Review: The Cartel Crusher (Last Enemy Series Book 2) by Dan E. Hendrickson

Betrayal, revenge and personal sacrifice are the driving forces behind The Cartel Crusher, the second installment in the Last Enemy thriller series by Dan E. Hendrickson.

Teenager Marnia Gonzalez’s pampered princess lifestyle comes to an end during a two-day cruise to the Cayman Islands in celebration of her birthday. As the eldest daughter of the residing Mexican president, Marnia is saved from being raped by a ruthless killer who, along with several cohorts, have taken over their ship. Commander Jacob Edward of the U.S. Coast Guard single-handedly kills the monster – but only after he’s raped several of Marnia’s friends and killed two of them.

The horrifying experience drastically changes the course of Marnia’s life. Graduating at the top of her class, she embarks on a military career, soon heading up the newly-formed Anti-Cartel task force. Marnia’s first assignment is to take down the child pornography rings rampant in Mexico City – all of which are run by the cartels. She quickly gains notoriety after a very public rescue of some young children with the help of a brothel madam, becoming a force for the cartels to reckon with after aligning herself with the handsome son of one of the cartel bosses. The cartels plan to have Marnia eliminated but unexpected interference in cartel business by Marnia’s mother results in her ruthless rape and execution, along with Marnia’s two younger sisters. Suddenly, destroying the cartels becomes very personal for Marnia…

Hendrickson has crafted an intriguing story of power and corruption in The Cartel Crusher, where families are manipulated and controlled by greed and money. In the middle of this vast jungle of corruption is Hendrickson’s compelling main protagonist, Marnia Gonzalez. Idealistic and honest, she believes in the greater good and is willing to stop at nothing in order to achieve her vendetta against the cartels. What also makes the story so interesting is Marnia’s cartel connection through her mother’s family. Hendrickson gathers the various parts of his story and knits them together into one cohesive package. A story such as this has its share of violence and blood, but they complement the story rather than overtake it.

As with the first book in the series, Hendrickson has taken the road less traveled, writing the story in present tense, rather than in the more conventional past tense, and this becomes somewhat confusing when he switches to past tense to add backstory to his narrative. There are also a few shifting points of view which distract from the narrative, but thanks to a great story, readers will quickly look beyond these distractions in order to find out what happens next. As with the first book in the series, the cover is the main stumbling block, which is better than Book 1, but is still cartoon-like and does little to convey the essence of the story or its genre.

These issues aside, The Cartel Crusher delivers a great story that is sure to satisfy fans of the thriller genre.