Death and the MaidenBy: Ariel Dorfman Series: Penguin Plays Suspenseful, riveting . . . Achieves a universality that is movingly personal. The New York Times The explosively provocative, award winning drama set in a country that has just emerged from a totalitarian dictatorship Gerardo Escobar has just been chosen to head the commission that will investigate the crimes of the old regime when his car breaks down and he is picked up by the humane doctor Roberto Miranda.