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THE QUEEN OF THE SOUTH
Booklist
Perez-Reverte has established a reputation for expertly mixing history and
mystery; for taking seemingly arcane subjects[fencing, rare books,
navigation]and exposing their richness as metaphor; and for focusing as much
on his characters' inner lives as on the action that envelops them. Here he
leaves the arcane subject matter behind to tell the story of Theresa
Mendoza, "The Queen of the South", a notorious and enigmatic drug smuggler
in Spain and Morocco.
History plays a role - the story is based on fact - but there is none of the
elaborate undercutting between contemporary and historical plots that
characterizes the author's earlier books. That is not to say, however, that
this is just another drug-running thriller. Using an elaborate, "Citizen
Kane"-like structure to tell his story, Perez-Reverte follows an intrepid
reporter who is researching a book on the mysterious Mendoza. Much like
"Kane", the text jumps from the reporter's interviews to flashbacks in which
the story unfolds, tracing Mendoza's life from her beginnings in Sinaloa,
Mexico, and her escape to Spain after the murder of her boyfriend, to her
remarkable emergence as the major player in the high-risk game of
transporting drugs across the Straits of Gibraltar. A thriller with an
almost meditative tone, the novel's energy comes not only from the action
scenes, which are expertly delivered, but also from the monologues in which
Mendoza struggles with the multiple contradictions in her life. Many
Perez-Reverte readers will be less interested in drug running than in rare
books, but they will be drawn in by the author's remarkable eloquence and
the ability to plumb the depths of a character's psyche.
Criticas
This spellbinding thriller describes the cocaine trafficking adventures of Teresa Mendoza from her home in Sinaloa, Mexico, to Cadiz, Spain, and beyond as she passes from being the naive companion of a Mexican cartelero ("drug trafficker") to a merciless gang leader of international repute. Acclaimed author Perez-Reverte became one of Spain's most-translated contemporary writers with such best-selling historical thrillers as La tabla de Flandes (The Flanders Panel, Debolsillo, 2000) and El club Dumas (The Club Dumas, Suma de Letras, 2000). Unlike his previous historical novels, this saga is set in the present and features a female protagonist. As Teresa escapes from the Mexican drug lords and enters the Spanish drug scene, she is raped and imprisoned, has recurrent confrontations with the law, and partners with Russian mafiosi. Readers will sympathize with her ability to overcome abuse and her courage as she manages to enter and control the male-dominated world of drug trafficking. Once again, Perez-Reverte excels in his meticulous research, successfully recreating the language, music, and cultural codes that characterize this illegal business in both Mexico and Spain. The novel is chock-full of references to Mexican narcorrorridos ("Mexican drug ballads"), as well as to crime lore on both sides of the Atlantic. This is also a linguistic experiment, as Perez-Reverte masterfully adopts a Mexican dialect throughout. Already a best seller in Spain, Mexico, and the United States, this novel is highly recommended for all bookstores, and for academic and public libraries. -Ilan Stavans, Amherst College, MA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Perez-Reverte abandons the elaborate intellectual scaffolding of novels like The Club Dumas for the sock-it-to-'em tale of Teresa Mendoza, on the run after her drug-smuggling boyfriend is killed. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
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