King of Swords by Russell Blake

This novel looks at the Mexican drug cartels, the corruption that ensues from those cartels and the violence that surrounds them.  The background and violence are real, the interaction between El Rey, the assassin and Captain Cruz is fiction.

This book was about as fast paced and violent as any book I have read.  Capt. Cruz bends the rules to get results and the drug cartels know no rules.   If only 10% of this plot is factually based, the drug business in Mexico far surpasses the wild, wild west.

I liked the way the author shows how the main characters became embittered, violent people.  The circumstances practically guarantee the development of pathologically disturbed personalities. 

Sadly the plot is not without some plausibility.   Money can corrupt and enormous sums of money have the potential for enormous corruption.  This is an action junkie book.   You can’t turn a page without some incident of violence. 

The plot is well maintained throughout the book and the culmination may be a bit surprising.

Web Site: http://russellblake.com/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.