This volume now brings together the three novels - El Inocente (The Innocent), La Tarde (The Afternoon) and El Ayudante del Verdugo (The Executioner’s Assistant) – published by Mario Lacruz during his lifetime. In their day, these novels met with equal success from the critics and the public. They comprise the precursor to the black novel genre in Spain, a tale of lyrical character, and a narrative metaphor on society under Franco’s regime: in principle, three very different novels (although all are presented in an unmistakable style). But to go beyond the formalities of genre, and avoid all too dangerous classifications, we are confronted with three narratives which raise issues intrinsic to human beings, who feel the weight of guilt as an inseparable element of life’s reality: this life which the protagonists of these novels turn into a search for meaning and justification for their existence.