Artur Cortez, Modesto Navarro’s Detective: A “Whistle Blower” Ahead of His Time

Modesto Navarro published seven detective novels between 1982 and 2002. Artur Cortez, his detective, is an investigator who becomes personally involved in the revolutionary process that followed after April 25, 1974 in Portugal. This experience as an activist alters his values, his insight into Portuguese society and his investigative practices. He turns away from private investigations in order to work on investigations with a more collective dimension. By denouncing political or financial scandals such as those that hit the headlines of the young democracy, he became a social sentry and a “whistle blower” ahead of his time.