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El Jefe: The Stalking of Chapo Guzmán
The definitive account of the rise and fall of the ultimate narco, "El Chapo," from the New York Times reporter whose coverage of his trial went viral.
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is the most legendary of Mexican narcos. As leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel, he was one of the most dangerous men in the world. His fearless climb to power, his brutality, his charm, his taste for luxury, his penchant for disguise, his multiple dramatic prison escapes, his unlikely encounters with Sean Penn--all of these burnished the image of the world's most famous outlaw.
He was finally captured by U.S. and Mexican law enforcement in a daring operation years in the making. Here is that entire epic story--from El Chapo's humble origins to his conviction in a Brooklyn courthouse. Longtime New York Times criminal justice reporter Alan Feuer's coverage of his trial was some of the most riveting journalism of recent years.
Feuer's mastery of the complex facts of the case, his unparalleled access to confidential sources in law enforcement, and his powerful understanding of disturbing larger themes--what this one man's life says about drugs, walls, class, money, Mexico, and the United States--will ensure that this is the one book to read about "El Chapo."
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is the most legendary of Mexican narcos. As leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel, he was one of the most dangerous men in the world. His fearless climb to power, his brutality, his charm, his taste for luxury, his penchant for disguise, his multiple dramatic prison escapes, his unlikely encounters with Sean Penn--all of these burnished the image of the world's most famous outlaw.
He was finally captured by U.S. and Mexican law enforcement in a daring operation years in the making. Here is that entire epic story--from El Chapo's humble origins to his conviction in a Brooklyn courthouse. Longtime New York Times criminal justice reporter Alan Feuer's coverage of his trial was some of the most riveting journalism of recent years.
Feuer's mastery of the complex facts of the case, his unparalleled access to confidential sources in law enforcement, and his powerful understanding of disturbing larger themes--what this one man's life says about drugs, walls, class, money, Mexico, and the United States--will ensure that this is the one book to read about "El Chapo."
256 pages, Hardcover
First published August 25, 2020
106 people are currently reading
787 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
July 12, 2020
I listened to this one and the narrator was excellent. In the last 6 months, I've read all 3 books in Don Winslow's Cartel trilogy and binged the entire series of Queen of the South so needless to say this book was right up my alley. I thought the author's research was thorough, however, the book went into SO many details that had I not read the Winslow books and watched QOTS, I would've been lost as to what he was referring to in much of this book. I think i expected more of a psychological and/or criminal justice perspective as to what led to the rise of this drug lord and how did he fall and while there was some of that, the story (for me) got bogged down in too many minute details. If you're picking this up thinking it'll be a gossipy type of read, I think you'll be disappointed. if you're interested in good journalism about an in-depth drug cartel organization, this might be the book for you. Thanks to Macmillian Audio for my #freeaudiobook
August 24, 2020
This story was fascinating and well written on several levels. First it was a detailed blow by blow of the way a modern international criminal justice investigation involving technological surveillance and a ton of attempts to turn close associates, complete with military raids and unlikely escapes. Second it was a meditation on the meaning of a drug kingpin in Mexico, how the lack of trust engendered from an incredibly corrupt government can allow space for a murderer and mobster to take the moral high ground. At several points, Feuer even explores the possibility/conspiracy theory that Chapo Guzman wasn't even the head of a crime syndicate and was only a flashy figurehead designed to be a robin hood figure. Finally, and most distressingly, it's a meditation on the brokenness of the drug war. A ton of effort was spent to being down one famous kingpin, but nothing changed. The syndicates still exist and the drugs still flow, to the detriment of all countries involved.
September 24, 2020
I'm DNFing this. I've listened to some good audiobooks about this subject, and this one is just boring me. The narrator kills it.
I received this audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley
I received this audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley
March 30, 2020
A page-turning account of El Chapo's assent to the top of the Sinaloa cartel and the efforts by American and Mexican law enforcement to take him into custody. It's in the weeds at times when it comes to the technology deployed, but I found those chapters utterly fascinating. Feuer pulls back the curtain on incredibly sensitive law enforcement operations and also spotlights rivalries among federal law enforcement. Really well done and crisply written.
May 25, 2023
Starts slow with the introduction into the original tracking methods of Chapo and the cartel. A lot of emphasis placed into setting the scene, then the book diverts away to an almost separated plot. Enjoyable still, and an interesting deep-dive.
September 2, 2020
I'll be honest, this book was not very entertaining to me. I chose it because it's half-inside my comfort zone (true crime, "riveting" nonfiction retellings) and half-outside my comfort zone (espionage/military history or thrillers). My experience ended up being more on the "outside my comfort zone" side of the spectrum.
I'm not very familiar with Chapo Guzmán and his work, nor am I familiar with the U.S.'s various missions to "stalk" and capture him. Maybe if I were already more knowledgeable about this topic, the little details - the insider information provided by key interviews with agents, witnesses, etc. - would have been more impressive to me. There's no doubt that this book contains a vast amount of detail, more than has ever been publicly released before. For fans of the story, this is a gold mine. But having never read about El Chapo before, much of this seemed humdrum.
A lot of the story is about the process of the Mexican and U.S. governments intercepting communications within Chapo's network - getting the Blackberry Messenger PINs, getting data from a cellphone software called FlexiSpy, etc. Although I get how huge this is for collecting incriminating information and location data on the kingpin and his staff, it's not very interesting to read about. Again, for those who know a lot about military intelligence and espionage, this is probably fascinating - but I found it a bit dry. Even the more salacious parts of the story - Chapo's escape from Mexico's highest-security prison - were not told in as riveting a way as Narcos tells it. The audiobook was well-narrated, but it just didn't capture my attention as I was hoping it would.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ARC!
I'm not very familiar with Chapo Guzmán and his work, nor am I familiar with the U.S.'s various missions to "stalk" and capture him. Maybe if I were already more knowledgeable about this topic, the little details - the insider information provided by key interviews with agents, witnesses, etc. - would have been more impressive to me. There's no doubt that this book contains a vast amount of detail, more than has ever been publicly released before. For fans of the story, this is a gold mine. But having never read about El Chapo before, much of this seemed humdrum.
A lot of the story is about the process of the Mexican and U.S. governments intercepting communications within Chapo's network - getting the Blackberry Messenger PINs, getting data from a cellphone software called FlexiSpy, etc. Although I get how huge this is for collecting incriminating information and location data on the kingpin and his staff, it's not very interesting to read about. Again, for those who know a lot about military intelligence and espionage, this is probably fascinating - but I found it a bit dry. Even the more salacious parts of the story - Chapo's escape from Mexico's highest-security prison - were not told in as riveting a way as Narcos tells it. The audiobook was well-narrated, but it just didn't capture my attention as I was hoping it would.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ARC!
October 23, 2020
Alan Feuer has organized the Chapo Guzman story into a coherent whole. The book is arranged into three acts with a couple of interludes and an epilogue. Within this chronological structure, he tells the story clearly when he focuses on the central characters. (The clarity runs off the rails from time to time, for instance, when Feuer describes the succession of Mexican presidents or when he explores some of the peripheral characters.)
However, a well organized, clear story was not fully satisfying to me because I made no emotional connection with Feuer's tale. For some reason, I was neither horrified by the drug-dealing murderer nor mesmerized by Guzman's Houdini-like escapes and repeated evasions of the authorities. Perhaps the fault is with me the reader, not with Feuer the author. Nevertheless, though I now am better informed, I don't care one way or the other. That's a strange comment to make about Guzman and his company of horribles.
However, a well organized, clear story was not fully satisfying to me because I made no emotional connection with Feuer's tale. For some reason, I was neither horrified by the drug-dealing murderer nor mesmerized by Guzman's Houdini-like escapes and repeated evasions of the authorities. Perhaps the fault is with me the reader, not with Feuer the author. Nevertheless, though I now am better informed, I don't care one way or the other. That's a strange comment to make about Guzman and his company of horribles.
August 28, 2020
A must read account of the hunt for El Chapo Guzmán.
If you are a fan of David Simon’s “The Wire” you will definitely need to get this book.
Feuer had access to material that no other journalist or academic investigator had ever seen before. The book focuses on the American agents who set up an elaborate and sophisticated network of DEA, FBI. Homeland Security Investigators with the task of tracking and capturing Joaquin Archivaldo Guzmán Loera. He writes about how the different teams were convinced to break their “traditional silo” approaches and work cooperatively.
The team infiltrated the sophisticated and constantly evolving secure communications network established by El Chapo and his chief assistant Alex Sifuentes.
Agents managed to identify and “”turn” a young Internet nerd who had designed his system, and then created a comprehensive “team” that monitored all of the communication traffic within the Sinaloa Cartel. Other inside informers helped agents make sense of the chatter, and occasionally the CIA and the NSA provide key pieces of the puzzle.
Feuer pieces much of this information together (gathered between 2011 and 2014) to provide a picture of the extent and organization of Guzmán‘s drug Company.
And Feuer also provides an insightful look at the man who the world rightly or wrongly came to believe was the most important drug boss ever arrested.
It is is a page turner and will not disappoint the reader.
I have monitored crime and cartels in Mexico for more than 20 years, and I can assure you that I am truly impressed with information in this book.
If you are a fan of David Simon’s “The Wire” you will definitely need to get this book.
Feuer had access to material that no other journalist or academic investigator had ever seen before. The book focuses on the American agents who set up an elaborate and sophisticated network of DEA, FBI. Homeland Security Investigators with the task of tracking and capturing Joaquin Archivaldo Guzmán Loera. He writes about how the different teams were convinced to break their “traditional silo” approaches and work cooperatively.
The team infiltrated the sophisticated and constantly evolving secure communications network established by El Chapo and his chief assistant Alex Sifuentes.
Agents managed to identify and “”turn” a young Internet nerd who had designed his system, and then created a comprehensive “team” that monitored all of the communication traffic within the Sinaloa Cartel. Other inside informers helped agents make sense of the chatter, and occasionally the CIA and the NSA provide key pieces of the puzzle.
Feuer pieces much of this information together (gathered between 2011 and 2014) to provide a picture of the extent and organization of Guzmán‘s drug Company.
And Feuer also provides an insightful look at the man who the world rightly or wrongly came to believe was the most important drug boss ever arrested.
It is is a page turner and will not disappoint the reader.
I have monitored crime and cartels in Mexico for more than 20 years, and I can assure you that I am truly impressed with information in this book.
February 13, 2021
Read Don Winslow's on the Cartel if you want a good read. True crime on cartel is a less fascinating story- driven by insatiable greed accompanied by paranoia on a grand scale actions and reactions are fairly predictable. Law enforcement's attempt to bring down narcotraficantes is also fairly mundane, except when officers, empowered to protect citizens find it more opportune and enriching to side with the narcos. Not a good read.
February 8, 2025
It took me way longer than it should to read this book. It’s def a great way to break down such a complicated story of a wild individual.
July 9, 2021
Although I've watched all the series about El Chapo and read about all his exploits, this book still provided some details I didn't know about. In particular the depth of the wiretaps and BB pins that were important and also the original snitch that set up his electronic communication network. A good read overall.
September 13, 2020
Competent behind-the-scenes look of the effort(s) to capture Chapo Guzman. It has elements of the show Narcos for obvious reasons, but there’s some of the more humdrum aspects of the case such as the ways mobile phones were ultimately used with the apprehension.
November 24, 2020
As I plan and prepare for my bookish gift-giving guide for the 2020 holidays, I find myself dipping into books I wouldn’t normally pick up. Many of my long-time readers are probably a bit curious about the selection of books I’ve been diving into lately, and this is why; I’m reading books that will suit every person on your list, so I need to read out of my comfort zone to create the most sincere book recommendations. This is how I ended up with El Jefe, The Stalking of Chapo Guzman by Alan Feuer, I assumed it’s something my father-in-law would enjoy, and we tend to have very different reading interests. Despite not knowing anything about the topic of this work of non-fiction, I was quickly sucked in by the fascinating story of one of Mexico’s richest drug lords, and this book was just long enough to keep my attention but not overextend it. True-crime fans, non-fiction nuts and fans of police procedurals will also enjoy this one.
Book Summary
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman is one of the most dangerous men in the world, and one of the richest drug lords to date. With a net worth of over 10 billion dollars (which he had to surrender once he was extradited to the United States) the word ‘kingpin’ is the best way to describe him. We learn a bit about his modest childhood coming from a farming family in a rural part of Mexico, but like many in this poor area, his parents grow poppies to provide the opium to a local drug dealer, which was where Guzman eventually got his start. He moved up the ranks quickly, exploiting weaknesses in the American and Mexican border to further his stronghold in the drug trade. He eventually grew the business into a worldwide conglomerate, even selling drugs to us innocents up here in Canada (ha!). Although he made his money selling cocaine and bribing police and government officials, it’s hard not to view him as a businessman first and foremost. This book frequently makes reference to his ‘company’, because that was essentially what he was running: a major corporation. And what leads to his downfall is actually his choice of communications; his reliance on blackberry cellphones. There are many books written on El Chapo, but this one focuses on the hunt to locate him. and how parts of American and Mexican law enforcement came together to finally arrest and convict him. As many of us know, El Chapo is best known for his daring escapes, and these are discussed at length as well.
My Thoughts
As I mentioned above, one does not need a prior awareness of El Chapo and his activities to enjoy this book. He is famous for a reason; his story is entertaining, and its no coincidence that numerous television shows and movies are about him. My only previous knowledge of him is the fact that he dug a tunnel to escape from prison at one point. My lack of initial interest did not hinder my enjoyment of this book, and after a bit of a slow start I found myself increasingly invested in his capture. Dare I say it, I even wished he had escaped for longer because his illegal activities were so fascinating to read about. He was a cold-blooded killer though, so I’m relieved he is in prison for the rest of his life, and hopefully he stays there!
The book begins with a very detailed look at how the American authorities eventually locate and spy on him, and it’s through a cellular network that is built specifically for his company by some shadowy techies in Mexico. The U.S. eventually tracks this guy down and offers him immunity and safety in exchange for his cooperation, and through him they are able to infiltrate El Chapo’s communications and figure out where he is staying. The descriptions of the technology and the shades of cooperation between different U.S. and Mexican authorities are a bit tiresome, and because I wasn’t interested in it, I sort of skimmed those parts, but those sections would no doubt enthrall other readers so take my opinion with a grain of salt (as always!). The parts I really enjoyed and still like to trot out to other people involve some of the ostentatious parts of El Chapo’s life, especially when he was in prison. He was so rich and held so much sway over his prison guards (through bribes) that he had his own private chef. In prison!!!!! He’s definitely not getting that kind of treatment in America, but it’s shocking he had access to that kind of luxury in Mexico too. One of Guzman’s ‘colleagues’ (drug dealers) once pushed a helicopter off a cliff to collect the insurance money, and one of El Chapo’s bribes to a prison official amounted to two million dollars! The kind of money these people had access to is staggering, especially because it was all blood money, but how else do you amass that kind of fortune in such a small time? Rarely by legal means.
The author is a journalist, and in the last few pages he explains that he conducted many first person interviews, and as much as possible he tried to get facts confirmed by multiple sources. That being said, I don’t think there’s a lot of groundbreaking information in this book, at least not for those generalists like myself, but perhaps El Chapo experts would have a different opinion. There are so many documentaries, books and articles written about El Chapo that you don’t have to go far to get what you’re looking for, but I appreciated this tidy overview of his ‘career’ and his eventual conviction.
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Book Summary
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman is one of the most dangerous men in the world, and one of the richest drug lords to date. With a net worth of over 10 billion dollars (which he had to surrender once he was extradited to the United States) the word ‘kingpin’ is the best way to describe him. We learn a bit about his modest childhood coming from a farming family in a rural part of Mexico, but like many in this poor area, his parents grow poppies to provide the opium to a local drug dealer, which was where Guzman eventually got his start. He moved up the ranks quickly, exploiting weaknesses in the American and Mexican border to further his stronghold in the drug trade. He eventually grew the business into a worldwide conglomerate, even selling drugs to us innocents up here in Canada (ha!). Although he made his money selling cocaine and bribing police and government officials, it’s hard not to view him as a businessman first and foremost. This book frequently makes reference to his ‘company’, because that was essentially what he was running: a major corporation. And what leads to his downfall is actually his choice of communications; his reliance on blackberry cellphones. There are many books written on El Chapo, but this one focuses on the hunt to locate him. and how parts of American and Mexican law enforcement came together to finally arrest and convict him. As many of us know, El Chapo is best known for his daring escapes, and these are discussed at length as well.
My Thoughts
As I mentioned above, one does not need a prior awareness of El Chapo and his activities to enjoy this book. He is famous for a reason; his story is entertaining, and its no coincidence that numerous television shows and movies are about him. My only previous knowledge of him is the fact that he dug a tunnel to escape from prison at one point. My lack of initial interest did not hinder my enjoyment of this book, and after a bit of a slow start I found myself increasingly invested in his capture. Dare I say it, I even wished he had escaped for longer because his illegal activities were so fascinating to read about. He was a cold-blooded killer though, so I’m relieved he is in prison for the rest of his life, and hopefully he stays there!
The book begins with a very detailed look at how the American authorities eventually locate and spy on him, and it’s through a cellular network that is built specifically for his company by some shadowy techies in Mexico. The U.S. eventually tracks this guy down and offers him immunity and safety in exchange for his cooperation, and through him they are able to infiltrate El Chapo’s communications and figure out where he is staying. The descriptions of the technology and the shades of cooperation between different U.S. and Mexican authorities are a bit tiresome, and because I wasn’t interested in it, I sort of skimmed those parts, but those sections would no doubt enthrall other readers so take my opinion with a grain of salt (as always!). The parts I really enjoyed and still like to trot out to other people involve some of the ostentatious parts of El Chapo’s life, especially when he was in prison. He was so rich and held so much sway over his prison guards (through bribes) that he had his own private chef. In prison!!!!! He’s definitely not getting that kind of treatment in America, but it’s shocking he had access to that kind of luxury in Mexico too. One of Guzman’s ‘colleagues’ (drug dealers) once pushed a helicopter off a cliff to collect the insurance money, and one of El Chapo’s bribes to a prison official amounted to two million dollars! The kind of money these people had access to is staggering, especially because it was all blood money, but how else do you amass that kind of fortune in such a small time? Rarely by legal means.
The author is a journalist, and in the last few pages he explains that he conducted many first person interviews, and as much as possible he tried to get facts confirmed by multiple sources. That being said, I don’t think there’s a lot of groundbreaking information in this book, at least not for those generalists like myself, but perhaps El Chapo experts would have a different opinion. There are so many documentaries, books and articles written about El Chapo that you don’t have to go far to get what you’re looking for, but I appreciated this tidy overview of his ‘career’ and his eventual conviction.
To read the rest of my reviews, please visit my blog:
https://ivereadthis.com/
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November 23, 2020
Could do with a bit more history of Chapo Guzman and a little less rah rah Americans have a right to solve other nations problems but to be expected from a pro police story. Interesting and scary info about the governments reach into cell phones.
March 22, 2021
The title is appropriate : Chapo Guzman was stalked by months of electronic eavesdropping, via several teams of law enforcement officers, using various technologies.
This then led to a couple of attempts at arresting him, most of which failed. To me that was the most intriguing part of the book : how Chapo eluded arrest several times, even when SWAT teams were storming his location. In one case he simply walked out the back door, to the beach. In one case he escaped via a tunnel under a bath tub. In a third case, the GPS location technology was not accurate enough. In another case, the team broke into the wrong hotel room.
Even accounting for the fact that the coordination between 3 or 4 law enforcement agencies across the US and Mexico cannot have been easy, and even accounting for the fact that Guzman's organization probably had numerous infiltrators and paid informants in the Mexican police and military, this seems a long string of failures. Or does this confirm again that electronic surveillance is not enough, that intelligence from human sources is also needed?
This is not a long book, but the reader needs to pay attention to understand the tangled web of the various drug cartels in Mexico and Columbia, with their shifting alliances and sudden power grabs. There are also so many law enforcement officers involved, that the list at the beginning of the book came in handy.
This then led to a couple of attempts at arresting him, most of which failed. To me that was the most intriguing part of the book : how Chapo eluded arrest several times, even when SWAT teams were storming his location. In one case he simply walked out the back door, to the beach. In one case he escaped via a tunnel under a bath tub. In a third case, the GPS location technology was not accurate enough. In another case, the team broke into the wrong hotel room.
Even accounting for the fact that the coordination between 3 or 4 law enforcement agencies across the US and Mexico cannot have been easy, and even accounting for the fact that Guzman's organization probably had numerous infiltrators and paid informants in the Mexican police and military, this seems a long string of failures. Or does this confirm again that electronic surveillance is not enough, that intelligence from human sources is also needed?
This is not a long book, but the reader needs to pay attention to understand the tangled web of the various drug cartels in Mexico and Columbia, with their shifting alliances and sudden power grabs. There are also so many law enforcement officers involved, that the list at the beginning of the book came in handy.
September 14, 2020
Joaquin Guzman, known by many as El Chapo, was the notorious leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico. Known for his brutality and violence, as well as his desire for the finer things in life and his amazing ability to escape from prisons, Guzman is as much a part of cartel history as Pablo Escobar and Griselda Blanco. Begining with his humble roots, El Jefe: The Stalking of Chapo Guzman covers his rise within the cartel all the way to his ultimate fall following his conviction in New York, and everything in between.
To be perfectly honest, this book disappointed me. I went in really excited because I have always enjoyed true crime novels, but I could not get into this one, which is unfortunate because I really wanted to like this one. There were some sections that seemed to go on and on and were quite boring, while others were entertaining and enjoyable. I really wanted to enjoy this novel, and that is why I stuck with it until the end, but it fell short of my expectations.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of El Jefe: The Stalking of Chapo Guzman, given in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.
To be perfectly honest, this book disappointed me. I went in really excited because I have always enjoyed true crime novels, but I could not get into this one, which is unfortunate because I really wanted to like this one. There were some sections that seemed to go on and on and were quite boring, while others were entertaining and enjoyable. I really wanted to enjoy this novel, and that is why I stuck with it until the end, but it fell short of my expectations.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of El Jefe: The Stalking of Chapo Guzman, given in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.
October 10, 2020
New York Times Journalist Alan Feuer has written a compelling account of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman in El Jefe; The Stalking of Chapo Guzman (pp.235). For context Guzman shouldn't be confused with Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar. Guzman ran the Mexican Sinaloa cartel. Escobar was a little younger and was killed in 1993. Feur begins his account by taking us inside the FBI group who were tracking Guzman. Some of the names have been changed as Feuer explains in helpful footnotes. I give this group tremendous credit; it takes courage to fight these terrible people. As with many investigations into criminals the break often comes with something simple; finding the person who set up Guzman's private communication network (VPN). Guzman was paranoid like most drug dealers of being caught but also of what the people closest to him were saying about him. Clearly, he didn't trust anyone and is a monster. Being extradited to the United States spelled the end of Guzman's reign and his famous escapes. Read about the Colorado SuperMax prison where he will be for the rest of his living days; it's a perfect private hell for the prisoners already there and for El Chapo.
November 11, 2020
I first heard of El Chapo, a Mexican drug cartel leader, when he escaped from prison using a large tunnel equipped with an underground railway. El Jefe: The Stalking of Chapo Guzmán by New York Times journalist Alan Feuer shows how he got captured again. El Chapo's attempts to strengthen his network's cyber security caused his downfall. The guy in charge of encrypting his communications became an informant. I listened to the book on Audible. The narration is great. It was fascinating to learn about operations to find El Chapo and the financial impact of the drug trade. I lost track of how many girlfriends/wives were part of his orbit. Hunting and tracking him took a lot of resources and must've been frustrating. Analyzing and gathering data seems tedious and difficult, but their efforts worked and El Chapo is still behind bars...for now. The book is full of great stories.
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August 27, 2020
3.5/5 I came into this with very little knowledge of El Chapo (though I do strangely remember the whole Sean Penn thing), so while this book was well-written and extremely interesting, part of me needed a little more background info. This book focused on more recent years, with most of it being about tracking his cell phones, but doesn't leave you really understanding much about who El Chapo really was and what made him into such an influential drug kingpin. All in all, I think this would be a good companion to books that discuss earlier parts of his life as well as his personal relationships, but readers should go into it knowing that it really is quite specific to tracking and monitoring his various technological ways of communicating.
September 5, 2020
As a fan of the "Narcos" tv series and Don Winslow novels, I heard a lot about Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, but this audiobook gave me a whole new perspective and a lot of new, fascinating facts. I had no idea how deeply the US agents managed to penetrate Sinaloa’s cartel communication networks - hearing the content of messages exchanged between the mobster and his family was really uncanny. In addition to much fresh material, Alan Feuer also provides a neat summary of the story of Guzman and the whole narco business in Mexico.
The book is full of details and names, so in the audio version you need to be really focused, but it's worth it.
Thanks to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.
The book is full of details and names, so in the audio version you need to be really focused, but it's worth it.
Thanks to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.
November 22, 2020
Hace unos años sufrí el acoso de unos extorsionadores que por tratarme de robar todo lo que pudieron me amenazaron con lo más querido de todo ser humano: mis hijos. Así es la gente desalmada. Y la ameniza que me hacían era porque representaban al Chapo ¿quien no le tiene miedo al Chapo?
Leyendo el libro “El Jefe: El acecho al Chapo Guzmán” de Alan Feuer aprendí cómo era en realidad el Chapo, como invertía su dinero y como era despiadado con aquellos que lo traicionaban.
¿Y cómo lo atraparon? Por intervenir sus comunicaciones. Aprendí del libro que ninguna comunicación es segura, ni con los “black phones” que se supone se especializan en eso. Así que si crees que por mandar mensajes encriptados en WhatsApp estás seguro, pues no, no lo estás...
Leyendo el libro “El Jefe: El acecho al Chapo Guzmán” de Alan Feuer aprendí cómo era en realidad el Chapo, como invertía su dinero y como era despiadado con aquellos que lo traicionaban.
¿Y cómo lo atraparon? Por intervenir sus comunicaciones. Aprendí del libro que ninguna comunicación es segura, ni con los “black phones” que se supone se especializan en eso. Así que si crees que por mandar mensajes encriptados en WhatsApp estás seguro, pues no, no lo estás...
August 26, 2020
I strayed from my normal book and picked this up. I picked it for two reasons, it was available and my husband had watched something about El Jefe on tv that intrigued me.
This book chronicles the FBI tracking and arresting the drug kingpin.
Opinion
I listened to the audio. The narrator was excellent, adding inflections that I’m not sure I would have picked up on had I read the written word.
The story itself is intriguing. The fact that El Jefe’s use of technology ultimately led to his downfall captivated me. It was a great book.
Many thanks to Net Galley and McMillan Audio for providing me with a copy of this audiobook.
This book chronicles the FBI tracking and arresting the drug kingpin.
Opinion
I listened to the audio. The narrator was excellent, adding inflections that I’m not sure I would have picked up on had I read the written word.
The story itself is intriguing. The fact that El Jefe’s use of technology ultimately led to his downfall captivated me. It was a great book.
Many thanks to Net Galley and McMillan Audio for providing me with a copy of this audiobook.
November 26, 2020
This is a solid book (and solid audiobook narration) about El Chapo. I picked it up because I only had a cursory, headline news level of knowledge about it, and was intrigued. Since I didn't have a lot of previous experience (and it probably didn't help I listened to it over a long course of time), it was hard at times to remember and differentiate the different names of the agents working to track Guzman down, as well as his collaborators. I feel like this would work really well as a documentary, and I especially enjoyed the investigation elements that describe how he was tracked. If you're interested in the cartel or in federal investigations, you'll probably like this.
October 12, 2020
While interesting, I thought that this book jumped around too much - between different people on the law enforcement side, to the point where it was hard to follow who was who; between different locations in Mexico, without a lot of setting-building; between different girlfriends and wives and associates of Guzman, without a lot of character explanation so everyone was just names and surface details. I guess, ultimately, this book was more "telling" than "showing," which didn't make for an engrossing story.
December 17, 2020
Being a fan of "Narcos" and "Narcos-Mexico" this was interesting reading. It would have been even better if it had a wider scope. Centered on Guzman, it's good but, maybe not great. One note: Chapo must be the most recorded/documented criminal in history do to the long running and complete wiretapping of him, his cartel and his family, including girlfriends. This results in an exceptionally well written and in-depth story.
January 10, 2025
He lived. He is just a criminal of the laws of the common man. He changed nothing and now he is in a jail for his crimes. He will reflect on his running a criminal organization that went around the world. Books and T V and movies will continue to prolong his story. May-be the public should stop and continue to dismantle glorifying people such as Guzman. He was and is just a criminal. Later. Keep Reading.
March 30, 2021
This reads like a mystery but actually tells the true story of American law enforcement as it built the case against one of the slipperiest kingpins of Mexico's drug cartels, a man who was tunneled out of a prison and hired telecom consultants to outfit his minions with a nearly untraceable phone network.
February 6, 2022
Very detailed story of how El Chapo was hunted and caught.
It was in the Biography section, but was not a biography per se, although it did contain some details of his life. It was an interesting read about something I knew little about.
I recommend this book if you like true crime, stories about the drug war, or biographies about high profile criminals.
It was in the Biography section, but was not a biography per se, although it did contain some details of his life. It was an interesting read about something I knew little about.
I recommend this book if you like true crime, stories about the drug war, or biographies about high profile criminals.
June 22, 2022
It certainly helps put me put my workplace stress in perspective. However, it was just so dry! It wasn’t really what I expected. You have one of the most interesting topics or people in history, and so much of it is focused on their technology. Which, fair. But I would rather have more of their action.
January 10, 2023
This book was interesting but seemed to be aimed towards an audience already familiar with El Chapo. Coming in to this with no knowledge, I had a hard time connecting the players and hitting the ground running. I was expecting something more akin to Killing Pablo, with details on the manhunt. This was more a detailed timeline of events…
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