Rating: 
Summary: Blown away
Review: The reportage style of "Queen of the South" fits Arturo Perez Reverte like a glove. Creating female characters has never been his strong point, and using an observer's eye to tell most of Teresa Mendoza's story works very well. Where you usually hear that good non-fiction "reads like a novel" here we have a fiction that reads like an investigative report in a quality magazine-one of those addictive pieces you think would make a great book.And it has. The Spanish novelist's latest is the story of Teresa Mendoza, who rose from being a drug smuggler's sweetie in Mexico's narco-capital of Culiacan, Sinaloa, to running one of the largest and most successful drug enterprises on the Mediterranean. There's no play for sympathy for Teresa, no descriptions of her childhood (except for Teresa's brief recall of her mother "washing dirty dishes in a tub in the backyard and sleeping with drunken neighbors"). Teresa does not ask for sympathy or expect it. She is never innocent. In Culiacan there is no mercy, no consideration. The place has evolved into a Colombian-style society of sociopaths, and she has learned to take what's offered and keep her eyes peeled. The inevitable happens at the start of "Queen of the South" and Teresa is on the run from page one. There are no heroes in this book; it is an unflinching portrait of an ugly world. The paranoia, manipulation, and joylessness of the drug enterprise is fascinating, with only one character in it for the thrill. Threaded through with the lyrics of Mexican narco-corridos, "Queen of the South" peels back the skin of modern drug cartels. This is an exciting, creepy read.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece of Storytelling!!!
Review: Theresa Mendoza is The Queen of the South and Arturo Perez-Reverte is the King of Great Story Tellers. This is a work of fiction which reads like fact and will hold the reader from page one to page four hundred thirty six. The story revolves around the international drug trade with all of its seaminess, danger and excess. It is about loyalty, betrayal, and intrigue and is as good a book as you will read all year. As the story opens a cell phone is ringing and the fact that it is tells Mendoza that she has to run for her life. The phone was given to her by her boyfriend who was called "the king of the short runways" due to his ability to take a small plane loaded with cocaine off a runway of less than a thousand feet. He told her if it ever rings, he is dead and she must run for her life. She does and what a run it is. This book will cost you some sleep but the reward from having read it will make it all worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting & fun
Review: What a fabulous story! I listened to the audio version (wonderfully done, btw) and found myself reluctant to leave my car so tranfixed was I. I plan on adding this book to my library & recommend that you do,too.
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