Drug lord Miguel Angel Barrera is head of the Mexican drug federacion responsible for millions of dollars worth of cocaine traffic into the US & the torture of those who stand in its way His nephew Adan Barrera is his worthy successor Art Keller is a US government operative so determined to obtain revenge for a murdered colleague that his pursuit of the cartel veers dangerously towards an obsession outside the law This is a world characterised by its brutality yet all Winslow's incredibly varied cast
- including a high class prostitute an Irish hitman & a charismatic Catholic priest
- are all in their own ways searching for salvation Don Winslow's masterpiece is not only a page-turning thriller but also a rich & compelling novel in the league of an Ellroy or Delillo