3 out of 4 stars
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The Cartel Crusher Author Dan E Hendrickson
Genre - Action, Crime, Suspense
This action packed novel is based around the character of Marnier,the privileged teenage daughter of the President of Mexico, who, whilst on a cruise ship celebrating her birthday, is witness to the rapes and murders of many of her friends who are with her, narrowly escaping the same demise herself thanks to her rescue by Jacob Edwards, the US Coastguard who killed her attacker, the notorious Dominik Thrace.
Incensed and driven by the attack, Marnier is determined to wreak revenge on her enemies following in the footsteps of her hero Jacob who she remains friends with and his family throughout the following years.
Despite going against her father's wishes of going to law school and becoming Mexico's first female president, she convinces him to agree to becoming a Military Officer instead.
In a very short time, she climbs up the military ladder through temerity and merit and captures small crime outfits leading up to the big cartels that run large gun smuggling operations but her main objective is to uncover and crush the cartels' under-aged sex slave grooming schools and slave trading.
With the help of her anti-cartel task force, her hero Jacob Edwards, a Madam of a brothel and the son of one of the largest cartels, she sets out to crush her enemies one by one, encountering many personal setbacks and tragedy along the way.
As this is the second book in the Last Enemy Trilogy, I was a little reluctant at first, not having read the first book but I needn't have worried. The Cartel Crusher can stand on it's own two feet as a complete book in it's own right.
I read quite an eclectic mixture of genres, usually historical fiction, a smattering of rom coms and a small dose of crime thrillers. I find with the latter though, after a hard day's work I can lose concentration with their intricate and sometimes confusing plots and soon become lost, distracted and bored but the summary of the Cartel Crusher seemed intriguing and different.
I was not to be disappointed - Hendrickson's fresh, fluid contemporary style of writing had me hooked from the start, middle and end of the book.
This fast action packed crime story will appeal to almost anyone, there are a few strong words included but I feel they are justified for the situations involved and are in keeping with the characters.
The author can be commended for introducing a myriad of characters without losing his reader, he ensures to use their names regularly to keep the reader up to speed, oh and my what a speed he goes at. Each page has action, fluidity and suspense, keeping the reader gripping the book well after bedtime.
Hendrickson has everything covered; crime, action, oh and a little love interest simmering throughout the story which I was very pleased with, northing too gory with the action and nothing too flowery with the romance, we haven't got time, there's an important story to read!
This is a no-nonsense, crime story that would well deserve 4 stars but for a few typos, that just need editing out.
Also I noticed only one technical faux pas with the underwater diving sign language, using thumbs up for OK, which actually means end dive, which doesn't detract from the enjoyment of reading the book but has resulted in losing it's fourth star.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars
Well done Mr Hendrickson, I can't wait to read the other two in the series!
******
The Cartel Crusher
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