On the dangerous journey back to Nicaragua from their Honduran exile, Inspector Morales and his old revolutionary comrade Serafín witness the brutal murder of their guide. Agents of the secret police are on their tail, forcing them to take temporary sanctuary with leftist priests, loyal friends, and common Nicaraguans, all swept up in the deranged cynicism, graft, and violence of a dictatorship built on the lies of a long-since-abandoned idealism. As Managua heaves with student protests, and hundreds die at the hands of police and paramilitary units, the inspector continues his dogged quest, uncovering a murky network full of secrets, betrayals and dark maneuvers that he will have to face, or be overwhelmed by. Dead Men Cast No Shadows's unsparing portrait of a society shaped by corruption and poverty led to its author's exile--but Ramírez's vision of the Ortega regime's savagery never overwhelms his exuberance or appreciation of the Nicaraguan people's humanity, and their capacity for irony, resilience, and resistance.