
El Narco
Inside Mexico's Criminal Insurgency
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Narrated by:
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Paul Thornley
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By:
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Ioan Grillo
About this listen
Bloomsbury presents El Narco by Ioan Grillo, read by Paul Thornley.
"Essential reading."-Steve Coll, NewYorker.com
A gripping, sobering account of how Mexican drug gangs have transformed into a criminal insurgency that threatens the nation's democracy and reaches across to the United States.
The world has watched, stunned, the bloodshed in Mexico. Forty thousand murdered since 2006; police chiefs shot within hours of taking office; mass graves comparable to those of civil wars; car bombs shattering storefronts; headless corpses heaped in town squares. And it is all because a few Americans are getting high. Or is it part of a worldwide shadow economy that threatens Mexico's democracy? The United States throws Black Hawk helicopters, DEA assistance, and lots of money at the problem. But in secret, Washington is at a loss. Who are these mysterious figures who threaten Mexico's democracy? What is El Narco?
El Narco is not a gang; it is a movement and an industry drawing in hundreds of thousands, from bullet-riddled barrios to marijuana-covered mountains. The conflict spawned by El Narco has given rise to paramilitary death squads battling from Guatemala to the Texas border (and sometimes beyond).
In this "propulsive ... high-octane" book (Publishers Weekly), Ioan Grillo draws the first definitive portrait of Mexico's cartels and how they have radically transformed.
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ZeroZeroZero
- Look at Cocaine and All You See is Powder. Look Through Cocaine and You See the World
- By: Roberto Saviano, Virginia Jewiss - translator
- Narrated by: Paul Michael
- Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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From the author of the number one international best seller Gomorrah comes an electrifying investigation of the international cocaine trade, as vicious as it is powerful, and its hidden role in the global economy. In many countries, “000” flour is the finest on the market. It is hard to find, but it is soft, light, almost impalpable - like the purest, highest quality grade of cocaine. ZeroZeroZero is also the title of Roberto Saviano’s unforgettable, internationally best-selling exploration of the inner workings of the global cocaine trade.
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Wowwowwow
- By Jason on 07-27-15
By: Roberto Saviano, and others
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Beverly Hills Noir
- Crime, Sin, & Scandal in 90210
- By: Scott Huver
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 15 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Beverly Hills Noir chronicles an assortment of jaw-dropping true crime stories spanning the legendary city’s history, each with oh-so-90210 twists—including a high-profile murder mystery in the city’s most extravagant mansion, the daring exploits of a handsome cat burglar with movie star looks, a toxic Tinseltown love triangle that ended in gunplay, a brazen Rodeo Drive jewelry store holdup with tragically stunning finale, an Oscar nominated actress on shoplifting spree and more—complete with major roles and countless cameos by Hollywood idols and cultural icons.
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Digs deep. Maybe too deep.
- By Jenny Atkinson on 02-24-25
By: Scott Huver
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McMafia
- A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld
- By: Misha Glenny
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 15 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Misha Glenny's groundbreaking study of global organized crime is now the inspiration for an eight-part AMC crime drama starring James Norton (War and Peace), Juliet Rylance, and David Strathairn. In this fearless and wholly authoritative investigation of the seemingly insatiable demand for illegal wares, veteran reporter Misha Glenny travels across five continents to speak with participants from every level of the global underworld. What follows is a groundbreaking, propulsive look at an unprecedented phenomenon from a savvy, street-wise guide.
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Worthwhile Overview
- By Roy on 05-14-10
By: Misha Glenny
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Dangerous Company
- The Misadventures of a “Foreign Agent”
- By: Sam Patten
- Narrated by: Sam Patten
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Pulsating with action from the first chapter to the last, Dangerous Company: Misadventures of a “Foreign Agent” is a memoir that reads like a thriller. Sam Patten left US politics behind when he went overseas to promote democracy during George W. Bush's first administration. Then he became an advisor to political leaders in countries like Iraq, Georgia, Ukraine, the Congo, Nigeria, and Mexico.
By: Sam Patten
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Los señores del narco [Narcoland]
- By: Anabel Hernández
- Narrated by: Karina Castillo
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Los señores del narco es una descarnada crónica sobre las alarmantes complicidades de los altos círculos políticos, policiacos, militares y empresariales con el crimen organizado. Este libro, en suma, se presenta como un impactante viaje al interior del mundo del narcotráfico para buscar los poderosos resortes que lo mueven, y los ha descubierto con nombre y apellido.
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Abrumador
- By veronica fernandez on 09-24-20
By: Anabel Hernández
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Narcotopia
- In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel That Survived the CIA
- By: Patrick Winn
- Narrated by: Patrick Winn
- Length: 15 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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In Asia’s narcotics-producing heartland, the Wa reign supreme. They dominate the Golden Triangle, a mountainous stretch of Burma between Thailand and China. Their 30,000-strong army, wielding missiles and attack drones, makes Mexican cartels look like street gangs.
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Absolutely Incredible
- By Oded N. on 05-02-25
By: Patrick Winn
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American Desperado
- My Life - From Mafia Soldier to Cocaine Cowboy to Secret Government Asset
- By: Jon Roberts, Evan Wright
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall, Erik Davies, Mark Deakins, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2008 veteran journalist Evan Wright, acclaimed for his New York Times best-selling book Generation Kill and co-writer of the Emmy-winning HBO series it spawned, began a series of conversations with super-criminal Jon Roberts, star of the fabulously successful documentary Cocaine Cowboys. Those conversations would last three years, during which time Wright came to realize that Roberts was much more than the de-facto “transportation chief” of the Medellin Cartel during the 1980s, much more than a facilitator of a national drug epidemic.
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BEST First Person (realistic) Criminal Account
- By aaron on 12-05-11
By: Jon Roberts, and others
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Midnight in Mexico
- A Reporter's Journey through a Country's Descent into Darkness
- By: Alfredo Corchado
- Narrated by: Timothy Andres Pabon
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Noted Mexican American journalist Alfredo Corchado refuses to shrink from reporting on government corruption, murders in Juarez, or the ruthless drug cartels of Mexico. One night, Corchado received a tip that he could be the next target of the Zetas, a violent paramilitary group - and that he had 24 hours to find out if the threat was true. Midnight in Mexico is the story of one man's quest to report the truth of his country - as he races to save his own life.
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Fascinating & suspenseful historical non-fiction!
- By Ruth Barrie on 06-30-19
By: Alfredo Corchado
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The Deadly Path
- How Operation Fast & Furious and Bad Lawyers Armed Mexican Cartels
- By: Peter J. Forcelli, Keelin MacGregor
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Pete Forcelli was a highly respected federal agent in New York City, where he made an impact on violent crime by successfully targeting some of the city's most violent street gangs by using federal racketeering and continuing criminal enterprise statutes in conjunction with federal prosecutors. In early 2007, he was promoted to a supervisory position in Phoenix and quickly discovered that federal prosecutors were not charging criminals for violating federal firearms laws, even in instances where they knew guns were being trafficked to ultra-violent drug cartels.
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Many questions finally answered!
- By Jenn on 03-18-25
By: Peter J. Forcelli, and others
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The Power of the Dog
- By: Don Winslow
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 20 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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This explosive novel of the drug trade takes you deep inside a world riddled with corruption, betrayal, and bloody revenge. From the streets of New York City to Mexico City and Tijuana to the jungles of Central America, this is the war on drugs like you've never seen it.
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Gripping Drama
- By Deborah on 01-06-11
By: Don Winslow
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The House Divided
- Sunni, Shia and the Making of the Middle East
- By: Barnaby Rogerson
- Narrated by: Keval Shah
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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At the heart of the Middle East, with its regional conflicts and proxy wars, is a 1400-year-old schism between Sunni and Shia. To understand this divide and its modern resonances, we need to revisit its origins—which go back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632; the accidental coup that set aside the claims of his son Ali; and the slaughter of Ali's own son Husayn at Karbala. These events, known to every Muslim, have created a slender faultline in the Middle East. The House Divided follows these narratives.
By: Barnaby Rogerson
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Year Zero
- The Five-Year Presidency
- By: Christopher P. Liddell
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Designing and operating an effective White House are critical to the success of any presidency—and to democracy in the United States. Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Christopher Liddell offers a strategic approach to building a strong and successful presidency. An astute and experienced operative, he demonstrates persuasively that action must be taken early, comprehensively, and visibly, starting in what he calls Year Zero, the year before governing.
Good story, terrible narration
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