What do you think?
Rate this book
Charlie Hood #5
The Jaguar
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.
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.
358 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
56 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
T. Jefferson Parker
100 books855 followersT. Jefferson Parker is the bestselling author of 26 crime novels, including Edgar Award-winners SILENT JOE and CALIFORNIA GIRL. Parker's next work is coming-of-age thriller, A THOUSAND STEPS, set for January of 2022. He lives with his family in a small town in north San Diego County, and enjoys fishing, hiking and beachcombing.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
March 2, 2015
This is the fifth out of six books in T. Jefferson Parker's series featuring Charlie Hood, an L. A. County Sheriff's deputy, and the deeper one gets into the series the more difficult the books are to review, at least for me. I find that this one is virtually impossible to discuss without giving away critical information that might spoil the earlier books for people who haven't read them yet.
What differentiates this series from most others is that the six books in the series constitute a single long narrative that has been divided into six separate volumes. In most other series you have a continuing series character, usually with a small supporting cast, but the stories themselves are almost always discrete. If you're reading John Sandford's Lucas Davenport series, for example, you know going in that there are now twenty-three books in the series and so, obviously, Lucas must have survived whatever challenges and dangers he might have faced in the first twenty-two. But you know nothing of the fate of the rest of the characters.
Since there are six books in the Charlie Hood series, the reader understands that Hood has somehow survived the first five. But the problem one faces when attempting to review any of the later books in the series is that you inevitably have to refer to other characters who have also survived the earlier books when they well might not have. And this, I think, is bound to spoil the tension is some of the earlier books for readers who haven't gotten to them yet. I would argue that the tease on the book's jacket does exactly that as well.
And so, attempting to be as circumspect as possible, I will simply note that for a while now, Charlie Hood has been on loan to an ATF task force that is attempting to staunch the flow of guns and other weapons from the U.S. into Mexico. This has brought Charlie and other characters into direct conflict with the drug lords that run Mexico's infamous cartels.
In this case, one of those drug lords kidnaps someone close to Hood and demands that a million dollars in ransom be delivered deep into Mexico. The clock is ticking and if the money is not delivered on time, the victim will be skinned alive. Charlie assumes the task of delivering the money, even though he has a history with the drug lord in question that is almost certain to put Charlie in grave danger. And that's all I'm comfortable in saying about the plot even though, as I said above, the publisher apparently feels comfortable in giving away quite a bit more.
I've really enjoyed this series from the beginning, but this book was something of a disappointment by comparison especially to the first and second books. Beginning in the third book, Parker introduced a non-conventional character and since that time, I don't think that the books have worked as well. I find that I'm increasingly unable to suspend disbelief to the extent that the later books have required, and so I haven't enjoyed them quite as much. Parker is a very gifted writer and it's still a lot of fun to read his prose, but I wish it were in service of a plot that I could buy into more easily.
I'm looking forward very much to Famous and the Dead, The, which is the last book in the series, and I hope that it returns the series to the very high note on which it opened.
One last note: As anyone who reads my reviews knows, I am constantly urging people to read a series in order. I would only add that it is absolutely essential in this case. A reader who begins in the middle of the series will have a great deal of difficulty really appreciating the complexity of the story and will cheat him or herself out of enjoying this long and involved story to the fullest extent.
What differentiates this series from most others is that the six books in the series constitute a single long narrative that has been divided into six separate volumes. In most other series you have a continuing series character, usually with a small supporting cast, but the stories themselves are almost always discrete. If you're reading John Sandford's Lucas Davenport series, for example, you know going in that there are now twenty-three books in the series and so, obviously, Lucas must have survived whatever challenges and dangers he might have faced in the first twenty-two. But you know nothing of the fate of the rest of the characters.
Since there are six books in the Charlie Hood series, the reader understands that Hood has somehow survived the first five. But the problem one faces when attempting to review any of the later books in the series is that you inevitably have to refer to other characters who have also survived the earlier books when they well might not have. And this, I think, is bound to spoil the tension is some of the earlier books for readers who haven't gotten to them yet. I would argue that the tease on the book's jacket does exactly that as well.
And so, attempting to be as circumspect as possible, I will simply note that for a while now, Charlie Hood has been on loan to an ATF task force that is attempting to staunch the flow of guns and other weapons from the U.S. into Mexico. This has brought Charlie and other characters into direct conflict with the drug lords that run Mexico's infamous cartels.
In this case, one of those drug lords kidnaps someone close to Hood and demands that a million dollars in ransom be delivered deep into Mexico. The clock is ticking and if the money is not delivered on time, the victim will be skinned alive. Charlie assumes the task of delivering the money, even though he has a history with the drug lord in question that is almost certain to put Charlie in grave danger. And that's all I'm comfortable in saying about the plot even though, as I said above, the publisher apparently feels comfortable in giving away quite a bit more.
I've really enjoyed this series from the beginning, but this book was something of a disappointment by comparison especially to the first and second books. Beginning in the third book, Parker introduced a non-conventional character and since that time, I don't think that the books have worked as well. I find that I'm increasingly unable to suspend disbelief to the extent that the later books have required, and so I haven't enjoyed them quite as much. Parker is a very gifted writer and it's still a lot of fun to read his prose, but I wish it were in service of a plot that I could buy into more easily.
I'm looking forward very much to Famous and the Dead, The, which is the last book in the series, and I hope that it returns the series to the very high note on which it opened.
One last note: As anyone who reads my reviews knows, I am constantly urging people to read a series in order. I would only add that it is absolutely essential in this case. A reader who begins in the middle of the series will have a great deal of difficulty really appreciating the complexity of the story and will cheat him or herself out of enjoying this long and involved story to the fullest extent.
May 4, 2018
I enjoyed the audiobook and it was fun to listen to while working out. I won’t spoil it but I just have to say.... Bradley is a scum ball. The plot was well done but a little too predictable. I enjoyed hearing places I am familiar with in Parker’s novels because I live in the San Diego area.
March 9, 2012
This is a terrible book and demonstrates what is wrong (troubling) with the literary/publishing industry. It’s not that the author, T. Jefferson Parker, can’t write a coherent sentence (he can), or describe scenes (he can), or describe people (he can) – it’s that there is no reason demonstrated in this book why he should – other than to make money for himself and the Industry, which is not the reason I, and most people, read. I read for several reasons: 1) To be informed – about people, history, geography, animals, industry, etc. 2) To be assuaged of loneliness. 3) To escape 4) To have my curiosity piqued. This book did none of those. The story, the setting, and the characters, are all unbelievable and uninteresting, made even more so by the fact that this is a serial character and genre driven book (contemporary crime fiction with a Southern California based ATF agent as “main” protagonist); and if you aren’t familiar with the previous books – it’s even more stupid. The characters, all of them, lack personality. The plot is deranged. The setting a fabrication. The title is almost unrelated. And the ending is predictable. I hate to be a hater – but I hate everything about this book and what it represents – a waste of time at best, and at worst, theft. T. Jefferson Parker should be ashamed of himself, and so should everyone else involved with the publication of The Jaguar. I’ve read several TJP books, and enjoyed them, but I won’t ever again read anything he writes! I’m done. I feel insulted and betrayed.
January 21, 2012
Parker is clearly obsessed with several things: the beauty of the desert, the warring drug cartels of Mexico, the inadequacy of the police and military in Mexico, and his crazy fixation with his character, Mike Finnegan. Singer Erin McKennah is kidnapped by Mexican kingpin Benjamin Armienta under the watchful eye of her husband, Bradley Jones, as retribution for Bradley's assistance in smuggling guns and cash for his main adversary. Working with Charlie Hood, they forge a rescue effort from Armienta's castle on the Yucatan peninsula. Parker has written much better than this.
January 3, 2014
I jumped into these series at book number 5, and two characters make me want to jump back in -- Charlie Hood himself, and the mysterious Irish devil, Mike Finnegan. I won't say much about how evil Mike can be, but he's an unexpected character that kicks this book into more than one category.
I like the thriller genre precisely because it can cross over into other genres, and create mash-ups. I don't know about the rest of the Charlie Hood series, but this one works as a character study, and a literary exploration of good and evil. There's plenty of pausing and interior exploration going on while the good guys stop the bad.
There's also an unexpected flood, a collapsing hotel, a ride down a river holding a suitcase of money and encounter with dozens of escaped crocodiles. It makes the middle of the book jump.
I also liked character of the drug lord Benjamin Armenta. I admired him, pitied him, and hated him, which means he reads as real, and not just the "bad guy."
As a native Californian it's also crazy to know the madness in Mexico that Parker writes about is real, and just across the border. We feel the tension with Mexico more acutely in the American Southwest, perhaps.
I'm starting the series now with book 1.
I like the thriller genre precisely because it can cross over into other genres, and create mash-ups. I don't know about the rest of the Charlie Hood series, but this one works as a character study, and a literary exploration of good and evil. There's plenty of pausing and interior exploration going on while the good guys stop the bad.
There's also an unexpected flood, a collapsing hotel, a ride down a river holding a suitcase of money and encounter with dozens of escaped crocodiles. It makes the middle of the book jump.
I also liked character of the drug lord Benjamin Armenta. I admired him, pitied him, and hated him, which means he reads as real, and not just the "bad guy."
As a native Californian it's also crazy to know the madness in Mexico that Parker writes about is real, and just across the border. We feel the tension with Mexico more acutely in the American Southwest, perhaps.
I'm starting the series now with book 1.
April 23, 2012
The Jaguar makes Erin the center of the book with Charlie taking a backseat. I am not sure what Parker plans for the Mike character. I wish he would get on with it and get rid of him. I like Charlie Hood,,,,,,,,,,the character of Mike is ruining the series.
January 20, 2012
Parker is a good writer. I guess I'm just not totally hep on the Charlie hood series.
July 6, 2022
The dust jacket on this book calls it "A Charlie Hood Novel," but Charlie Hood is never actually central to the plot. T. Jefferson Parker turns his righteous lawman into a supporting character in this story of a beautiful young singer/songwriter kidnapped from Southern California by a Mexican drug lord who wants his exploits memorialized in song. That the kidnapping victim is pregnant and married to a crooked cop gives the plot a twist, as does the fact that Charlie Hood (an acquaintance of the crooked cop) would throw in with a rescue attempt because he's just that kind of guy. Nevertheless, I felt like I'd been had. The novel is mostly about Erin McKenna and her captor, an accordion-playing cartel boss named Benjamin Armenta.
Parker is a talented craftsman with a gift for describing even the nuances of composition. He's obviously been to Mexico. He seems to understand how musicians think. He also seems to understand how philosophical criminals think. All that said, something like ambivalence makes the story stumble a bit when it lurches unexpectedly into "magical realism." Would a cartel boss with a penchant for theatrical gestures deliberately drop a Corvette into a sinkhole (cenote) accessible only on foot? Maybe. But are readers to excuse bad behavior on the part of the crooked cop because there are several outlaws in his family tree? That was not clear to me. I likewise did not know what to make of a secondary character whose charm masks depravity of an arguably supernatural kind. A confrontation near the end of the novel asks more questions than it answers, probably by design, so as to leave the door open for other stories.
Even the cover art on the edition that I read leaves the door open for other stories, because despite what it implies, nobody says anything to or about Our Lady of Guadalupe. Her statue is only there for the sake of local color.
The Jaguar reads like a mashup of Scarface with Love in the Time of Cholera. Parker almost pulls that combination off, and it's fun to watch him try by deploying a hurricane, a cartoonish sadist, a despicably wayward priest, and several shootouts along the way. Ultimately, however, his focus needs focus. For example, while there is a standard-issue jaguar-as-predatory-cat in the story, Parker also includes a band named for that big feline, and filigree enough for readers to wonder whether the real jaguar might be the drug lord, or the singer, or the secondary character whom Charlie Hood has been tracking. What seems at first identifiable eventually becomes a writers' workshop metaphor, and too obviously a conceit. When that happens, it's difficult to ignore the man behind the curtain. Parker should know better.
Parker is a talented craftsman with a gift for describing even the nuances of composition. He's obviously been to Mexico. He seems to understand how musicians think. He also seems to understand how philosophical criminals think. All that said, something like ambivalence makes the story stumble a bit when it lurches unexpectedly into "magical realism." Would a cartel boss with a penchant for theatrical gestures deliberately drop a Corvette into a sinkhole (cenote) accessible only on foot? Maybe. But are readers to excuse bad behavior on the part of the crooked cop because there are several outlaws in his family tree? That was not clear to me. I likewise did not know what to make of a secondary character whose charm masks depravity of an arguably supernatural kind. A confrontation near the end of the novel asks more questions than it answers, probably by design, so as to leave the door open for other stories.
Even the cover art on the edition that I read leaves the door open for other stories, because despite what it implies, nobody says anything to or about Our Lady of Guadalupe. Her statue is only there for the sake of local color.
The Jaguar reads like a mashup of Scarface with Love in the Time of Cholera. Parker almost pulls that combination off, and it's fun to watch him try by deploying a hurricane, a cartoonish sadist, a despicably wayward priest, and several shootouts along the way. Ultimately, however, his focus needs focus. For example, while there is a standard-issue jaguar-as-predatory-cat in the story, Parker also includes a band named for that big feline, and filigree enough for readers to wonder whether the real jaguar might be the drug lord, or the singer, or the secondary character whom Charlie Hood has been tracking. What seems at first identifiable eventually becomes a writers' workshop metaphor, and too obviously a conceit. When that happens, it's difficult to ignore the man behind the curtain. Parker should know better.
March 12, 2012
For me this was an MP3 audiobook. I like this series. To appreciate this book you need to have read the other books in this series and in order. The characters surrounding Charlie Hood are interesting and make you want to see where this series ends. The fight between good and evil is an old one, but this series looks at it thru our modern world and the things happening in it today.
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 are as unusual as the crumbling castle in which Erin is kept. She is ordered to compose a unique narcocorrido, a folk ballad that records the exploits of the drug dealers, gunrunners, and outlaws who have populated Mexican history for generations. Under the threat of death, Armenta orders Erin to tell his life story ? in music ? and write ?the greatest narcocorrido of all time.? 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 her: her outlaw husband, Bradley Jones, and the lawman, Charlie Hood ? who together have the power to rescue her. Here, amid the ancient beauty of the Yucatecan lowlands, the long-simmering rivalry between these two men will be brought closer to its explosive finale.
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 are as unusual as the crumbling castle in which Erin is kept. She is ordered to compose a unique narcocorrido, a folk ballad that records the exploits of the drug dealers, gunrunners, and outlaws who have populated Mexican history for generations. Under the threat of death, Armenta orders Erin to tell his life story ? in music ? and write ?the greatest narcocorrido of all time.? 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 her: her outlaw husband, Bradley Jones, and the lawman, Charlie Hood ? who together have the power to rescue her. Here, amid the ancient beauty of the Yucatecan lowlands, the long-simmering rivalry between these two men will be brought closer to its explosive finale.
March 16, 2015
Erin McKenna is a songwriter and she is married to a crooked
L.A County Sheriff deputy. She's kidnapped by Benjamin Armenta a
ruthless leader of a powerful Gulf cartel. His demands are unusual
he wants her to compose a unique narcocorrido, a folk ballad that
records the exploits of the drug dealers,gun runners and outlaws
that have highlighted Mexican history. This is to be his life story.
She is allowed with an old priest and a guitar to wander the halls
of an old castle where she is being kept. Two men who love her Bradley
Smith her husband and Charlie Hood another lawman wander the Yucatecan
lowlands hunting for her. The long simmering rivalry between the
two is being brought closer to it's explosive finale. This is book
five in the Charlie Hood series and it's a continuation of the war
between Hood and Smith. There is one more book in this series.
L.A County Sheriff deputy. She's kidnapped by Benjamin Armenta a
ruthless leader of a powerful Gulf cartel. His demands are unusual
he wants her to compose a unique narcocorrido, a folk ballad that
records the exploits of the drug dealers,gun runners and outlaws
that have highlighted Mexican history. This is to be his life story.
She is allowed with an old priest and a guitar to wander the halls
of an old castle where she is being kept. Two men who love her Bradley
Smith her husband and Charlie Hood another lawman wander the Yucatecan
lowlands hunting for her. The long simmering rivalry between the
two is being brought closer to it's explosive finale. This is book
five in the Charlie Hood series and it's a continuation of the war
between Hood and Smith. There is one more book in this series.
February 19, 2012
I've long been a fan of Parker's books and have read most of them. This one was a disappointment. It dragged on after about the halfway point and there were large gaps in some of the developments. I enjoy hints of the supernatural, so that part didn't bother me. However, the gaps and inconsistencies weren't part of the supernatural. In retrospect, I think the Charlie Hood series started great with the first book and have been sliding downhill since. I'm happy to suspend belief, but the stories need to be internally complete and logical for me.
July 9, 2013
What a rush! The action begins with the first sentence of THE JAGUAR and builds continuously to a thunderous conclusion. Whew! There's nothing subtle about the plot, characters or locale ... all are a bit over the top, which only contributes to the excitement. Save this book for a long flight or a rainy Saturday; you won't want to put it down.
January 6, 2016
Los Angles Sheriff Deputy helps Bradley Jones when his wife, Erin McKenna, is kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel that threatens to skin her alive if their demands are not met. Erin is transported deep into the jungles of the Yucatan and threatened with rape by the leader's son. The thriller is set deep in Mexico and explores the drug trade and violence.
April 2, 2012
Exciting kidnap story ripped from the headlines. Very realistic, sad relationships between Charlie Hood and his MD girl friend and Bradley Jones and his wife, Erin McKenna.
Graphic violence offset by beautiful descriptions of the Yucatan. Good and evil come from odd sources.
Graphic violence offset by beautiful descriptions of the Yucatan. Good and evil come from odd sources.
June 9, 2012
The more I read it, the less I liked it. Quit after 150 pages. Story formulaic, characters flat, dull and annoying. It didn't help that I had not read the previous Charlie Hood book, but nothing will tempt me to do so. Hugely disappointing since I have really liked many of his earlier books.
February 8, 2013
This is an odd novel. 3 of 10 stars
May 5, 2015
My least favorite of the Charlie Hood series,but still worth 4 stars. Looking forward to last book of the series.
December 30, 2017
A bit tedious, this one. I feel the author doesn’t know where to go with his main characters any longer. He has fully entered the realm of fantasy.
April 30, 2021
OK, this book does not equal some of Parker’s award winning works, it is the 5th book in a series of 6, and suspension of belief may be necessary at times. Yet, this reviewer found it an interesting look into the world of the cartels on the Mexican side of the border, the ruthlessness of those making substantial money from the drug trade, and a plot with enough drama to keep a reader turning pages well into the night.
The book is one of the Charlie Hood series, though the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy plays only a supporting role in this novel. The stars are Bradley Jones, a quasi-lawman who lives a secret life entwined with the cartels, Erin, his beautiful, pregnant wife unaware of his illegal escapades as she pursues a singing career, and Benjamin Armenta the ruthless leader of the Gulf Cartel. Briefly the plot revolves around the kidnapping of Erin, her imprisonment in Armenta’s jungle castle and efforts to rescue her made by Hood, Jones and their armed supporters.
The rescue is a complicated process hindered by betrayal, Mexican “law enforcement,” and a hurricane. Add to that, the drug lord’s rapacious son Saturnino, a strange little man named Mike who at times seems to have supernatural powers, and a mysterious priest. The plot unfolds in the context of music, of which the drug lord is an aficionado whose elaborate castle includes a state of the art recording studio furnished with first class instruments. To save her life, Erin is coerced to write and record songs for the wealthy drug lord.
The novel has many sub-themes, producing a richly detailed work, set in the fascinating variety offered by Mexican geography and history,that gives a shocking view of the power and cruelty of the cartels. All in all, an entertaining read.
The book is one of the Charlie Hood series, though the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy plays only a supporting role in this novel. The stars are Bradley Jones, a quasi-lawman who lives a secret life entwined with the cartels, Erin, his beautiful, pregnant wife unaware of his illegal escapades as she pursues a singing career, and Benjamin Armenta the ruthless leader of the Gulf Cartel. Briefly the plot revolves around the kidnapping of Erin, her imprisonment in Armenta’s jungle castle and efforts to rescue her made by Hood, Jones and their armed supporters.
The rescue is a complicated process hindered by betrayal, Mexican “law enforcement,” and a hurricane. Add to that, the drug lord’s rapacious son Saturnino, a strange little man named Mike who at times seems to have supernatural powers, and a mysterious priest. The plot unfolds in the context of music, of which the drug lord is an aficionado whose elaborate castle includes a state of the art recording studio furnished with first class instruments. To save her life, Erin is coerced to write and record songs for the wealthy drug lord.
The novel has many sub-themes, producing a richly detailed work, set in the fascinating variety offered by Mexican geography and history,that gives a shocking view of the power and cruelty of the cartels. All in all, an entertaining read.
September 27, 2020
Another of Charlie Hood's friends is in serious trouble when she's kidnapped by a Mexican cartel and Charlie and Bradley do everything possible to bring her home.
T. Jefferson Parker has been one of my favorite authors since I first read one of his books. His first novels were all standalone stories. I enjoyed every one of them. It's something like 10. Then he decided to dive into series. He has completed 2 now, totaling 8 of his books. And he's still writing a third one. Through 5 of the 6 Charlie Hood stories I've never once had that feeling that I just completed a great book.
This one alternates between three perspectives (Charlie, Bradley, Erin). The story is most enjoyable when reading from Erin's point of view. She gives the reader emotion, attempted heroics, and insight into her existence. We get none of that from anyone else.
There's also the issue of Mike Finnegan. All indications point to him not being human. He describes event after event and different time periods as if he were there. Ultimately he tells Charlie he's a devil. Uh, I thought I was reading a police procedural. What? Come on.
What I did like is that most of the story takes place in Mexico. There's a moment in which Erin accurately proclaims that things that are normal in Mexico are unbelievable in the US. Life in Mexico is very different, and the descriptions and events are described well.
I'll finish the Charlie Hood series because I have 1 book left. It doesn't stand up well to any of the great detective/police series written today. The series also doesn't stand up well against Parker's previous work. 2 stars.
T. Jefferson Parker has been one of my favorite authors since I first read one of his books. His first novels were all standalone stories. I enjoyed every one of them. It's something like 10. Then he decided to dive into series. He has completed 2 now, totaling 8 of his books. And he's still writing a third one. Through 5 of the 6 Charlie Hood stories I've never once had that feeling that I just completed a great book.
This one alternates between three perspectives (Charlie, Bradley, Erin). The story is most enjoyable when reading from Erin's point of view. She gives the reader emotion, attempted heroics, and insight into her existence. We get none of that from anyone else.
There's also the issue of Mike Finnegan. All indications point to him not being human. He describes event after event and different time periods as if he were there. Ultimately he tells Charlie he's a devil. Uh, I thought I was reading a police procedural. What? Come on.
What I did like is that most of the story takes place in Mexico. There's a moment in which Erin accurately proclaims that things that are normal in Mexico are unbelievable in the US. Life in Mexico is very different, and the descriptions and events are described well.
I'll finish the Charlie Hood series because I have 1 book left. It doesn't stand up well to any of the great detective/police series written today. The series also doesn't stand up well against Parker's previous work. 2 stars.
March 13, 2023
This is a good series, but there’s a weird reincarnation bent to it that doesn’t appeal to me. If you like that kind of thing, this will work for you. This book certainly starts out with a bang.
Erin McKenna is a talented woman whose red hair makes her stand out. She’s a singer/songwriter, and she and her band, the Inmates, were gradually achieving fame in southern California.
Erin is married to Bradley Jones, a crooked, dirty cop, and she’s pregnant with their first child. A Mexican drug cartel kidnaps her, and Bradley, her husband, vows he will get her back. Enter Charlie Hood, a detective who knows both Erin and Bradley, the crooked cop. Hood was in love with Bradley’s mother at one point. She’s now deceased, and Hood has a new love interest.
The cartel takes Erin to a secure castle-like location in Mexico, and the head of the cartel demands that she write and record 12 songs, some of which celebrate his prowess as a purveyor of drugs and similar things.
You can read this to see if or how Erin recovers. It’s just a weird, trippy book that seems to involve a human character who is as ageless as Satan and arguably as evil. I’ve skipped a few books in the series, and I doubt seriously I’ll do any backfill.
Erin McKenna is a talented woman whose red hair makes her stand out. She’s a singer/songwriter, and she and her band, the Inmates, were gradually achieving fame in southern California.
Erin is married to Bradley Jones, a crooked, dirty cop, and she’s pregnant with their first child. A Mexican drug cartel kidnaps her, and Bradley, her husband, vows he will get her back. Enter Charlie Hood, a detective who knows both Erin and Bradley, the crooked cop. Hood was in love with Bradley’s mother at one point. She’s now deceased, and Hood has a new love interest.
The cartel takes Erin to a secure castle-like location in Mexico, and the head of the cartel demands that she write and record 12 songs, some of which celebrate his prowess as a purveyor of drugs and similar things.
You can read this to see if or how Erin recovers. It’s just a weird, trippy book that seems to involve a human character who is as ageless as Satan and arguably as evil. I’ve skipped a few books in the series, and I doubt seriously I’ll do any backfill.
November 3, 2012
One only need to read a few reviews of T. Jefferson Parkers work, and consequently book reviews, to come to the realization that readers either love him or hate him. The Jaguar is no different. I think this is because his novels don’t conform to any one particular style of crime fiction. He is usually associated with ‘police procedurals’ when in fact a number of his novels are classic ‘whodunits’ and have nothing to do with ‘police procedurals’ as a style. He also can write in a hardboiled style, or a noir style and often mixes these together. I happen to think this is a good thing, and it isn’t the mixing of styles that loses me.
The Jaguar opens with the violent kidnapping of Erin McKenna, the beautiful and talented songwriter and performer. Erin also is the newlywed wife of a crooked Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, Bradley Jones. It is soon deduced that Erin has been kidnapped by Benjamin Armenta, the cut throat leader of The Gulf Cartel. Bradley will do anything to get her back, even to the tune of delivering a $1,000,000 ransom (or personal apology) and ending his illicit protection of Carlos Herredia and the North Baja Cartel in Los Angles. He has ten days to comply. If he does not, then Armenta will skin Erin alive.
T. Jefferson Parker “The Jaguar–A Charlie Hood Novel”
It soon becomes clear that Armenta must want more. A million dollars for a drug king pin is tip money, and Bradley realizes that it is his humiliation and probable death that is really desired. But, why didn’t they just kill him, then have have done with it.
But he doesn’t have time to answer these questions as the clock is ticking. He enlists the help of long time family friend and veteran L.A. County Deputy, Charlie Hood. Hood will deliver the money while Bradley, with a team of mercenaries tries to penetrate and assault Armenta’s well guarded jungle compound.
Erin soon learns that it isn’t the money that Armenta wants, it is her song writing talent. She is to compose the perfect narcocorrido, a folk ballad that records the exploits of the drug dealers, gunrunners, and outlaws. Armenta wants to celebrate his life in song and he has a fully equipped recording studio in his jungle mansion. Armenta proceeds to tell his life story to Erin, so that she will be able to write the song as truthfully as possible. How he was left to a life on the streets, practically begging for food and fighting off predatory gangs and lone men, little better than animals, that would prey on a young homeless boy. How he became first a thief, then a drug dealer and slowly built his empire.
During the first few days, Erin also sees first hand how he deals with those he perceives to have betrayed him or are outright enemies. He feeds a local reporter to his menagerie of lions and tigers and leopards. And his household watches the man devoured, alive. She also discovers that the reason Armenta’s third floor of his mansion is off limits. He uses it to house a colony of lepers and the nuns that care for them.
As Bradley and Charlie Hood race south via different routes they encounter the perils of travel in Mexico, highway robbers, vicious storms that wash away villages and villagers that live there. They encounter Mexican military who have their own agenda and may straddle both sides of the official stand on drug cartels. And, they encounter the mysterious Mike Finnegan, Charlie Hoods old nemesis, and his beautiful and flawed daughter – maybe –Owens.
Parker succeeds in telling a tense, interesting, story with characters that are full grown, if a bit of a stretch of the imagination is needed to believe them. The ‘style’ starts off as a thriller in the classic hunter/prey mode on crime fiction and noir, and dips it’s foot into the hardboiled. But more than anything, and this is admittedly my least favorite genre in noir, he employs a ‘gothic’ style, especially once the tale takes us to Mexico. The plot is also compelling, and drawn from a great and realistic premise. With the success that Mexican cartels have in transporting drugs into the U.S. today, it doesn’t take much to believe that at least some of them have coopted law enforcement and border control agents and that the millions they can use to tempt these agencies with make their civil service wages and pensions look paltry in comparison.
Where the book fails for me is that Bradley is stated to be a 21 year old L.A. County Sheriffs Deputy, yet he is an under cover agent and that asks the reader to accept a bit to much, as does the fact that he is obviously living beyond his salary; during the kidnapping Erin tells her kidnappers they have the wrong guy, that Bradley isn’t rich, and the kidnapper just smiles and looks around at the Porsche Cayenne, and classic cars and Erin’s new Toureg, and the big fishing boat. Then the security system that Bradley has on his large estate. Bradley is obviously wealth beyond what his mother could have left him, or his salary would bring, regardless of being descended from Joaquin Murrieta. And that Charlie Hood, a seasoned detective, and friend of Bradley’s doesn’t suspect this is also a stretch. Further, though Parker succeeds in making us empathize if not sympathize with Armenta, he also makes too much of a caricature of him. And the seemingly invincible Mike Finnegan seems to exist as nothing much more than a deus ex machina – the god in the machine – he seems to appear to either miraculously save the day, or to devilishly throw an unlikely cog in the works.
Despite these faults, as usual, I like the book, but, only liked. The gothic style in crime fiction is not for everyone. I still can’t bring myself to reread Cornell Woolrich, yet he is almost universally thought of as one of the masters of Noir Fiction, which I simply adore. Perhaps, and I would not be surprised, one day Parker will be viewed in the same league as Woolrich.
The Dirty Lowdown
The Jaguar opens with the violent kidnapping of Erin McKenna, the beautiful and talented songwriter and performer. Erin also is the newlywed wife of a crooked Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, Bradley Jones. It is soon deduced that Erin has been kidnapped by Benjamin Armenta, the cut throat leader of The Gulf Cartel. Bradley will do anything to get her back, even to the tune of delivering a $1,000,000 ransom (or personal apology) and ending his illicit protection of Carlos Herredia and the North Baja Cartel in Los Angles. He has ten days to comply. If he does not, then Armenta will skin Erin alive.
T. Jefferson Parker “The Jaguar–A Charlie Hood Novel”
It soon becomes clear that Armenta must want more. A million dollars for a drug king pin is tip money, and Bradley realizes that it is his humiliation and probable death that is really desired. But, why didn’t they just kill him, then have have done with it.
But he doesn’t have time to answer these questions as the clock is ticking. He enlists the help of long time family friend and veteran L.A. County Deputy, Charlie Hood. Hood will deliver the money while Bradley, with a team of mercenaries tries to penetrate and assault Armenta’s well guarded jungle compound.
Erin soon learns that it isn’t the money that Armenta wants, it is her song writing talent. She is to compose the perfect narcocorrido, a folk ballad that records the exploits of the drug dealers, gunrunners, and outlaws. Armenta wants to celebrate his life in song and he has a fully equipped recording studio in his jungle mansion. Armenta proceeds to tell his life story to Erin, so that she will be able to write the song as truthfully as possible. How he was left to a life on the streets, practically begging for food and fighting off predatory gangs and lone men, little better than animals, that would prey on a young homeless boy. How he became first a thief, then a drug dealer and slowly built his empire.
During the first few days, Erin also sees first hand how he deals with those he perceives to have betrayed him or are outright enemies. He feeds a local reporter to his menagerie of lions and tigers and leopards. And his household watches the man devoured, alive. She also discovers that the reason Armenta’s third floor of his mansion is off limits. He uses it to house a colony of lepers and the nuns that care for them.
As Bradley and Charlie Hood race south via different routes they encounter the perils of travel in Mexico, highway robbers, vicious storms that wash away villages and villagers that live there. They encounter Mexican military who have their own agenda and may straddle both sides of the official stand on drug cartels. And, they encounter the mysterious Mike Finnegan, Charlie Hoods old nemesis, and his beautiful and flawed daughter – maybe –Owens.
Parker succeeds in telling a tense, interesting, story with characters that are full grown, if a bit of a stretch of the imagination is needed to believe them. The ‘style’ starts off as a thriller in the classic hunter/prey mode on crime fiction and noir, and dips it’s foot into the hardboiled. But more than anything, and this is admittedly my least favorite genre in noir, he employs a ‘gothic’ style, especially once the tale takes us to Mexico. The plot is also compelling, and drawn from a great and realistic premise. With the success that Mexican cartels have in transporting drugs into the U.S. today, it doesn’t take much to believe that at least some of them have coopted law enforcement and border control agents and that the millions they can use to tempt these agencies with make their civil service wages and pensions look paltry in comparison.
Where the book fails for me is that Bradley is stated to be a 21 year old L.A. County Sheriffs Deputy, yet he is an under cover agent and that asks the reader to accept a bit to much, as does the fact that he is obviously living beyond his salary; during the kidnapping Erin tells her kidnappers they have the wrong guy, that Bradley isn’t rich, and the kidnapper just smiles and looks around at the Porsche Cayenne, and classic cars and Erin’s new Toureg, and the big fishing boat. Then the security system that Bradley has on his large estate. Bradley is obviously wealth beyond what his mother could have left him, or his salary would bring, regardless of being descended from Joaquin Murrieta. And that Charlie Hood, a seasoned detective, and friend of Bradley’s doesn’t suspect this is also a stretch. Further, though Parker succeeds in making us empathize if not sympathize with Armenta, he also makes too much of a caricature of him. And the seemingly invincible Mike Finnegan seems to exist as nothing much more than a deus ex machina – the god in the machine – he seems to appear to either miraculously save the day, or to devilishly throw an unlikely cog in the works.
Despite these faults, as usual, I like the book, but, only liked. The gothic style in crime fiction is not for everyone. I still can’t bring myself to reread Cornell Woolrich, yet he is almost universally thought of as one of the masters of Noir Fiction, which I simply adore. Perhaps, and I would not be surprised, one day Parker will be viewed in the same league as Woolrich.
The Dirty Lowdown
December 29, 2025
"He kissed her and pressed a hand against her middle and felt the slight warm bulge through her nightgown."
-----
-In the trunk of his car-
"So he pushed up on his young strong arms, (lol), arms that could easily press his own weight and more, but they were no match for the steel.
Bradley flipped over onto his back and screamed the scream of the living and knew if he screamed loud enough the sound would rip a hole through the metal and he would be able to reach an arm through.
And the lid lifted. He sat up and looked into the faces of men and the barrels of their guns"
-------
A book that screams "I am a man" through and through. terrible prose, over use of 'and', oversexualization at weird times - the list goes on. It's no surprise that it was a $5 mystery grab at my local book store; it would not have sold orherwise.
apparently he has 18 awards; one for every book he has written. ome person said "A thinking man's best seller".. Perhaps if the man stops thinking.
-----
-In the trunk of his car-
"So he pushed up on his young strong arms, (lol), arms that could easily press his own weight and more, but they were no match for the steel.
Bradley flipped over onto his back and screamed the scream of the living and knew if he screamed loud enough the sound would rip a hole through the metal and he would be able to reach an arm through.
And the lid lifted. He sat up and looked into the faces of men and the barrels of their guns"
-------
A book that screams "I am a man" through and through. terrible prose, over use of 'and', oversexualization at weird times - the list goes on. It's no surprise that it was a $5 mystery grab at my local book store; it would not have sold orherwise.
apparently he has 18 awards; one for every book he has written. ome person said "A thinking man's best seller".. Perhaps if the man stops thinking.
December 17, 2021
I am compelled to read anything by this author. All of them are quite implausible in some way. Not that the violence described is probably not very realistic, but all of the details together that make the story. The main thing is the 21 year old Bradley who is totally unscrupulous. Also, do you know many 21 year old young men? Bradley’s character is absurd because he is 21!
I have read some other reviews and agree with one thing. While I am compelled to read all six of the books in the series, I am ready for them to conclude.
I have read some other reviews and agree with one thing. While I am compelled to read all six of the books in the series, I am ready for them to conclude.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2018
Wow! Just received the 1st book of this 6 book series, I'll have to read the first, last, so I can read the finale while No. 5 is fresh...I picked up The Quick and the Dead, realized it was No. 6, started over with what I had already, somewhere in the middles of No. 2 - No 5 ordered a used version of No. 1 (L.A. Outlaws) so I could read where it all started and also so Don could read the all in order. Great series!!
February 14, 2019
Parkers' writing remains top notch, you acn see he really did his research and paints a colorful canvass of locations and characters. But I struggle to retain any interest in the characters; Charlie Hood is a bore. I simply don't care anylonger about the machinations of Bradley Jones. The storyline and plot, despite being vividly written, are ludicrous. There is only one more book in the series, so I will finish it out.
August 1, 2024
I didn't find this to be a horrible novel, but I didn't find it overly interesting either. It was well-paced and kept me entertained. I wasn't invested in the characters but that might be because I haven't read any of the previous Charlie Hood novels (that I can recall). The ending tells you that this chapter of the overall story isn't quite done yet and there will be more interaction with these folks. I probably won't be there to read it.
August 14, 2020
Several good reviews so it might just be me but I struggled to get to end of the book. I would keep reading just to get to the end of the chapter and no real desire to read the next. The main storyline was predictable and the supporting story lines were unbelievable. The characters made no sense at all. But, that's just me.
September 16, 2021
This book is an inside look of a Mexican Cartel. It started out with the kidnapping of Erin McKenna. Her husband, an L.A. County Sherrif along with his friend Charlie Hood travels to the jungles of Mexico to rescue Erin. This book had a lot of surprise for me because I had know nothing about Cartels. I enjoyed reading his book.
Thank you go T. Jefferson Parker and Goodreads for this book.
Thank you go T. Jefferson Parker and Goodreads for this book.
July 2, 2017
Very entertaining can't wait to read about Erin, Bradley, Charlie and Beth
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews