspiracy that has remained hidden for years behind the respectable façade of the community.

The truth is devastating. Months before her murder, Belén had fled to Barcelona to conceal a pregnancy resulting from the abuse she suffered within the organization. There, she secretly gave birth to a daughter while trying to reconstruct the fragmented memories of what had happened to her. Once she began remembering the truth and understanding the full extent of the network that had ensnared her, she became a threat to those involved. Determined to silence her, Arturo participated in her kidnapping and murder with the assistance of his wife, Esperanza, who actively helped cover up the crime in order to protect the family.

Yet Arturo’s downfall does not mark the end of the investigation. The final and most shocking revelation arrives when Alma discovers that Peter Pan, the mysterious figure who has coordinated Neverland from the shadows for years, is actually Nico, Paula’s son. Intelligent, charismatic, and seemingly exemplary, Nico has spent years constructing a double life through which he controls the organization, manipulates those around him, and eliminates any threat to his secrets. The revelation emotionally devastates Paula and transforms the investigation into something far more personal than a criminal case.

The climax forces both sisters to confront the most painful truth of their lives. As the criminal network collapses and those responsible are exposed, Paula must choose between protecting her son and fulfilling her duty as an officer of the law. In the end, she understands that she can no longer conceal the truth and allows justice to reach Nico, even though doing so will shatter her family forever.

RELEVANT INFORMATION: Pedro Martí is a crime-fiction writer, finalist for the Third Cartagena Negra Prize and winner of the 2018 Award for Best Spanish Crime Novel.

The Bad Daughter is a raw and emotionally powerful psychological thriller, a harrowing story about the complexity of family relationships and the many faces of power. Its oppressive atmosphere, unexpected twists, and deeply buried family secrets create a highly compelling dramatic narrative. The themes of exploitation, abuse, and systemic cover-ups also provide a strong foundation for a socially relevant story.

The novel’s structure, built around multiple suspects and successive layers of mystery, keeps readers hooked from beginning to end. Each chapter introduces either a revealing flashback or a significant twist, continually reshaping the audience’s understanding of the truth. Alma Ortega, a strong yet deeply fractured protagonist haunted by her past, forms the emotional core of the story. Her rivalry with her sister Paula, combined with the family conflicts and strained friendships that permeate the narrative, gives the thriller an emotional depth that elevates it into a devastating family drama.

WHAT READERS AND AUTHORS SAY:

“One of the best novels of the year, by a huge margin. An absolute masterpiece.” Juan Gómez-Jurado

“Magnificent. A novel that raises the hair on the back of your neck. An author to watch very closely.” Benjamín Prado

“Wild and addictive. Pedro Martí is here to stay.”
Santiago Díaz

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

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish.