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The Jaguar (2012)

by T. Jefferson Parker(Favorite Author)

3.44 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

Mystery & Thriller

publisher

Dutton Adult

series

Charlie Hood

review 1: I jumped into these series at book number 5, and two characters make me want to jump back in -- Charlie Hood himself, and the mysterious Irish devil, Mike Finnegan. I won't say much about how evil Mike can be, but he's an unexpected character that kicks this book into more than one category.I like the thriller genre precisely because it can cross over into other genres, and create mash-ups. I don't know about the rest of the Charlie Hood series, but this one works as a character study, and a literary exploration of good and evil. There's plenty of pausing and interior exploration going on while the good guys stop the bad.There's also an unexpected flood, a collapsing hotel, a ride down a river holding a suitcase of money and encounter with dozens of escaped crocodiles. It ... moremakes the middle of the book jump.I also liked character of the drug lord Benjamin Armenta. I admired him, pitied him, and hated him, which means he reads as real, and not just the "bad guy."As a native Californian it's also crazy to know the madness in Mexico that Parker writes about is real, and just across the border. We feel the tension with Mexico more acutely in the American Southwest, perhaps.I'm starting the series now with book 1.
review 2: Even though Charlie himself is a minor character this time, occupied mainly with running through Mexico with a million in vacuum packed cash, I still enjoyed it. Bradley's main source of income has come back to bite him and his pregnant wife, Erin, is kidnapped by the head of a Mexican drug cartel. Brad pays a price, finally. Charlie also runs into Mike Finnegan again and gets some answers, but not the ones he was after. The story emphasizes what drugs and guns are doing to the Mexican-American border country. less

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