Rogue DEA Agents, Sicarios, and Zetas... Oh, My

Make Them Cry - Smith Henderson and Jon Marc Smith

If you like your protagonists flawed, then Make Them Cry is gonna be right up your alley. With the possible exception of a couple of innocent bystanders (who might not be all that innocent after all), not one character in this novel has more redeeming qualities than flaws. That negative balance definitely includes Diane Harbaugh, grifter’s daughter turned ASUA turned DEA agent; a woman with a penchant for playing fast and loose with whatever rules get in her way. It’s that penchant that already has her in hot water with her agency when she goes rogue in an attempt to bring in a cartel lieutenant in the Mexican coastal town of Tampico. Ultimately, she finds herself pitted against a sicario whose hobby is reading sword-and-sorcery fantasy and somehow in debt to Carver, a sexy ex-CIA agent who’s also gone rogue in his own way.

Everything quickly goes blood-soaked, as cartel dealings tend to do; and Harbaugh finds that her career as a DEA agent is in jeopardy… but there’s a light in the tunnel, so to speak. Stay tuned for more thrills from Harbaugh and her new comrades.

The first novel from Smith Henderson and Jon Marc Smith, Make Them Cry is most assuredly a 21st-century thriller. Just like so-called reality TV, everyone’s a villain at heart and trust is in short supply. There are other modern touches as well: like many modern novels (and movies) back-story is also in short supply. For most of the book I thought I’d been dropped into the middle of a series; the references to past shenanigans and characters were so liberally sprinkled through the plot. Your mileage may differ.
If you don’t mind some intense action – a chase scene with Harbaugh fleeing a pack of Zetas in a Kia compact will keep you on the edge of your seat – and if you don’t mind characters whose moral code is a little slippery, this one belongs on your shelf. Keep your Spanish translation app on hand and make certain the slang is up to date, and you’ll be fine.

Oh, and while you’re in there? watch for the shout out to Pancho and Lefty…

This book was provided as a galley proof by NetGalley in return for my honest review.

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