Queen of the South

«The phone beeped, and she realized she was going to be killed». Thus ends — and begins — the life of Teresa Mendoza, a naive girlfriend of a Mexican drug trafficker, who got caught in the jaws of mafia conflicts, fled halfway across the world, started from scratch, denied herself the right to any sentiment, took control of the drug business in southern Spain, and became the godmother of the local drug mafia. «Queen of the South» has it all: courage and cruelty, revenge and love, heroism and crime («going against the law is our family tradition», as sung in one ballad). Arturo Pérez-Reverte — a former military journalist, celebrated author of brilliant historical, military, adventure novels translated into forty languages, creator of the series about Captain Diego Alatriste, holder of prestigious literary awards — mixed an astounding crime thriller with journalistic investigation, added deep psychological insight, passion, and courage, and created one of the most breathtaking novels of his career.