Sacrifice

by Coral Russell, Chryse Wymer (Editor)

"Live for God. Live for your mother. Die for your gang."
When Mexican drug cartels fight for control along the border, Juarez becomes the murder capital of the world. In El Paso, Texas it's drug business as usual: a grifter sets out to buy her freedom, a car salesman runs drugs to make his fortune, a gang leader battles to rise among the ranks of the cartel, and a detective and his wife are ripped apart by a family secret. Everyone's fate lies in the hands of an old woman. Will she let the past die with her or take revenge the only way she knows how?
Sacrifice is a fast-paced, gritty story that'll keep you guessing, gasping, and gripping your eBook.

Best of 2013 by Indie Reade, Library Journal's Self-e Program in Ohio

Genres: Thriller

181 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 27, 2013

About the author

All my books are available through Kindle Unlimited. About every 3 months my books will be free through the promotions on Amazon.

Reviews

[Donna Brown]

After I’d read the final version of Sacrifice, Coral Russell asked me for my thoughts. I kept her waiting on my review but I shared a summary: “Sacrifice is a fast-paced, gritty story that’ll keep you guessing, gasping, and gripping your Kindle”. It did. Coral had originally sent me the story in several chunks and I grew increasingly frustrated when I didn’t have time to leap on the new one. I love the fast pace of thrillers and Sacrifice was no exception.

So, gritty and larger than life characters? Check. An edgy storyline that races through the book? (Obviously in a slick way, rather than an “I’m late for my bus” way.) Check. Punchy dialogue and the odd splash of humour? Check. So far so good – for me it was a clear four star suspense novel, with a heck of a lot happening and lots to get your teeth into.

There was something else though, something that didn’t happen until I’d finished reading the end product. Thrilled at the shaping of the story and how Russell had developed it, I had seen this simply as a very good thriller. But it isn’t.

The more time elapsed, the more I realised that it was another element of Russell’s writing that had stayed with me. I had enjoyed the story but – like most books of a similar nature – I was unlikely to play it over and over. So why was Sacrifice sticking with me so strongly? I finally realised it was the amount of background information Russell had supplied: about the border, about the drug cartels, about the gangs and the grudges and the culture. Small things, little descriptions to add to the story, had stayed with me and I had begun to wonder about the non-fiction side of this book. It got me thinking, wanting to know more and willing to read more.

That earned it the final star. A book that entertains is a great find. A book that entertains and educates or at least inspires the beginning of an education is a superb one. It comes as no surprise to me that Russell was a teacher. She makes you want to learn (as I also found when I read Peace on the Peninsula). At the same time, her approach is so casual that if you really are only looking for a few hours of suspenseful reading, you’ll still find it.

I received a copy of the book in exchange for my fair and honest review. I did not receive any additional compensation and opinions are my own.

[KyBunnies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted at Bunny's Review



***Disclosure: I purchased this book at Amazon.com.***


I freely admit I am not usually interested reading about drug cartels, how drugs are shipped or anything similar. For me using drugs is a choice, a choice that some people make because they are either to scare or fearful of facing the truth in life. The drugs makes it easier for them to cope. I have little patience for people who try to give me a sad sob story about how horrible there life has been because of the drugs. They made the choice to use drugs, they became addicted then they want to cry and think my hard working tax dollars should support them because they are not able to hold a steady job or because they just can’t work due to side effects from the drugs. I am not sorry. They made the choice to use just like I made the choice to not use drugs. The above opinion is my own and it is the same for alcohol, gambling or any other addiction.

This book was on my Kindle and I was jumping around trying to find something to read that captured my attention. Something that would take me away from all the noise and activity at the DFW airport terminal. This book captured my attention. It made me wonder if something similar has actually happened in the pursuit to get drugs moved from Mexico to the USA.

When starting I knew this book would be something about drugs, I just did not know that moving drugs required so many people. Or what some people would do just to either get away from the life of being a drug runner or how the drug cartel did not care who they hurt with the drugs.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author created an interesting story for readers providing a glimpse into the life of the drug runners / drug cartel. The bunnies and I highly recommend this book.

The bunnies and I give this book carrots

[Mike Kalmbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bottom line: Realistic consequences in this fast-paced, gritty suspense novel.

Goodreads scale: 3.5/5 stars (liked it, rounding up to 4 since the story sticks with you)
Amazon scale: 4/5 stars (recommend purchasing if you're already interested in the genre/subject matter)

There was a lot to like about this book. We're quickly introduced to a wide cast of believable characters who seemingly have unrelated stories, other than their ties to gangs and drugs. Character decisions have realistic consequences, and events often fail to follow the plan. The short sections made for a fast read.

I loved how the author's research shined through--without wanting to give spoilers, several details added flavor and realism to this story, without feeling forced. The author clearly did her homework, and kudos for that.

Readers who have trouble with villains who commit murder with no sign of remorse (or even the acknowledgement that murder is wrong) will likely have trouble with this book. On the other hand, based on the real-life stories coming out of mass killings in Mexico and other places, I certainly believe these kinds of people exist. If you're okay with being a little disturbed and like action and adventure, I'd expect you'll like this book.

There were several minor things that bugged me. For folks who are interested in just reading a story cover to cover, it's unlikely these will bother you, so you can stop here. I'm being nitpicky with these details, and Sacrifice is worth the read.

Nits (mostly targeted for the author or for other writers): In places, there were internal thoughts that weren't italicized (the first on the second page of the Kindle book). This jarred me since it ignored established conventions on how internal thoughts are handled. I noticed several minor typos, such as the missing word in: "Her restless fingers the only sign the bars of her private cage were closing in on her." In this case, it's a missing "were", or it could have been combined with the previous sentence using a comma.

Some of the choices of character names were confusing. For example, I kept confusing Duke and Drew, who are completely different characters with completely different goals, simply because the names appear so much alike. This made the story harder to follow.

Each section starts with a quote from history or another novel, which I liked. On the other hand, the book is all composed as a single chapter, which I didn't--I was initially confused as to why the quotes suddenly appeared, and it took me a few seconds to figure out they were fancy section breaks (especially since the first section break used a more traditional ***). I like using a table of contents to gauge how a book is organized or to quickly navigate to something that happened earlier in the book, but this story didn't offer it. I also rarely finish books in a single sitting, so having a convenient stop point is really appreciated, even if it's on a cliffhanger hook.

Do not click on this until you have read the book. It deals with the ending. While I had very little trouble following the story, one scene in particular was confusing, which was unfortunate since it was near the end. When Berta came around the back of the house, I kept thinking she was climbing on top of the building. It took several times reading the chapter to realize that she was actually climbing a fence that surrounded the back of the house. If the author reads this, I'd recommend fixing that problem.

[David Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Coral Russell’s Sacrifice was a boxing match, it would soon break out into a full-scale riot, such is the array of rival factions whose thirst for money, power, drugs and influence spills out onto the streets of Juarez then takes the short journey across the border into El Paso. Fleeing from Juarez is Roberta who is out to make a new life for herself and needs to make money fast. She finds her dream ticket in Luis, a top-notch car salesman, who falls for Roberta and finds himself entering a new and dangerous world. There is good money to be made in drug trafficking but as with most businesses, there are rivals to contend with.

Enter rival gang leader, Duke, whose devotion to his family leads to his dying great-great grandmother revealing a long buried secret that sends Duke on the warpath. It’s not all bad guys though. There’s Frankie who is the local law and finds himself working long hours when gang members’ bodies start to appear. Something has to give in this fierce battle for control and though Roberta is strong and resourceful, no one is safe with Duke seeking revenge for wrongs done to his family many years before. A resolution is reached, of course, but who survives to see the end?

My previous experience of Russell’s work was with a hotel haunting in Amador Lockdown. Sacrifice is a very different book but if forced to compare I would favour this one for it displays a growing confidence from Russell in her writing. The characters are fleshed out to give us enough insight without being a detriment to the overall narrative. This is a fast-paced, action-packed, no holds barred experience and a rewarding read as well.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book brought to mind that verse in the Bible about sins of the father "You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me," Exodus 20:5.

Coral did an EXCEPTIONAL job capturing the violence plaguing our Mexican borders. I lived on the border for five years. My land lord, a doctor, was captured by one of the drug cartels in a case of mistaken identity. He was so lucky to make it back home with only a busted ankle and a threat to never enter Mexico again.
I loved how all the different characters' stories intertwined. I rooted for Roberta to get her "freedom" and for Duke to find some compassion. Coral illustrated how sad it is that the Cartels and gangs have such little value for human life. This book is a fantastic, pulse racing read. The characters are pragmatic and wonderfully written.

[Cynthia Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

PLEASE NOTE: I received this book from the author, as part of a Goodreads book club, but this does not affect my review in any way.

I really wasn't sure about reading this book. Drug cartels don't tend to be my usual type of stories, and at first, I had a bit of a hard time getting into it. There were a lot of characters, a lot of gangs, and well, I'm easily confused.

But it didn't take long before I was totally drawn into the story, and didn't want to put it down. This is the first time in a LONG time that I've read a book in less than 48 hours. In fact, I've been sitting on my butt for the past hour, just so that I could finish it.

There are very few characters with any redeeming qualities in this book, but that makes it all the more astonishing that it's such a compelling read. Highly recommended.

[Cindy Holdmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, the drug cartel genre is not for me, but this book changed my mind. It was a wonderfully mastered piece of writing with such engaging characters that your heart would literally drop at each turn of the page. There were quite a few characters and, at times, I found myself forgetting who was who. Eventually, it was all made clear to me in the end. You find yourself being tethered by an emotional thread to some of these characters and that's what makes it a good book for me. The story had a pretty smooth flow to it so it does make it an easy read. No cheesy sex scenes or any of that sort. Just a "right in your face book". I highly recommend this one to anybody.

[Wulfwyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was an intensive read. It is a fast paced, riveting story. I was actually surprised by it. I wasn't sure it would be my cup of coffee. Turns out the story was dramatic and well told. The characters were as they should be. Some I liked, some I hated and a couple were people I didn't hate or like but that I understood. Long way of saying the book is about life, or maybe I should say death. It reflects a very real issue and was written realistically.

[Linie Sherrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico are the backdrop for this
Hispanic family history and present day novel. A story with
intricate patterns of greed, fear, love and hate, “Sacrifice” paints
a picture of gang life and drug cartels as well as hard working people
with dreams of their own. A good read.

[A.B. Shepherd · Rating 4 out of 5]

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