Ghosts of Guatemala

When an author's mother asks you to read her son's book, there's nothing you can do, but read it. Ghosts of Guatemala by Collin Glavac brings three Cs together: cartels, corruption and the CIA. Although the book is definitely not a cozy mystery, his mother said I should read it, and I did. 

Central America has always been a hot spot for CIA activity and even though they aren't as active, there are still issues. Guatemalan drug cartel boss Sandor Puentes has been murdered in Antigua and his brother Pablo has taken over as boss. In a truly Hamlet moment, Pablo marries Sandor's wife Isabella and wants Juan, Sandor's son, to call him father.  

Pablo has money, lots of money but he wants something more. He wants to be invincible and he believes he has information worthy of blackmail. Juan wants no part of it. but when he listens in on a shadowy phone call, he becomes more focused. 

The voice says he knows Pablo is the boss of one of the most illicit cartels in Latin America, involved in money laundering. sex trafficking and cocaine. He also says he knows Pablo killed his brother Sander. He claims to know everything there is to know because, the voice says, we are the Central Intelligence Agency, and they plan to destroy him.

Pablo scoffs at this and says he has a "kill switch" that would prevent the CIA from acting against him. If anything happens to him, the information will be sent to journalists. 

Enter CIA operative John Carpenter. His friend and CIA operative Brian was also killed when Sandor was murdered. John needs to get to the bottom of the killings and try to defuse Pablo's "kill switch," but is unsure who he can trust back at the CIA and on the ground in Guatemala. 

I'm glad I walked the streets of Antigua, Guatemala, before I read this book, otherwise I would have been terrified. A tense drama with plenty of action and when an author's mother tells you to read her son's book, you do.