Rating: 
Summary: Loved it despite not having no interst in the subject
Review: This is one of my favorite books of the year. I read not by choice, but for some research I was doing, and could not put it down. It is an absolutely enthralling tell of the No-Holds-barred-sell-your-soul-to-the-devil search to kill Pablo Escobar.Hugo Martinez, who headed-up the government's effort to track down Escobar, makes Elliot Ness cowering sissy. Fasinating and compleing at every turn.
Rating: 
Summary: A gripping story of manhunt meeting espionage
Review: Mark Bowden has once again produced a gripping peice of journalism. While not the tale of close combat portrayed in "Black Hawk Down," "Killing Pablo" is just as good a book. It is, perhaps, superior. Beginning with a brief description of Pablo Escobar's rise to power as a ruthless Colombian mafioso, a man who kidnapped and murdered his way from petty street crime into becoming the world's leading narco gangster, Bowden goes on to deliver a page turning account that is the core of this book: Escobar's war on the Colombian state, his compromise "incarceration," his escape, and ultimately his assassination by the Colombian police. The account of Escobar's war on the Colombian government (indeed, the Colombian nation) should be an eye-opening experience for anyone not familiar with how "law and order" really works for most of the world. Escobar's drug empire was so fantastically lucrative that it made the Medellin Cartel a state within a state. His ability to bribe even the highest public officials, murder those who would not accept bribes (up to Presidential candidates), and commit acts of rampant terrorism should shock and horrify the reader. The Medellin Cartel was able to wage a campaign that traditionally is associated only with strong revolutionary movements. The reader should walk away with an understanding of what living in a Third World country (granted, at its worst) can be like. The story of the struggle against Escobar takes two general categories. One is an interesting expose on US covert operations. Those familiar with "Black Hawk Down" should find this account of what General Garrison and the Delta Force do when they aren't shooting at people to be fascinating. The book details a major US covert operation involving the military, CIA, DEA and State Department, and employs everything from the most sophisticated electronic surveillance to good old fashioned, shoe leather police work. The other side is the activities of the Colombian special paramilitary police force that was detailed to combat Escobar. The story of the implacable Colonel Martinez is a gripping morality play. On the one side, it shows how the grit and determination of one man really can make a difference in this world. On the other, it shows the degenerative effects of being at war, surrounded by corruption, with death lurking around every corner. Martinez's story is both one of courage in the face of a nakedly evil monster, but also of a test of morals that the Colonel does not completely pass. I found the book to be a page turner in every sense of the word, particularly after I reached Escobar's escape from his luxurious "prison." I was unable to put it down from that point forward. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in covert activities, true crime, modern history, or who just likes to read a good yarn.
Rating:
Summary: Pablo and Osama?
Review: In Mark Bowden's latest book he recreates the hunt for Pablo Escobar, the ruthless leader of the infamous Medellin cocaine cartel. It is an amazing story of murder, theft, and a few good guys who were not blinded by greed and did not give into the numerous bribe attempts. Bowden starts with Pablo's childhood in Rionegro, a well to do neighborhood of farmers near Medellin, and in gripping detail chronicles his rise to power, his foray into politics and his stunning fall from grace. Bowden explains that Pablo saw himself as a champion for the poor people of Columbia. For a long time they were the only people in Columbia who did not consider Pablo an outright terrorist, but after a particularly bad series of car-bombings and murders, the poor people turned their back on Pablo and Columbia declared him public enemy number 1. This is the point in which Pablo became an outlaw, moving from hideout to hideout daily and only communicating with his closest confidantes. He bribed everyone in Columbia with millions of dollars to ensure his protection and killed those who did not agree with him. If it were not for the actions of a few honest and very brave men, Pablo may never have been brought to justice. The true heroes in this story are the men in the Columbian government who refused to be bribed and risked their life and the lives of their families to eradicate Pablo. Pablo's eventual downfall was his family, after a long conversation with his son, the authorities were able to triangulate his radio signal and his exact location was discovered out of dumb luck. After reading Black Hawk Down and Killing Pablo, I look forward to any books that Bowden may write in the future. Killing Pablo is well researched, but not overly detailed. Bowden does a great job of keeping the story moving and in the days before Pablo is caught, you will not be able to put the book down. I highly recommend this book for anyone that likes a fast-paced real life drama. As an aside, this book is especially interesting because at the height of Pablo-mania he was the most wanted man in the world. He was a terrorist who killed people in car-bombings and is known to have blown up at least one airplane. Pablo's methods and tactics are eerily similar to several used by the current most wanted man in the world, Osama bin Laden. The resources and manpower that the US committed to the hunt for Pablo probably pale in comparison to those currently being used to find Osama. Personally, I hope that Osama meets the same fate as Pablo did.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book, Good Details, Interesting Story
Review: ...Well my level of expectation was far too high... With that being said, he did put together a very good book. It covers the life of Pablo Escobar with a very detailed description of how he was tracked down and killed. The two most memorable parts of the book for me was first just how horrible this guy was. Sure he killed a lot of his drug running buddies and other drug runners - which is expected. It was the level of other violence against the legal system and general public that I was not prepared for. The number of dead police officers, judges, lawyers, politicians, even newspaper reporters was just something else. Then he plants a bomb on a commercial airliner - this guy was just something else. The second area of the book I really liked was the details on what the Colombian and U.S governments did to track this guy down. The FBI, DEA and CIA were all involved. There were daily flights with military planes looking for his cell phone transmissions... Overall the book was very detailed, interesting and well written. The story just moves along through the whole book at a fast pace. It is an enjoyable book and worth the time to read.
Rating:
Summary: A good (but not great) read
Review: This book was interesting and informative but not the classic of modern warfare that Black Hawk Down was. I was troubled by the rather obvious fact that those individuals that Mr. Bowden had direct access to were the ones that came out "looking the best" in retrospect. Like the vice minister of justice who was disgraced after stupidly walking into Pablo's prison, tipping the crime boss off to the army's intention and becoming a instant hostage. He was universally vilified after that episode, but manages to come off as a victim of circumstances. Of course, he was a direct cooperating source for the author. Kind of like Delta Op Sgt Howe in Black Hawk Down was the only one who kept his head while surrounded by all those panicky Rangers. One major difference between Pablo and Black Hawk Down, though, is that we don't have the direct perspective of the Delta force personnel who participated (or not) in the final raid and shooting of Escobar. We only get the purposely cryptic comment from one Special Forces soldiers stating that it was a pretty good shot, eh? Indeed it was. Still the strength of the book for the average American is the questions it raises about techniques, methods, and means employed to get to a justifiably desirable end. The indirect (or direct) association of US intelligence with Los Pepes is a point we should all think seriously about. I do find this troubling. However, if the US did insert a Delta Force team that took out Pablo, but let the Colombian military take the credit, I would also have to say that it would have been (or was indeed) a job well done.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: A fascinating story and great writing by Bowden. For anybody wanting to understand Colombia's complex drug industry, and a slice of one perspective of society in Colombia in the 1980s, this is a good read. I can't believe, however, the photo used on the cover of the paperback version. A bit grotesque.
Rating:
Summary: Very Intriguing
Review: This book is an accurate account of the rise and fall of the most successful drug trafficker in history. This book tells of Pablo Escobar's ruthless ways that led to his ascension as a drug lord who amassed over 4 billion dollars. This book details the effects of Pablo's business on Colombia and how he was revered as a Robin Hood for the poor. Bowden also tells of the bloody fate of Escobar. Overall a very entertaining and interesting read.
Rating:
Summary: Good Read
Review: I must say Mark Bowden did a fine job on gathering information for this book, it gets going right from the first page. Really does a good job describing both sides.
Rating:
Summary: Amusing and correct, yet a tad thin
Review: I liked it, but Bowden ain't no Colombian expert (and he doesn't claim to be one either). Hey, the guy just went to Colombia once or twice, and for brief periods each time. Most of the story he got from interviews and "dead" sources (books, newspaper stories, documents and stuff) without ever leaving the U.S., as he himself admits. Gotta say, he has impressive access to the Deltas and other U.S. Military personnel. Also, gotta say the lack of "on the scene" local color renders the book a tad thin. So, Bowden ain't trying to fool ya, but don't ya fool yourself. "Ten days that shook the world" this ain't, it never gets to be that personal. It certainly ain't "Dark Alliance", cause, unlike Webb, Bowden doesn't want you to "buy" any conspiracy theory, he just tells you a good, well-documented, yarn. This ain't even "Hell's Angels", where Gonzo had to hang with the Angel's for years (eventually getting stomped). So, amusing and correct it is, that's all.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting book on the life and death of a Columbian druglord
Review: This is a great book written like a novel. It is is exciting, interesting, and fast-paced eschewing all the garrolous logistical information that I don't care to read about anyway. The only drawback is that it contains a lot about esoteric goups such as the Army's highly classified unit Delta Force, Centra Spike, and the CIA. So it's hard to distinguish if a lot of it is fact. However, I strongly recommend this if you are interested in true crime, special ops, shadowy intelligence units, or just a great book.
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