There is scene in the book, where Keller the main protagonist,
confronts a grieving mother who lost her son, in a fight against one of the drug
lord. And she poses a question at Keller, if her son’s death was worth It.?
Reading through this book as the violence ascends, bodies fall,
village’s burns to ash, family’s gets slayed, and more bodies fall with no
sight of end what so ever, you tend to ask yourself the same question if the
whole gamut of war on drugs really that worth.
The cartel is a fictionalized version of true to life
incidents of drug war that has rocked Mexico since past century. Written in a very strong and undisguised prose,
author sparse no one and feels no remorse in pointing the finger at the source
of all this mayhem (on the largest market place for illegal drug use). For a
person who has a little knowledge on drug war as I have, this book along with its
prequel has been a real eye-opener, and yeah gripping and entertaining as well.
With 15 years of research on the drug trade in Mexico, author
probably still had enough material at his disposal to write a sequel to his
earlier masterpiece on the same topic, ‘The Power of the Dog’. But there will
be always be moral obligation on the author to match the compelling nature of
his earlier book. Needless to say, Don Winslow does it again. This is an Epic
book in its proportion and in content.
The Cartel starts off with the escape of the Adan Barrera,
the Kingpin of drug trade, from the high security prison, with the help of the corrupt
officials, and thus provides the necessary spark to set ablaze the whole situation
out of control. Keller resurfaces, from his solitude to start the cat and mouse
chase all over again. The commencement of yet another edition of ‘War on Drugs’,
and with the influx of money and ammunition's, it gives way to a new ferocious force
in drug business named as ‘The Zetas’ otherwise called ‘Z company’. Made up
of people trained to military precise, soon establishes their stronghold in the
drug market rather too conveniently by killing any one in their path or not. For
what follows is the elevation of the violence to the level never experienced before.
Decapitation, immolation, rapes, manslaughter
becomes their trump card for climbing the ladder up the Drug business, to the
point where in the other rival cartels, terms their act barbaric and mindless
and wants the ‘The Zetas’ to be abolished. Even Adan Barrera- former El-patron
has no good pretending otherwise.
Reading this book, its rather too easy to lose hope in the humanity,
but where this book score big time, is the introduction of small yet powerful
characters, who within their limit, try to defy the growing violence and disorder with little
concern to their own life. Like the 19 year old girl who volunteers to be a
police officer of a village ruined by the drug war, when everyone else have
fled the village. Or a group of city journalist, who wants the truth to be known,
or lady doctor who declines city comfort and nurses the wounded in the conflict
zone. Or lonely old man, who single handedly fights against the Zetas, when
they are at his door step. I don’t know if
these characters are real life inspired or not, but author has clearly made an attempt
to celebrate these lives in the book, and restore some lost faith.
It’s one of the most passionate books I have ever read. Author puts all his heart and soul into it. A must read for every crime readers.
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