Arantxa Rufo: a new voice in Spanish thrillers

Arantxa Rufo is one of the most promising authors of crime fiction in Spain. Born in Madrid in 1979, she has lived in Tenerife since 1980, where she has developed her entire literary career. Although she has technical training in sound and has worked professionally in IT and graphic design, her true passion is literature—especially noir, which allows her to explore the psychology of complex characters and the “grey areas” of human nature.

Rufo began with self-publishing, releasing four novels that achieved great success:

“El Fantasma” Trilogy En el punto de mira (2016), Sangre en las manos (2020) and Espira (2023). A saga about a hired assassin and the policeman who pursues her. It was born from a painful personal experience that the writer channelled through creativity. It was originally going to be a single book, but readers demanded a continuation—and that’s how the trilogy was born.

Zed está muerto (2018) An independent novel that explores moral boundaries within the world of crime.

Las tres muertes de Sarah Colbert In January 2025, the writer published her fifth book: Las tres muertes de Sarah Colbert. It is her first book backed by a publishing house—a major milestone achieved thanks to the success of her self-published works and the support of the Antonia Kerrigan agency (one of the strongest in the world of Spanish thriller fiction).

The protagonist is Sarah Colbert, sheriff of a small town in Washington State. Her life has been defined by three tragedies:

• The loss of her parents in childhood.
• The disappearance of her twin sister.
• The discovery, many years later, of her sister’s body—recently deceased.

Sarah begins to investigate her sister’s disappearance and death, uncovering secrets that threaten her own life. The novel explores themes of guilt and revenge, and how the past shapes and destroys a person.

It is Rufo’s most intimate and sensory book. She allowed herself to change the pace, delve deeper into character psychology, and expand her narrative technique.

Criticism and Reception The book has received strong support among readers, renowned Spanish noir authors, and critics:

• César Pérez Gellida: “Arantxa Rufo is the fresh blood of the Spanish thriller.”
• Víctor del Árbol: “Philip Marlowe and Sarah Colbert would have plenty to say to each other about guilt and the guilty. Arantxa Rufo invites them to the table. Magnificent.”
• Susana Rodríguez Lezaun: “It will raise your pulse from the very first page. Hold on tight and enjoy the ride.”
• Roberto Santiago: “The kind of character any crime writer would want to create. Las tres muertes de Sarah Colbert grips you threefold: with an unforgettable protagonist, a plot full of surprising twists and, best of all, an optimistic take on such a dark subject.”
• Eli Bescós, Antonia Kerrigan Agency: “Arantxa Rufo was a major bet for the agency from the very beginning, and with Las tres muertes de Sarah Colbert she consolidates herself as the new successor of the Spanish-language thriller.”

Rufo avoids genre clichés. She’s interested in characters with moral cracks, not “perfect cops” or “absolute villains.” The central theme is guilt. In the novel, she explores why people take responsibility for events they had no control over—especially in childhood. Las tres muertes de Sarah Colbert has established Rufo as one of the leading voices in the contemporary Spanish thriller. She continues to learn, experiment, and leaves the door open for future literary directions.