“The Cartel: A Novel” by Don Winslow – A Lifetime of Vengeance

"He who seeks vengeance must dig two graves..." This Chinese proverb is rather well-known and its point has been made across countless stories in the world of literature.

The character who desperately seeks vengeance and dedicates his life to it nearly always ends up drenched in death and alone. While many characters seem to have a choice in the matter, Don Winslow's DEA agent Art Keller doesn't really have one in The Cartel.

To sum it up as briefly as possible, Keller has been fighting the war on drugs for decades, always clashing with the ruthless Adan Barrera, the leader of the world's most powerful Cartel. Over these years Barrera murdered Keller's partner and this pursuit for justice cost him the life he cherished so much.

Unfortunately, it seems the efforts were for naught as Barrera is released from behind bars, hell-bent on rebuilding the empire he had. Unwilling to let such an injustice go unanswered, Keller heads out on a ten-year journey of vengeance, one that takes him across continents, cities, mountains and deserts, all in search of that one inevitable moment of reckoning between the two.

At first glance, The Cartel appears to be a rather skillfully-written thriller, one that moves along rather quickly and focuses more on events rather than characters themselves. And in a certain sense, that is very correct. After all, a ten-year vengeance journey leaves a lot of room for things to happen, and Winslow seldom dwells for too long on anything at all.

The simplicity of the writing makes it quite easy to follow and the amount of intelligent twists and turns does a fantastic job at piquing the reader's curiosity and make you list from one page to the next.

When it comes to the characters, the animosity between Keller and Barrera is a thing of beauty; in their hatred for each other is formed the perfect chemistry between protagonist and antagonist. We truly feel as if these are two evenly-matched titans who are destined to have an epic battle.

The way they maneuver against each other turns the story into a very exciting battle of wits, one which definitely distinguishes this thriller as being above what you'd expect from an average entry into the genre.

Digging a little deeper beneath the surface, you'll find that this book also meditates on a few important subjects, all namely relating to the concept of revenge and whether or not it is possible to go through with it and give yourself into its satisfaction without losing your own humanity.

Human suffering is put to the fore in this novel, and ultimately the dark and heavy themes do leave a small, bitter aftertaste in your mouth.

All things considered, The Cartel is a very exciting thriller that manages to deliver on several fronts, providing an exciting and fast-paced story, interesting and engaging characters, and ultimately some food for thought. I definitely recommend it to anyone searching for a good thriller.

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Don Winslow Personal site Don Winslow is an American author best-known for his crime and mystery novels set in California. He began his career by writing five Neal Carey Mysteries novels, and then went on to write acclaimed books such as The Power of the Dog and Savages. He won a number of awards, including the 2012 Raymond Chandler Award, the 1994 Maltese Falcon Award, as well as the 2000 Shamus Award for Best Novel.