Scan barcode
nicky_jazz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ashlit's review against another edition
4.0
Bitter sweet ending to the series.
Book 1 & 2 have some of the most exciting & captivating story telling I've ever read, so this last book is more demure in comparison but still interesting and engaging.
Los Hijos especially, was a fresh introduction to something new, and all of the old characters getting loose ends tied up was very satisfying.
This is by far my least favorite book in the series, but it served its purpose & gave me the closure we often times don't get from our favorite book series.
Estas Perdido Arturo!
Book 1 & 2 have some of the most exciting & captivating story telling I've ever read, so this last book is more demure in comparison but still interesting and engaging.
Los Hijos especially, was a fresh introduction to something new, and all of the old characters getting loose ends tied up was very satisfying.
This is by far my least favorite book in the series, but it served its purpose & gave me the closure we often times don't get from our favorite book series.
Estas Perdido Arturo!
morgandief13020's review against another edition
2.0
The writing and storytelling are great, but some of the characters have flaws designed to make them more endearing and I hate that so much. We’re all a mix of good and bad and I like authors who capture that. The politics was also eye-rolling for my taste.
daniel_mc_adam's review against another edition
5.0
An absolutely fantastic read I throughly enjoyed this Trilogy starting with The Power of The Dog followed by The Cartel and finishing with this gem of a book.
I suggest like myself you start by reading
The Power of The Dog followed by The Cartel and The Border
You will not be disappointed.
Probably The Best Crime Trilogy Ever Written
Will definitely put this on my To Read Again List.
As Don said in the Epilogue
This long walk has been moe than worth every step.
I suggest like myself you start by reading
The Power of The Dog followed by The Cartel and The Border
You will not be disappointed.
Probably The Best Crime Trilogy Ever Written
Will definitely put this on my To Read Again List.
As Don said in the Epilogue
This long walk has been moe than worth every step.
itsmarkyall's review against another edition
5.0
The Border is hard hitting, emotional, and one helluva ending to The Power of the Dog trilogy.
thisotherbookaccount's review against another edition
4.0
The Cartel by Don Winslow, one of my favourite books from last year, felt like an end for the story between Art Keller and Adan Barrera. However, for Keller, our protagonist, it felt like it was only the beginning of something bigger — and that's basically what The Border is.
The Border, the final part of Winslow's Power of the Dog trilogy, is essentially the final act of Keller — now without Barrera as his sworn enemy. With the head of the Sinaloan cartel taken out, Mexico is in a state of great flux, with a number of opportunities vying to become the new leader. The death of Barrera does not end the drugs flowing into the US either, with the trade somehow flourishing and finding its way into the upper echelons of the government. The Drug War is alive and well on both sides of the border, and Keller, like always, is caught in the middle.
I think The Border is a fitting end to Art Keller as a character. This is the conclusion that his character deserves, considering the action, the scope and the narrative threads that have been introduced thus far. Winslow shifts part of the focus this time to corruption within the US government, as well as the ties that certain individuals have with the cartels down south. After all, when there's money to be made, morality takes the passenger seat in many cases. And just because Keller's personal vendetta against Barrera is over, that doesn't mean that he's won the war just yet.
And I suppose that's part of the weak link for The Border. While it is still a plot driven freight train, there are multiple train tracks this time that don't always lead anywhere. In Mexico, we used to have villains that we love to hate, like Adan Barrera himself and the murderous Zetas in the first two books of the series. This time, we have multiple small-time players, consisting mostly of former cartel leaders and their respective children. Dividing the attention among multiple parties aside, none of them seem to rise up to the level of villainy that Barrera and the Zetas had in the previous books. As a result you do lose a bit of that tension.
I also feel like Winslow introduced way too many characters that weren't exactly ancillary to the main narrative. I understand his desire to tell stories on the ground, about how the drug trade is impacting real people, like addicts and police officers forced to go undercover. However, despite the efforts, they just feel so far removed from the tension between the corrupted government officials and the cartels that Keller is trying to fight. It doesn't help that the last 100 pages or so does lose a bit of steam, since it is mainly focused on the part of the narrative that I did care less about. There's even a 30-page stretch with Keller recounting the ENTIRE trilogy in court, plot point by plot point. And while that might be necessary for those that have forgotten the details of the previous books, it does dampen the forward momentum that he's built up along the way.
Still, The Border, as a conclusion to a trilogy, feels right. It isn't pack quite as many shocking moments or narrative tension as before, but it is still a worth entry to the series. If only we could have had a better cast of villains and a more economical approach to storylines.
The Border, the final part of Winslow's Power of the Dog trilogy, is essentially the final act of Keller — now without Barrera as his sworn enemy. With the head of the Sinaloan cartel taken out, Mexico is in a state of great flux, with a number of opportunities vying to become the new leader. The death of Barrera does not end the drugs flowing into the US either, with the trade somehow flourishing and finding its way into the upper echelons of the government. The Drug War is alive and well on both sides of the border, and Keller, like always, is caught in the middle.
I think The Border is a fitting end to Art Keller as a character. This is the conclusion that his character deserves, considering the action, the scope and the narrative threads that have been introduced thus far. Winslow shifts part of the focus this time to corruption within the US government, as well as the ties that certain individuals have with the cartels down south. After all, when there's money to be made, morality takes the passenger seat in many cases. And just because Keller's personal vendetta against Barrera is over, that doesn't mean that he's won the war just yet.
And I suppose that's part of the weak link for The Border. While it is still a plot driven freight train, there are multiple train tracks this time that don't always lead anywhere. In Mexico, we used to have villains that we love to hate, like Adan Barrera himself and the murderous Zetas in the first two books of the series. This time, we have multiple small-time players, consisting mostly of former cartel leaders and their respective children. Dividing the attention among multiple parties aside, none of them seem to rise up to the level of villainy that Barrera and the Zetas had in the previous books. As a result you do lose a bit of that tension.
I also feel like Winslow introduced way too many characters that weren't exactly ancillary to the main narrative. I understand his desire to tell stories on the ground, about how the drug trade is impacting real people, like addicts and police officers forced to go undercover. However, despite the efforts, they just feel so far removed from the tension between the corrupted government officials and the cartels that Keller is trying to fight. It doesn't help that the last 100 pages or so does lose a bit of steam, since it is mainly focused on the part of the narrative that I did care less about. There's even a 30-page stretch with Keller recounting the ENTIRE trilogy in court, plot point by plot point. And while that might be necessary for those that have forgotten the details of the previous books, it does dampen the forward momentum that he's built up along the way.
Still, The Border, as a conclusion to a trilogy, feels right. It isn't pack quite as many shocking moments or narrative tension as before, but it is still a worth entry to the series. If only we could have had a better cast of villains and a more economical approach to storylines.
eldiente's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic and disturbing. The author crafts an interesting narrative and I'm sure the story is no worse than real events and real people, but I feel soiled after finishing this third volume of a trilogy.
I've lived most of my life within 1 state of the border with Mexico and will never think about the border the same after completing this trilogy.
I've lived most of my life within 1 state of the border with Mexico and will never think about the border the same after completing this trilogy.