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andytorino's review
4.0
I doubt that Winslow, or any other current thriller writer for that matter, will ever come close to the brilliance of Power of the Dog, but this was still a very good ending to a an extremely compelling trilogy. Superior to The Cartel in the way it utilizes multiple storylines, tying them together into a vivid canvas, but also in how, for better or worse, it commits itself to a social commentary that hits particularly close to home in the final third.
ivan_cupdel's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lwalker77's review against another edition
4.0
Great book and the end of a great trilogy. My only complaint would be that it copied what is going on currently in Washington a little too much. It was like many of the plot points were ripped from the headlines. That being said, I enjoyed the book very much and I felt he tied up the story of Art Keller nicely. I highly recommend this book.
jefffrane's review against another edition
5.0
It's impossible to over praise this, the third book in Winslow's long story of the drug war in Mexico. Not only is it riveting suspense, but it draws a rich and accurate picture of the many people in our two countries who are captured and occasionally crushed by the drug trade.
lmasood's review
5.0
Loved this whole trilogy which was written over a twenty year period. There was so much detail that went into the books and the multiple storylines. So interesting and depressing at the same time.
rwilliamson's review
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
muhly22's review against another edition
3.0
The third installment of this series is no less explosive than the first two; however, I found The Power of the Dog and The Cartel to be more fascinating, and a greater exposition of Winslow's incredible writing ability.
Without getting into specifics, and spoiling the book, many parts of the book were inspired by recent history. In fact, Winslow appears to have gone to great lengths to make that inspiration painfully obvious to his readers, including facts in the book that had no other purpose than to indicate that a particular character was nothing other than a stand-in for a current newsmaker. This detracted from the book; even if Winslow was inspired by current events, the lengths to which he went to make his point are not appreciated.
What he seems to be trying to do with this, though, is drive home his point, the big idea behind the entire series: there isn't a Mexican drug problem and an American drug problem and a Colombian drug problem. There's a drug problem; America consumes the drugs that Mexico and Colombia produce, and in that consumption America is complicit in the violence and evil that is perpetrated by the drug cartels, whether it occurs in the USA or not.
The Cartel had a satisfying end to the series. This book, while engrossing and well-written, ripped that open, and did not adequately close it back up.
Without getting into specifics, and spoiling the book, many parts of the book were inspired by recent history. In fact, Winslow appears to have gone to great lengths to make that inspiration painfully obvious to his readers, including facts in the book that had no other purpose than to indicate that a particular character was nothing other than a stand-in for a current newsmaker. This detracted from the book; even if Winslow was inspired by current events, the lengths to which he went to make his point are not appreciated.
What he seems to be trying to do with this, though, is drive home his point, the big idea behind the entire series: there isn't a Mexican drug problem and an American drug problem and a Colombian drug problem. There's a drug problem; America consumes the drugs that Mexico and Colombia produce, and in that consumption America is complicit in the violence and evil that is perpetrated by the drug cartels, whether it occurs in the USA or not.
The Cartel had a satisfying end to the series. This book, while engrossing and well-written, ripped that open, and did not adequately close it back up.
ailium's review
5.0
I had to psyche myself up before getting to this book having read the previous two in this series. Don Winslow holds nothing back - brutal, hopeless and terrifying are some of the things that happen. The worst part is knowing there is no fiction in them happening to poor souls right now.
It took some time for me to recover from the powerful emotions this book brought on. I cannot hold that against the author but instead applaud his skill.
Read it to weep, rage and ultimately curl up in a corner for a while...
It took some time for me to recover from the powerful emotions this book brought on. I cannot hold that against the author but instead applaud his skill.
Read it to weep, rage and ultimately curl up in a corner for a while...
siniandi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Interesting read, reflectively unpacking lots of issues with American drug policies and its implications inside and outside the country as well as realities in Central America, mostly Mexico and the interdependence of these issues. Woven into a story that is captivating enough to make it to the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexism, Death, Sexual content, Murder, Violence, Drug abuse, and Drug use
wah38's review
2.0
I'm gonna go ahead and pretend that the series ended with the amazing finale of The Cartel in the Guatemala jungle.