Mortal Vengeance

Mortal Vengeance by Alejandro Torres De la Rocha is a harrowing Dominican crime thriller that follows a group of Santo Domingo high schoolers whose attempt to poison their abusive teacher, Profesora Lourdes, ignites a catastrophic spiral of violence. What begins as misguided revenge fractures their friendship, triggering Enrique’s brutal murder by the spectral Grim Cojuelo, Manuel’s death, Lourdes’ own murder, and the slaughter of Enrique’s parents and Lieutenant Ricardo’s family. Paranoia consumes the survivors—Alex, Melissa, Mario, and Monika—as buried betrayals surface, culminating in a bloody confrontation at Enrique’s beach house, where Marcos and Fernando will unveil a secret at the heart of the gruesome nightmare. Can Melissa’s decisive gunfire end the cycle of violence? The epilogue shifts to graduation day, where the survivors publicly confront the negligent principal, demanding accountability for the systemic failures that enabled the tragedy.

Alejandro Torres De la Rocha is a skillful storyteller who dissects the corrosive cycle of revenge, institutional complicity, and the psychological toll of trauma. Alex’s struggle with borderline personality disorder is an element of the plot that gives it raw authenticity, while Fernando’s transformation into the Grim Cojuelo—a manifestation of unrequited love and betrayal—becomes the story’s tragic spine. Melissa evolves from victim to a voice of justice, her valedictorian speech delivering a stand that hits home to contemporary readers, especially those watching what takes place in modern politics: “Silence isn’t neutral. It’s a choice. And that choice has consequences.” Monika embodies fierce loyalty, and Mario’s quiet anguish reflects the cost of fractured trust. Set against Santo Domingo’s sun-drenched streets and claustrophobic school halls, the beach house becomes a haunting stage for horror, its isolation mirroring the characters’ emotional desolation. Mortal Vengeance is a thoughtful story that condemns cruelty and honors grief at the same time.