The Cartel

By: A. K. Alexander

Narrated by: Vivianna Chavez

What began as an innocent love affair for one young woman, Marta Pea, in Costa Careyes, Mexico in 1969, sets in motion a series of events that spans the next 30 years.

This is the story of South American drug lords Antonio Espinoza and Javier Rodriguez, and their violent quest for power. In a sweeping family saga, we meet the women who love them and the children they vow to protect at any cost. With a complex web of interconnected families, this gritty novel delves into the lives of a power hungry clan, following the rise of their business, the destructive path of their torrid and erotic love affairs, and the struggle to balance intense greed with devout family loyalty.

Strong women face tragedies that test their will and their commitment to the men they passionately desire. As young girls grow into women, their traumatic pasts will drive their actions and force them to make gut-wrenching decisions. With murder, drug trafficking, dirty politics, illegal gambling, prostitution, obsessive love affairs, and family strife, The Cartel is a whirlwind in the vein of Mario Puzo's The Godfather.

©2012 Michele Scott (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

That dude is crazy, this book was great!

If you could sum up The Cartel in three words, what would they be?

Has it all

Any additional comments?

Evidentally the previous review was by somebody who has nothing but negative things to look forward to in life. The narrator was awesome, even with her many spanish accents. I finished this audio book in record timing as I just couldnt wait to find out how things played out.

Thrilling

The story kept me on the edge. At times I would be sad and others I would be angered, but in the end it was amazing.

Really good!!

I could not get enough of this book and found myself enthralled by the story line and the rich characters. The whole book appeared to get better with every short chapter.

Great Story

Surprising twists. It left me wanting more each time i paused for the day. I love it.

Great book!

I found it very interesting from beginning to end. The narrator did an excellent job!

Surprisingly good.

I was very pleased with this story of love, hatred, betrayal l, hope and overall overcoming hope. 2 thumbs up

Not another vomit!

Does everyone really run out and vomit when they see or hear something upsetting?
Does everyone make love like they are slurping an ice cream cone?
Does every conversation sound like a trite soap opera?
Do twenty something people all equate pop psychology with wisdom?
They do in this book, which reads more like a cheesy, B movie screen play than anything you could call literature. Anyone who really liked this must have spent a lot more time watching TV than reading good novels.
As for the narrator, you'd expect someone with a Latina surname to do a lot better with Spanish accents than a generic foreign language "r" trill characteristic of movies from the 1940's. Or was that her Russian accent? And then there were her "ing" endings pronounced "ink" and "ong" endings pronounced "ong ga."
Cardboard characters, trite dialogue, annoying narrator. Don't darken your cloud with this one.

Sorry... But I thought this was horrible.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A good story and narration.

Has The Cartel turned you off from other books in this genre?

Yes.

What aspect of Vivianna Chavez’s performance would you have changed?

The annoying Latino accents.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Cartel?

I really didn't enjoy any part of the book so it's hard to say.

Any additional comments?

I can't believe I wasted my money on this.