Alaitz Leceaga captivates us once again with her latest novel, La última princesa (The Last Princess). The story unfolds in the Basque Country, a region well known to the author and to Nora Cortázar, head of Interpol’s Behavioral Sciences Department, who, in her new life far from Spain, seems unable to escape the past she tried so hard to leave behind. Now Nora must return to Lemóiz, to Irving, her former love, and to all those monsters she must face if she wants to solve a crime full of mysteries, which in turn will reconcile her with her own history.
In this interview, we travel with the author to her own past, when publishing was just a dream, and we learn firsthand the secrets of characters as complex as they are human, who seduce more and more readers with each novel.
When did your love of literature begin?
For me, writing has always been a necessity. I started writing short stories, then, when I was older, I moved on to novellas. In fact, I had planned my first novel as a novella, but I soon realized that it was too long for that format. So I jumped straight into a longer text and my first story, my first novel. Before that, I had no connection whatsoever with the publishing world. I published stories in chapters on a website and updated the story every week. Then my readers started writing to me to remind me to update the story. That’s when I realized that I was really passionate about writing more professionally.
How did you experience the process of turning a hobby into your profession?
I experienced it, and still do, although it sounds corny to say so, as a dream. Being able to devote myself to something I’m passionate about, and also having the absolute support of my readers and critics, being able to focus on writing, on my stories, is a privilege that not many people have. Today, even though six years have passed and I’ve written five novels, I still see it as a dream come true.
Did you ever feel dizzy when you saw your stories becoming more and more successful?
When I published El bosque sabe tu nombre (The Forest Knows Your Name), it was a success not only here in Spain, but also across half of Europe. I remember, at that moment, feeling dizzy, like I was on a roller coaster, seeing that a story that had belonged only to me, characters that only I knew, were suddenly familiar to other people.
Now, with the passing of the years, and after five novels, the vertigo continues, but it’s reassuring to know that readers will be excited by my stories and my characters.
You are originally from the Basque Country, the same place where La última princesa is set. Did you decide to set the story in those landscapes as a tribute to your homeland?
Lemóiz is a wonderful setting for a thriller. Those ancient forests and the Cantabrian Sea fit perfectly with the elements of a crime novel. In addition, part of the story takes place on an offshore oil rig, and I was very attracted to the idea of contrasting two such disparate elements as a forest and giant man-made structures.
Why did you decide to set the story in 1992?
The context of 1992 is very different from that of 2025. It’s a year in which Spain is celebrating the Universal Exposition in Seville and the Olympics in Barcelona. I think that, on a collective level, the memory of that time still lingers, and I was very attracted to developing a story set in that moment.
“I wanted regular readers to feel like they were reading a novel by Alaitz Leceaga, while at the same time attracting new readers and allowing them to discover a complex and different story and characters.”
Basque mythology and symbolism play a very important role in the story. How was the research process?
The novel includes the entire pantheon of gods and creatures from pre-Christian mythology. Not just Basque mythology, but from the whole of northern Spain. It also mixes ancient rituals, Celtic and Basque… There is an archaeological excavation underway, and the site of a Celtic princess ends up playing a major role. I even had the opportunity to visit a real archaeological site in the area. They were kind enough to answer my questions, not from the perspective of how excavations are carried out now, in 2025, but from how they were done in 1992. Being able to document myself in this way was very special.
Did you know from the beginning that you wanted to include mythological characters?
I was very clear about that. I’m a very methodical writer. I think that when you write a thriller, you make a promise to your readers at the beginning of the story: “Come with me, come with my characters, let’s solve this mystery,” and you owe them an answer, a resolution, at the end. So planning helps me a lot to tie up all the loose ends of a story, all the plots, especially when there’s a character like Nora Cortázar, who has so many layers that are revealed throughout the story.
The characters in this novel stand out for their complexity and disparate personalities, which sets them apart from the usual tropes in mystery novels. How did you experience their creation and development?
When I sat down to write this story, I was very clear that I wanted to write a mystery novel, but one that was different. I wanted regular readers to feel like they were reading an Alaitz Leceaga novel, while at the same time attracting new readers and allowing them to discover a complex story and characters, as you mentioned. It’s always difficult to get under the skin or into the minds of some characters, but it’s true that I really enjoy writing complex characters, and my readers love them. Then, when it’s time for presentations or book fairs and a reader comes up to you and says, “I loved this character, or they gave me nightmares, or I really disliked them,” it’s very rewarding as an author.
One of the most interesting dynamics in the novel is precisely the one between Nora, a police officer, and her father, a serial killer.
I think this novel is about, among other things, the past and the influence it has on all of us, whether we like it or not. Nora’s past and her painful family dynamics are marked by her father, that famous murderer. In a way, that also helps her later in her work. She is the best at tracking down serial killers; she even teaches others how to do it at Interpol. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to tell a story about the past and how it affects us in the present.
Nora’s character has high-functioning Asperger’s. How did you research this to develop her personality?
It’s true that this is one of the things that makes Nora special, but I don’t like to reduce her to just being high-functioning Asperger’s. I like to think that, despite that, or because of it, she is so incredible at her job, because it makes her obsessive, creative, and able to discover patterns that only she sees. Even so, although she is the best in her professional life and unstoppable, in her personal life it complicates some of her relationships a little.
Luckily, I had the opportunity to talk to different associations of people on the autism spectrum, and they helped me to portray it at all times with respect and staying true to its characteristics.
“The character of Nora Cortázar has made it clear to me that it’s worth chasing monsters, demons, all those things that scare us.”
Did you feel any hesitation or respect when dealing with this subject?
No, I felt, as with other thorny and complex issues mentioned in the novel, that I owed that respect, as someone who does not belong to the autism spectrum but is trying to capture that reality. Then, some of the people who advised me were able to read some episodes that I was a little more concerned about, or that I wanted to be especially sure I had portrayed correctly. They were very enthusiastic and very happy, so in that sense, I am satisfied.
Speaking of thorny issues, Nora’s father was a member of ETA, a group that was still very present in Spanish society in 1992.
It’s true that in 1992, the social and political context in the Basque Country, and in Spain in general, was very different from that of 2025.
I didn’t feel uncomfortable about it, as I mentioned before with the Asperger’s issue, but for me it was important to capture the reality of that moment, through the eyes of that moment, not through the eyes of 2025, however tempting that might be. In any case, the Lemóiz nuclear power plant helped me achieve this; it’s almost like a scar, a symbol of everything that happened during that period.
Another of the most important relationships in the plot is that between Nora and Irving. A youthful love that failed, but now seems to have a second chance. How did you construct this relationship, which began long before the start of the story?
Irving is Nora’s counterpoint because, while Nora is very obsessive, Irving is just the opposite, although in some ways their work does make them very similar in other ways. He’s an archaeologist, so he’s dedicated to inspecting the past, following those traces. When the current crimes are linked to crimes from the past, and to that mysterious tomb of the Celtic princess, Nora and Irving realize that they must work together and that, through this investigation, they may find a way to heal their relationship. I really enjoyed writing their relationship, because it develops throughout the story.
What do you think you’ve learned from this novel and its characters?
This novel, and especially the character of Nora Cortázar, whom I have grown very fond of, has made it clear to me that it is worth pursuing monsters, demons, all those things that scare us. That is the message of the novel: that we must pursue monsters, real or metaphorical, despite our fear.
Your first novel is going to be made into a movie. How did you feel about this opportunity?
It’s very exciting, it’s a dream come true, but at the same time I see it as a wonderful complement and a result of all the compliments from readers and the affection they always show me.
When people come up to me and tell me that reading my story has allowed them to escape reality or that they experienced it as if it were a series or a movie, as a writer, it’s very nice to hear.
Is there any chance that Nora’s story will continue beyond La última princesa?
With El bosque sabe tu nombre, I remember that there was always the question of a sequel. They nicknamed me “the discreet bestseller” because I never reveal if I’m thinking about another story. And it’s true that I’ve never been attracted to writing sequels to my stories, even though readers demand them, but on this occasion, after getting to know Nora Cortázar and her whole universe, for the first time I can answer: yes, I would love to solve another mystery with Nora Cortázar.
