The Last Narco

Inside the Hunt for El Chapo, the World's Most-Wanted Drug Lord

By: Malcolm Beith

Narrated by: John Allen Nelson

The dense hills of Sinaloa, Mexico, are home to the most powerful drug lord since Pablo Escobar: Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Responsible for uncountable murders since taking charge of the Sinaloa cartel in the 1990s, and a central figure in the recent surge in drug-related violence and bloodshed, Guzman is among the world's ten most wanted men - and also appeared on Forbes magazine's 2009 billionaire list.

With his massive wealth, his army of professional killers, and a network of informants that reaches into the highest levels of government, catching Guzman was considered impossible - until now. The all-out war between the Mexican cartels has isolated Guzman from former partners at the same time that the Mexican government has intensified its fight to restore order and end the terror. With El Chapo vulnerable as never before, Mexican and DEA authorities are closing in, and journalist Malcolm Beith, a Newsweek contributor who has spent years reporting on the drug wars, follows the chase with full access to senior officials and exclusive interviews with soldiers and drug traffickers in the region, including members of Guzman's cartel.

The Last Narco combines fearless reporting with the story of El Chapo's legendary rise from a poor farming family to the "capo" of the world's largest drug empire. The Last Narco is an essential book about one of the most pressing and dramatic stories in the news today.

©2010 Malcolm Beith (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Courageous, gritty, and gripping." ( Publishers Weekly)

Decent read

Since it's a bit dated, some info in this book is not factual. Some just urban legend.

Fire The Narrator!!!!

Outstanding book & full insightful information. BUT the narration was the worse I have ever listened to. The cartoonish Mexican voice he used for characters was awful & embarrassing.

Almost the same story as "El Narco"

Would you try another book from Malcolm Beith and/or John Allen Nelson?

Not Sure

Did John Allen Nelson do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Not really

Do you think The Last Narco needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No unless you really want to learn more about Chapo Guzman

Any additional comments?

I went into this book hoping to learn more about Chapo Guzman but I learned almost nothing more than I learned about him from the news and the book "El Narco" I was almost expecting this to be a sort of biography but it did nothing like that, this drug lords son actually gets murdered by his rivals and it barely even mentions this in this book which really amazed me.

good book, poor narration

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of John Allen Nelson?

Anyone who has a better understanding of how to pronounce Mexican names (people and places).

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It almost made me cry because of how bad the narrator butchered names and accents. If I were unfamiliar with the subject matter of this book I would have thought it took place in an Asian country as opposed to México.

ok book

the story wasa ok , stop with accents. was expecting a little more info.