A Cartel Saga

A. K. Alexander’s The Cartel is a full-packed thriller/soap opera. Set in Mexico, it’s the story of a cartel and political family. Although it consistently outlines the story more than it tells it, it’s still quite interesting and keeps the reader glued to the book. Two close friends, Antonio and Javier, are partners in a large cartel business. Javier also a big man in politics. The story covers their business and the family with a lot of emphasis on the wives and children. There are many twists and turns and some areas of the story are barely touched upon while others have a great deal of detail. The story tells the pain of the Mexican poor, the dangers of escaping their life for better times (or not) in the U.S., and how the other half lives. This is an intriguing story if you don’t mind not getting all the details throughout the book. I have to admit I enjoyed reading it and did have a hard time putting it down, although it’s by far not the best book I’ve read. I think many will get caught up in the saga of the families themselves and will forgive the author for the lack of “meat” while also learning a great deal about the workings of the cartels. Fair warning: there is a great deal of violence but if you can deal with that you will enjoy reading about the Mexican cartels.