Synopses & Reviews
New York Times bestseller T. Jefferson Parker, crime fiction's most critically acclaimed and award-winning writer continues "the most ground-breaking crime series in decades." (St. Louis Post- Dispatch) with another gripping tale of the Mexican border.
Erin McKenna, a beautiful songwriter married to a crooked Los Angeles County sheriff 's deputy, is kidnapped by Benjamin Armenta, the ruthless leader of the powerful Gulf Cartel. But his demands turn out to be as unusual as the crumbling castle in which Erin is kept. She is ordered to compose a unique narcocoriddo, a modern-day folk ballad of the kind that have recorded the exploits of the drug dealers, gunrunners, and outlaws who have highlighted Mexican history for generations. Under threat of death, Armenta orders Erin to tell his life story-in music-and write "the greatest narcocorrido of all time." Allowed to wander the dark hallways of the castle retreat with only a guitar and a mysterious old priest to keep her company, Erin must produce the most beautiful song that these men have ever heard.
As the mesmerizing music and lyrics of Erin's song cascade from the jungle hideout, they serve as a siren song to the two men who love Erin: her outlaw husband, Bradley Smith, and the lawman Charlie Hood- two men who together have the power to rescue her. Here, amid the ancient beauty and haunted landscape of the Yucatecan lowlands, the long-simmering rivalry between these men will be brought closer to its explosive finale.
T. Jefferson Parker, who is widely hailed as his generation's most accomplished and talented crime novelist, delivers a crime thriller that dramatically redefines the landscape of the cartel wars as an epic clash of good and evil.
Review
Praise for
The Border Lords:
"Parker again demonstrates his mastery of the genre."
-Entertainment Weekly
"T. Jefferson Parker's propulsive but pitch-perfect works of social realism continue to chip away at the traditional boundaries between...genre and literary fiction."
-The Los Angeles Times
"Parker's skill at weaving this cruel and tender border tale? Magical."
-The San Diego Union-Tribune
"Three-time Edgar Award winner Parker has created a memorable character in Charlie Hood, who remains a beacon of restrained hope in a world of despair and dark deeds."
-Booklist
Review
"A thoughtful-yet-action-packed meditation on what happens when good people are forced to assist bad people."--
The San Diego Union-Tribune "Parker once again, has delivered a novel that shows why he's been called his generation's most accomplished and talented crime novelist."--The Examiner
"Parker demonstrates remarkable command of his material, from the greusome realities of the Mexican drug trade to a surprisingly human portrayal of the monstrous Armenta…a crime thriller notable for its fine, insightful prose."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Synopsis
The audacious white-hot new novel from T. Jefferson Parker that redefines the landscape of the thriller and shatters every expectation you ever had about the good guys and the bad...
When Benjamin Armenta, leader of the powerful Gulf Cartel, kidnaps songwriter Erin McKenna, his demands are as unique as the jungle fortress in which Erin is imprisoned. She’s ordered to compose a narcocorrido, a folk ballad that will romanticize Armenta as one of the greatest desperadoes in Mexican history. Allowed to wander the hallways of the castle with only a guitar and a mysterious old priest to keep her company, Erin must produce the loveliest song these men have ever heard. Or she’ll be skinned alive.
As Erin’s music wafts through the jungle, it serves as a siren call to the two men who love her: lawman Charlie Hood and Erin’s outlaw husband, Bradley Jones. They have the power to rescue her, but their long-simmering rivalry could very well compromise Erin’s deliverance and cause the ending of a life-and-death ballad to be rewritten in blood.
About the Author
T. Jefferson Parker is the bestselling author of eighteen previous novels, including L.A. Outlaws and Storm Runners. Along with Dick Francis and James Lee Burke, he is one of only three two-time recipients of the Edgar Award for Best Novel. Parker lives with his family in Southern California.