The Border – The Cartel Trilogy #3

Author: Don Winslow
Genre: Crime Fiction
716 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2019

Synopsis
What do you do when there are no borders?  When the lines you thought existed simply vanish?  How do you plant your feet to make a stand when you no longer know what side you’re on? The war has come home.

For over forty years, Art Keller has been on the front lines of America’s longest conflict: The War On Drugs. His obsession to defeat the world’s most powerful, wealthy, and lethal kingpin—the godfather of the Sinaloa Cartel, Adán Barrera—has left him bloody and scarred, cost him people he loves, even taken a piece of his soul.

Now Keller is elevated to the highest ranks of the DEA, only to find that in destroying one monster he has created thirty more that are wreaking even more chaos and suffering in his beloved Mexico. But not just there.

Barrera’s final legacy is the heroin epidemic scourging America. Throwing himself into the gap to stem the deadly flow, Keller finds himself surrounded by enemies—men that want to kill him, politicians that want to destroy him, and worse, the unimaginable—an incoming administration that’s in bed with the very drug traffickers that Keller is trying to bring down.

Art Keller is at war with not only the cartels, but with his own government. And the long fight has taught him more than he ever imagined. Now, he learns the final lesson—there are no borders.

In a story that moves from deserts south of the border to Wall Street, from the slums of Guatemala to the marbled corridors of Washington, D.C., Winslow follows a new generation of narcos, the cops that fight them, the street traffickers, the addicts, the politicians, money-launderers, real-estate moguls and mere children fleeing the violence for the chance of a life in a new country.

A shattering tale of vengeance, violence, corruption and justice, this last novel in Don Winslow’s magnificent, award-winning, internationally bestselling trilogy is packed with unforgettable, drawn-from-the-headlines scenes. Shocking in its brutality, raw in its humanity, The Border is an unflinching portrait of modern America, a story of—and for—our time.

My review
Wow! The Border is the stunning conclusion to the brilliant Cartel trilogy by Don Winslow. Thank you, Mr. Winslow for using fiction to tell this important, horrifying, and powerful story. It was endlessly engaging and one of the most exciting, disturbing, and informative reads for me this year. The Border is an amazing conclusion to a storyline that’s kept me engrossed and on the edge of my seat since I picked up The Power of the Dog a few weeks ago. The Cartel was my favorite installment in the series, but all three books were intelligent, moving, meticulously researched and 5 star reads!

In The Border, DEA agent Art Keller, the main protagonist. is appointed Director of the DEA. He decides to target the money behind the drug trade, believing that if the profits vanish, so will the drugs. While Keller is the central character, Winslow tells the story through the perspectives of drug lords, undercover police officers, corrupt politicians, drug users, financiers, money launderers, reporters, and immigrants striving for a better life in the United States, who often become collateral damage in the drug war.

The Border isn’t the most subtle storyline, with its obvious left-leaning political perspective and unflattering, but spot-on Trump character. This is a tragic, brutal, morally ambiguous story where priorities and objectives have been skewed all in the name of a war that should have ended a long time ago. I’m left questioning if there truly is a solution to ending drug addiction, trafficking, corruption, and violence that continue just as strong and brutal today.

The Cartel trilogy’s immense scope and scale make these books anything but light reading. With each book coming in at over 600 pages and a storyline spanning 40 years, both the themes and content are dark, sprawling, and multi-faceted. Winslow is a very talented writer and his humor shines through occasionally, but these are, without a doubt, the most graphically violent novels I’ve ever read, and they highlight the shocking ruthlessness of the drug world and the devastation it brings to everyone directly and indirectly involved.

The Cartel trilogy is truly crime fiction at its best! The three installments are dark and intense thrillers, and they also serve as an extensive encyclopedia on the drug trade and foreign policy in Mexico. Winslow’s research is meticulous, and the trilogy is both grounded and wildly fantastical. Winslow provides a scathing and heartbreaking commentary on corruption, brutal violence, greed, and obsession with a stark realism that only he can deliver. I highly recommend this powerful, important, and thought-provoking story.

My recommendation: read it!