Federales

by Christopher Irvin

Mexican Federal Agent Marcos Camarena dedicated his life to the job. But in a country where white knights die meaningless deaths, martyred in a hole with fifty other headless bodies in the desert, corruption is not an attribute but a scale; no longer a stigma but the status quo.

When Marcos's life is threatened, he leaves law enforcement and his life in Mexico City behind for a coastal resort town until an old friend asks him to look after an outspoken politician, a woman who knows cartel violence all too well. Despite his best efforts, Marcos can't find it in his heart to refuse, and soon finds himself isolated on the political front lines of the war on drugs. Inspired by true events, Federales is a story of survivors' compulsive devotion to a cause in the face of ever-darkening circumstances.

Genres: Fiction, Crime

126 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2014

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This somber novella examines the power that the cartels have over certain states in Mexico, the futility of the efforts to stand up against them, and the brave and passionate people that still try to do just that. The book's main character, Marcos, is a tired and disillusioned federal police officer who takes a job protecting an outspoken anti-cartel politician and her young daughter. I love the idea of Marcos knowing that it's impossible for him to solve Mexico's cartel problem all by himself, but believing that maybe the least he could do is protect this little family, making up for his failures. This too-short book is best read all at once, to soak up the imagery and dark atmosphere that author Christopher Irvin evokes in his to-the-point, no-frills prose that is still vivid and expressive. It moves at a slow, thoughtful pace until Irvin pulls the rug out from under you in the bittersweet final act.

[Mark Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Federales shows the talent of a writer who can carry a story with character and tone. There is not the obligatory gunfire every third page, but there is a growing sense of character trying to find a purpose in a world which just may not give two shits. Subtle but lean prose, and a plot turn that goes against conventions. This makes it a bold story that doesn’t follow the generic script. A hero in a world which doesn’t want one doesn’t play so well. Instead, isolation grows, connections with the outside world severe, and loved ones leave, bit by bit, until you feel the isolation of someone trying to do good in this moral abyss. This is not a bubblegum action thriller, but is grounded in reality and a main character who is part heroic, part somber, but incredibly human. In the end, you have to decide if the whole place is a wasteland or if there's some hope than can be born out of the rubble. There is sometimes a great notion, but the battle is still waging.

[Bracken · Rating 5 out of 5]

This slow burn noir thriller imbues the well-known jaded cop character with fresh life and psychological authenticity before taking off like a shot at the end, propelling the reader toward a harrowing climax. This book will leave you definitely wanting more. Chris Irvin is a writer to watch!

[Richard Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prose is direct, the settings dark and dangerous, the characters lost and compromised. A wild ride, Federales grabs hold and doesn't let go. Out there in the shadows, flesh is a commodity—and the traffic zipping past you is a flock of carrier pigeons, spreading a disease.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not the type to slap five stars on most anything, but Federales isn't most anything. It's lightspeed, rough, and gut wrenching. Awful and leaves that feeling of grit all over you in the very best of ways.

Kudos to Mr. Irvin for putting together one of my absolute favorite stories of the year and kudos to One Eye Press for launching with such a strong piece. Looking forward to what's next from both!

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Federales, a slim and precise novella with a control of narrative that Irvin so regularly exhibits in his short story output. Focusing on Marcos, a veteran of Mexico’s notoriously corrupt and violent federal police, or federales, Irvin paints a picture of a man adrift in the moral abyss of those who hold themselves up as the defenders of this torn and violent society. Marcos is defined by his moral integrity in an organisation functioning immorally with bribes and pay-offs and the leaking of information, but comes to a crisis point where he can stomach the illegality rife in his department no longer, and cannot sink to the depths of his colleagues’ actions. He takes a job as a personal bodyguard to Eva Santos, the former mayor of a small town on the Mexican coast, who has proved herself to be a vociferous and outspoken challenger to the powerful drug cartels, based on the real life political figure of Maria Santos Gorrostieta, who was assassinated in Mexico, through her condemnation of the cartels. What follows is a poignant, but ultimately tragic portrayal of Marcos’ endeavours to protect Eva and her daughter Clara, from the the insidious reach of the most corrupt sphere of Mexican society.

The writing is defined by its sparsity, and leaves more said by what is evidently unsaid, in the chosen narrative style, and is made all the more powerful and vital for it. It is a moral tale without being preachy, and a fitting tribute to those who seek to buck the status quo that the corruption and influence of the cartels wreaks on Mexican life. A short but satisfying and emotive read.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a world where bodies attract bullets and politicians are targeted by police and drug cartels alike, one broken federale, Marcos, stands to oppose corruption and protect the voice firing back at the cartels from being permanently muted.

Pain is paramount and mistrust in abundance throughout FEDERALES as Marcos finds himself whilst trying not to loose the life of his protection detail. Eva, a political force in the fight against the Mexican drug cartels and her young daughter are under constant threat with their lives symbiotic of all that is law and justice. Snuffed out, their deaths would send a murderous message to the broader populace, one Marcos hopes to avoid.

FEDERALES is a one sitting novella that has a feeling of overwhelming hopelessness and impending sense of death underpinned by bubbling violence. There's backstabbing, murder, pain, and sad endings; an honest and raw look at the cartel's influence on policing and their destructive reach.

Review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...

[John D. Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A contemporary, carefully-paced noir novella with an action-packed ending set in the chaotic and corrupt world of Mexican cartels, politics, and law enforcement. Well worth reading.

[LitReactor]

Federales is minimalist noir at its best, perfectly evoking a particular time, place and atmosphere with the fewest words possible. Irvin’s sentences are short and brutal like kidney punches, hitting just where needed to have the most impact. As soon as you get a handle on what you think the story is, the status quo shifts drastically without warning. The fact that he was able to render the enormity of Mexico City’s rampant corruption in less than two hundred pages is impressive alone. That he was able to conclude it with a twist ending that felt both unexpected yet inevitable suggests that Christopher Irvin is a future master of the genre making his first contribution to what will hopefully be a long bibliography. Those who enjoyed The Mongolian Conspiracy will find Federales to be a sequel in spirit if not in name.

--

Review by BH Shepherd

Check out more from this review at LitReactor (http://litreactor.com/reviews/booksho...)!

[Michelle Isler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christopher Irvin is a very talented writer. There is no flash, no glitter, no nonsense. Federales is a very well written novella. The atmosphere is very solemn and dark. After closing the book, I had to just sit and let it sink in for a bit. Please make sure that you read the Afterword. It will give you chills. I applaud Irvin for bringing this subject matter to a larger audience.

The story is about a Mexican federal agent that becomes tired of fearing for his life and decides to exchange that life for a life on the beach. A friend finds him and convinces him to protect a female politician. She is living in danger after taking on the drug cartel in her city. Federal Agent Marcos Camarena finds himself right back in the center of violence as he protects the former mayor and her daughter.

I highly recommend this novella. It will open your eyes to a problem that is alive and brewing in the world we live.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Irvin's book has a film noir feeling to it that snagged me at page one and by the end of the book I was hopelessly in love with his writing, his characters and his story. It's a small book with a huge story based on a real woman and her remarkable courage. She is the secondary character, however, the real meat of this story is in the Federale and the choices he makes. He desperately wants to be heroic but just doesn't seem to have the resources, the opportunity or the grit to make it happen. It isn't until he is facing his own mortality that he can claim his heroic nature by virtue of one simple choice, a choice not to do something because in his heart of hearts he believes in possibilities. Quite simply, I loved this book.

[Andrew Nette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novella, the first in a series by Chris Irvin. It's the tale of a world weary Mexican cop who takes a job protecting an outspoken opponent of Mexico's drug cartels and her child. There's no happy endings, but you probably already guessed that. The slow burn horror or Mexico's drug war is done well, the way it has hollowed out society and made everyone, to some degree or another, a collaborator of crime. But what I most enjoyed about this book is the writing, which is high quality. A great way to spend a few hours.

[Rory Costello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tight piece of writing here...topical and on target. Marcos and Eva are very well-drawn characters, the Mexican atmosphere is beautifully rendered, and the web of corruption and treachery is well spun.

What I like about the current era of publishing is that novellas are prominent; there's no constraint on length either way. A story doesn't have to lose muscle to make weight as a short, and it doesn't have to take on fat to become a novel.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Federales is a short, punchy tale that shows us the seamy underbelly of the Mexican drug trade. It paints in dark colors the bleak landscape of brutality and human pain that goes along with soulless cartels.
Reading it, I was reminded in good ways of other works in a similar vein- most notably Don Winslow's superb Savages, and the movie The Counselor (with dialogue by Cormac McCarthy). If you can compare in good ways with pros like these, you're doing it right.
One shudders to realize the book is based on real-life events. It is a murderous chronicle that plumbs the nasty corners of human existence, and deals with the age-old question of attempting any moral path in an immoral world. It captures the essence of noir, where all the choices are bad, corruption is everywhere, and almost no one ends happily.
Since this is a debut novella from Irvin, we can look for big things in future work.

[Benoit Lelièvre · Rating 4 out of 5]

FEDERALES is a rapid-fire, one-sitting sucker puncher that takes a vicious pleasure at thwarting your expectations. It feels like the beginning of a novel that stops in its tracks halfway and finds another, bumpier, crazier road in order to take the story where it should go.

Of course you can't read FEDERALES without thinking of political undertones, for it is a political novel first and foremost. Chris Irvin bravely puts into fiction a portrait none of us dares to look at directly in real life. The reality of drug cartels in Mexico is deliberately ignored by the fat and complacent people up north.

Once reality starts gnawing at fiction and entertainment, where will the cowards go? FEDERALES is very brave and ambitious for such a small book.

[W. P. Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fast paced tale from One Eyed Press. I had just finished a longer novel and wanted something short and quick, but still well written. Look no further- Christopher Irvin delivers the goods. The terrible horrors are in the peripheral of this story an occasionally front and center, and it was a great read before moving on to something a little longer (though I may get one more shortie in before the long book). Incidentally, Irvin was in a anthology I was also featured in (Weird Noir), so it's no surprise to see him continue in his creation of great material. Will definitely look for his next novel and click that buy button without hesitation.

[Ross Cumming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this following a recommendation on author Sam Hawken's Twitter feed. Its just a novella length story and is very similar in style and subject matter to Hawken's Borderland Noir novels. Also the protagonist Marcos, a Mexican Federale Police Officer echoes Hawkwn's characters Matias and Sevilla from his novels. Despite the similarities I would thoroughly recommend this book as the writing is tight and it paints a dim picture of life in Mexico for those people who are standing up to the Cartels and trying to fight against the Drugs War.

[John Goodrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, heartbreaking. This is a tale of woe for a character who has to struggle to do the right thing. Marcos isn't a squaky-clean guy. Like mist of us, he has to figure out what the right thing is, and sometimes, he's weak. Author Christopher Irvin lets us know the character, and he's richly detailed, sympathetic, and real.

Add this excellent character to a good plot, a touch of action, and the gritty realism, and you have an excellent book.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good novella. I enjoyed it.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the writing, but the plot moved extraordinarily slowly. The climax- when Eva gets shot- is completely skipped over. Marcos just wakes up in the hospital. I found it hard to get into. Half of the book is samples of books from the same publisher.

[Chris Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant novella, looming prose and I very much look forward to reading more from this cat!

[Carmen Amato · Rating 5 out of 5]

In FEDERALES, Marcos is a Mexican cop at the national level, a federale. He's a long-term survivor of the organization but when there's a new boss--one with a well-deserved bad reputation--he knows his days with the organization are numbered. The message is delivered to him loud and clear that the new management is cleaning house in the form of a bullet left for him to discover. it's a signal FEDERALES is a short novel by Christopher Irvin that packs a hefty punch, slugging the reader to the heart with a story about Mexican corruption, violence, but also redemption and hope. It falls into the same "narco noir" literary category as Guillermo Paxton's CARTEL RISING and is as noteworthy. Although fiction, FEDERALES is based on real events in Mexico and reveals harsh truths about law enforcement and the pervasive influence of the drug cartels with strong characters, well-honed descriptions, and atmospherics laden with authenticity.

Marcos cannot afford to misinterpret. Marcos flees into boozy hiding, but a friend from his former life seeks him out with an offer to protect a local female politician who has been the victim of a near-fatal attack. She survived, but an electoral loss means that her official protection will soon be withdrawn. Marcos sobers up and takes the job, but knows from the start that his chances of long term survival are slim at best.

Author Irvin paints a thoroughly riveting and believable picture of what it is like to be targeted in Mexico; the fear, the constraints, the paranoia and distrust. His protectee, who has a young daughter, is determined to carry on her political agenda, which is nothing so radical as honest politics and security for the citizens she serves. Yet her outspoken efforts mean she is besieged by enemies on all sides; enemies who are fueled by drug money. Marcos does not know whom he can trust, her supporters know that she is a marked woman, and those who will help are less than competent. Her message resonates with Marcos, and a connection builds that goes beyond politics yet stops short of a romantic relationship.

At the end of the book, I was sure I recognized the woman the author had in mind when he wrote FEDERALES, and I was right. In a moving afterword, Irvin writes about the death of Maria Santos Gorrostieta, who was kidnapped and murdered in November 2012. Santos Gorrostieta, the former mayor of a small town in western mexico, had previously survived two assassination attempts as a result of her outspoken stance against drug cartel violence.

[Dusty Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a lot of mixed feelings on this book. Some of the writing is atrocious. But it also feels authentic, and passionate. I can't stand when authors use purposefully use incomplete sentences, and Irvin does it constantly. "Listened to the water trickle in a nearby drain," is not a complete sentence, regardless of how much context is given. I know it's a stylistic choice. It just happens to be one I hate.

Then there's this sentence: "Smelled of industrial cleaner with a hint of unmistakable foul coppery smell." That's an awful sentence no matter what your personal tastes are.

Like I said, though, the story feels authentic. It's loosely inspired by a true story and you can see the author's passion on the topic shine through. For the first 3/4 of the book, at least.

At around the 75% mark on my Kindle this story flew off the rails. It started as a character-building exercise and then inexplicably becomes a pulpy action story. In fact, you could almost present the last %25 of the story as a standalone with no relation to the first part. The way the supporting characters were written off really disappointed me. There was no closure for them at all.

My only other issue was how reminiscient this story is of the Denzel Washington flick, "Man on Fire." Ex cop with a drinking problem is hired to protect a woman and child in Mexico, ultimately fails, then struggles for redemption.

Chris Irvin has a lot of talent, but also some rough corners that need to be smoothed. I'd have no problem reading more of his work and wouldn't dissuade you from reading this piece, no matter its flaws.

[Chris Rhatigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mexican Federal Agent Marcos Camarena is a dedicated, but very human, public servant. After having his fill of the rampant corruption and violence he witnesses every day, he leaves his job. He's busy drinking himself silly when he gets a call offering him a job he needs. But this job's not an easy one--protecting a politician who's intent on cracking down on the drug cartels and has no desire to have a bodyguard.

Federales, from One Eye Press, is a fast-paced, hardboiled story with an insider's understanding of Mexican politics and problems. Despite the thriller pacing, Irvin creates likeable, interesting characters who you'll be rooting for in spite of their flaws. This is a highly engaging, well-written novella that you can finish in an afternoon.

[Kyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

disappointed, actually after such glowing reviews - picked up after the first 60 pages or so -- but that's not great since it's only 100 or so -- prefer characters a little more fleshed out -- but of course, it's a novella rather than full novel -- the fact that it was based on true events drew me in, but was still difficult to hold my attention and have'nt thought about much upon completion -- wish i liked it more

[Carol Irvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting, intense and dark noir about a Mexican federal agent who tries to do good in the corrupt Mexican drug cartel country. Inspired by true events. Written by a new & upcoming author-can't wait to read his next book!!

[Christopher Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story and one that I missed when it came out last year.