“City of Suspects is a nuanced and vivid reconstruction of ‘the texture of crime as experienced in everyday life’ in Mexico City between 1900 and 1931. . . . It would be impossible to do justice, in this short review, to the richness of the materials and the complexity of the arguments presented in City of Suspects. . . . Besides highlighting the cultural and political contents behind representations of crime, and the class biases of the criminal justice system, Piccato’s book also succeeds in bringing back to the discussion of these issues the impact of those collectivities he chose to call ‘urban communities.’ . . . This integration of the community as a central element in the analysis of the social impact of crime is indeed one of the main virtues of this extremely valuable contribution to the history of crime in Latin America that deserves wide readership and discussion by scholars of Latin America and beyond.” — Carlos Aguirre , Punishment and Society
“Based on previously untapped judicial sources, prisoners’ letters, criminological studies, quantitative data, newspapers, and political archives crime, City of Suspects explores the multiple dimensions of crime in early 20th-century Mexico City.” — Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education
“Piccato’s work is timely and presents exemplary cultural history.” — Víctor M. Macîas-Gonzâlez , History: Reviews of New Books
"City of Suspects is analytically innovative, magnificently researched, and full of fascinating cases that bring the reader inside the homes, minds, and hearts of the urban poor. . . . Piccato does not sensationalize crime nor glorify violence, but narrates countless colorful and fascinating cases that glue readers’ eyes to the pages and offer deep insights into the cultural and social meanings of crime and violence for those more directly involved—the offenders, victims, and neighbors. . . . [I]mpressive research, useful analysis, and intriguing stories. . . . City of Suspects is an important book and should be widely read and discussed." — Gregory S. Crider , Hispanic American Historical Review
"City of Suspects reads well . . . [and] successfully invites the reader into the complex climate that shaped popular and elite perspectives on crime in turn-of-the-century Mexico City." — Katherine Elaine Bliss , Law and History Review
"[A] strong contribution to the growing field of Latin American legal history." — Jonathan D. Ablard , New Mexico Historical Review
"[A]n admirable demonstration of the emergence of a dichotomous mind set. . . . Using a rich array of primary sources Pablo Picatto has taken great pains to separate or deconstruct the strands of what has come to define the 'chilango' stereotype." — F. Arturo Rosales , Red River Valley Historical Journal
"[R]emarkable. Piccato's gifts as a historian are revealed best in his close and detailed discussions of individual cases or clusters of related cases. . . . This is among the very best works published on the history of crime and policing in Latin America and is also a significant contribution to the history of Mexico City. The discussions of popular culture, masculine concepts of honor, and crime against women are among the best I have read." — Lyman Johnson , Journal of Social History
"In his thoughtful examination of early twentieth-century Mexico City, Piccato also provides us with an exceptional vision of the capital." — Patience A. Schell , Journal of Latin American Studies
"There is much in this book worth pondering. . . . [T]he author’s originality in his approach to crime both fascinates and challenges the reader." — Paul J. Vanderwood , American Historical Review
“City of Suspects offers a perceptive and original analysis of crime and punishment in early twentieth-century Mexico City. Spanning the authoritarian twilight of the Porfiriato, the violent catharsis of the Revolution,and the flawed social reformism of the 1920s, it roams the streets and households, barrios and penitentiaries of the city,exploring changing state policy and social mores, while illuminating concerns—crime, policing, moral panics—which are as relevant today as they were a century ago.” — Alan Knight, Oxford University
“An important, accessible book on a difficult and significant subject. City of Suspects will be warmly appreciated by historians of modern Mexico and historically-minded sociologists and political scientists who sympathize with Piccato’s ambition to keep crime and the state within the same field of inquiry.” — William B. Taylor, University of California, Berkeley