Mexico Crime

The Mexican drug trade has inspired prejudiced narratives of a war between north and south, White and Brown; between noble cops and vicious kingpins, corrupt politicians and powerful cartels. In this first comprehensive history of the trade, historian Benjamin T. Smith tells the real story of how and why this one-peaceful industry turned violent. He uncovers its origins and explains how this illicit business essentially built modern Mexico, affecting everything from agriculture to medicine to economics - and the country’s all-important relationship with the United States.

“What I especially enjoyed about this book is that the action simultaneously takes place on both sides of the border, making the plot even more heart-racing. Steven F. Freeman is a superb storyteller.” Readers’ Favorite Childhood's worst nightmare... Abelardo Molina, rising star of the infamous Los Zetas cartel, launches an effort to create an unlikely criminal alliance, a super-syndicate bent on exploiting the lucrative world of human trafficking. To avoid detection, Molina arranges the assassination of Phil Cranston, lead FBI cartel analyst…and colleague of Mallory Blackwell. When...

Step into the twisted universe of The King of the Peso, a pioneering Original series that blends intense storytelling with unparalleled immersion into a world of corruption on both sides of the border. Picho, voiced by the sagacious Harvey Guillén, serves as our guide through the intricate tapestry of frauds woven by his intimidating con man of a father, Pietro La Greca, played with captivating charm by the one and only Peter Stormare.

Between 1910 and 1920, vigilantes and law enforcement-including the renowned Texas Rangers - killed Mexican residents with impunity. The full extent of the violence was known only to the relatives of the victims. The Injustice Never Leaves You offers an invaluable account of why these incidents happened, what they meant at the time, and how a determined community ensured that the victims were not forgotten.

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.

“Raw, intense, and gripping, this masterful thriller plunges readers into the violent, shadowy world of drug cartels and their far-reaching web of malice—where ruthless agendas intertwine with the ambitions of even more powerful forces. A must-read for fans of high-octane suspense and international intrigue.” —A.C. Frieden, author of the acclaimed Jonathan Brooks thrillers “A superb thriller from start to exhilarating finish. Carlyle’s masterful storytelling, combined with his ability to tackle contemporary issues, makes this book a must-read. It should undoubtedly be on the top...

“A gritty, engrossing, and concise account of a boxer’s meteoric career and tortured personal life.”—Kirkus Reviews "If I wake up, I know I'm a success. The day I don't wake up, I know I'll be home. I have one foot on this earth and one foot has crossed over. I didn’t just die, I lived.”—Johnny Tapia ...the ghost of Johnny Tapia lives on. ”Mi Vida Loca” (My Crazy Life) was Johnny Tapia’s nickname and his reason for being. Haunted by the brutal murder of his beloved mother when he was a child, fighting and drugs gave him the escape he craved—and he did both with gusto. ...

Jaded reporter Andrew and his photographer boyfriend, Carlos, are sick of telling just another story. From cartel massacres to corrupt politicians, sifting the dregs of Mexico's drug war, they think they've seen it all. But when they find a body even the police are too scared to look at, what started out as just another reportage becomes the sort of story all reporters dream of. Until Carlos pushes for answers too fast and winds up murdered, leaving Andrew grief-stricken and flailing for answers, justice and revenge.

When disaffected KGB major Erich Stinnes is spotted in Mexico City, British intelligence agent Bernard Samson must entice him to take the final step and defect. With his domestic life in shambles and his career heading towards disaster, Bernard needs to prove his re­liability. And he know Stinnes already: Bernard had been interrogated by him in East Berlin. But now, Bernard risks being entangled in a lethal web of old loyalties and old betrayals.

At first glance Gabriel Cardona is the poster-boy American teenager: great athlete, bright, handsome, and charismatic. But the streets of his border town of Laredo, Texas, are poor and dangerous, and it isn't long before Gabriel abandons his promising future for the allure of the Zetas, a drug cartel with roots in the Mexican military. His younger friend, Bart, as well as others from Gabriel's childhood join him in working for the Zetas, boosting cars and smuggling drugs, eventually catching the eye of the cartel's leadership.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author James A. Michener, whose novels hurtle from the far reaches of history to the dark corners of the world, paints an intoxicating portrait of a land whose past and present are as turbulent, fascinating, and colorful as any other on Earth. When an American journalist travels to report on the upcoming duel between two great matadors, he is ultimately swept up in the dramatic story of his own Mexican ancestry.

After being released from the Hutchinson Kansas Correctional Facility, two star-crossed lovers, Jessie Hand and Ashley Dorchak, are reunited. Nineteen year old Jessie, in prison for attempting to kill a man trying that hit on Ashley, his seventeen year old girlfriend, learns that she is eight months pregnant. Knowing he can't support a wife and kid, he teams up with his older brother and makes the decision to rob a jewelry store. After botching the holdup and leaving behind a wounded partner for dead, Jessie and his brother decide to head to Texas and cross the border into Mexico. On the ...

Charlie just wants a quiet life … Then he finds a human skull buried in the front yard. Mystery writer Charlie McGinley moves from L.A. to a small town in New Mexico. No more big-city hassles. No more big-city hustles. Guess again! Suddenly Charlie has to deal with disappearing bodies, crabby cops, crazed killers, and a very pregnant wife, while trying desperately to avoid ending up in an unmarked grave next to the mysterious stiff. Gold Medal Winner, Humor and Satire —2024 Global Book Awards “Proverbial skeletons in closets and actual ones buried in the yard help make this a bone-...

After abandoning a bad job and a worse wife, Carter moves to Mexico to start over. But after a few months of enjoying the sunshine and tacos he's kidnapped by a brutal drug lord who thinks Carter can help bring down an equally ruthless rival. It soon becomes clear that Carter probably won't make it out of the coming war alive, and he decides that if he has to go, he's going to bring his enemies down with him.

What's human life worth? Who is expendable? Who gets to decide?

In the tradition of Into the Wild comes an instant classic of outdoor literature, a riveting work of uncommon depth. I’m planning on doing four days in the jungle.... It should be difficult to get lost forever: These were the haunting last words legendary adventurer Roman Dial received from his son, before the 27-year old disappeared into the jungles of Costa Rica. This is Dial's intensely gripping and deeply moving account of his two-year quest to unravel the mystery of his son's fate.

Cameron Cripps Hayman is on vacation in the Yucatan Peninsula, taking a break from life as an amateur sleuth in Metamora, Indiana. With her crew back home, Cameron relaxes by the pool, walks along the beach, and tours Mayan ruins - until her whole trip gets ruined by a murder. She should've known something was up when a little chihuahua started following her around the resort. When Cameron follows the dog to a secluded area of rocks and palm trees, she discovers a new acquaintance lying dead....

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.

Conducted under the umbrella of Project Gunrunner, intended to stem the flow of firearms to Mexico, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) ran a series of “gun walking” sting operations, including Operations Wide Receiver and Operation Fast & Furious. The government allowed licensed gun dealers to sell weapons to illegal straw buyers so that they could continue to track the firearms as they were transferred to higher-level traffickers and key figures in Mexican cartels.

A brutal drug cartel. An estranged daughter. Can she confront dangerous secrets from her past and survive? Sergeant Evelyn “Mac” McGregor has finally found her place. Promoted to master sergeant rank due to her last two cases, the dedicated Latina returns home to New Mexico to help with four military members who have vanished. But even though she quickly connects the problem to a local narcotics ring, she hits roadblocks with a hostile OSI agent. Fearing the case is only racing towards a bloody, corpse-littered conclusion, she’s filled with dread when her sister calls crying about her...