Thanks to Wendell Erwin for this recommendation. This novel is a powerful, page-turning read about the drug cartels, featuring DEA Agent Art Keller, a man of talent and character, a Hell's Kitchen crew trying to sneak crack onto the streets of NY, multiple Mexican families in the business and the hypocrisy and corruption of both the US and Mexican governments. The story starts in the 1970's when Tio Barrera tricks Art into helping Tio eliminate his competition, simultaneously advancing Art's career. Ten years later, Art brilliantly traps Tio, but loses out when Tio kidnaps and kills Art's partner, scares Art's family back to America and embarrasses Art to his employers. Even when Art next catches up to Tio, he learns that Tio is protected by either the CIA/DOD/DOJ/State Dept./DEA/NSC, or all of them, because the global war on drugs is a Rubik's cube and an Alice in Wonderland cacophony of confusion, misdirection and deceit that somehow supports the drug trade as part of fighting communism. That however, does not stop Art in his Ahab-like pursuit of Tio and everyone else involved in the torture and murder of Ernie Hidalgo. On and on the pursuit goes, with never-ending over-the-top violence and betrayal. After Tio is gone, Keller continues his pursuit of Tio's nephews, Adan and Raul. As the book heads to its conclusion in the late 1990's, only Adan is left and Keller is still after him. The US has put a $2m bonus on Adan's head and he has responded with a $2.1m on Art's. Round and round the story goes until a 3 A.M. meet in a San Diego park ends in gunshots and a modicum of justice.
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