Interesting take on the gangster novel by the acclaimed Spanish author. Teresa Mendoza is a dozy, young, Mexican, drugrunner's mot who gets caught up in a revenge killing spree and has to plead for her life with Don Epifanio Vargas, the local narco boss. He allows her to flee to Spain, where she takes up with a Spanish version of the same bloke and lightening strikes twice. (This is all on the back of the book btw - no spoilers intended).
A stint in prison sharing with the intriguing Patricia O'Farrell (the Marbella O'Farrell's, don't you know) sets up the path which Teresa will follow to her destiny .......
Although this was a good story, with a believeable anti-heroine and a reasonable pace, this is nowhere near as good as Reverte's The Fencing Master.
It's almost 450 pages long, in the big airport size, and there's far too many lovingly described scenes of Teresa sitting alone with a bottle of tequila and a spliff, thinking about the men she's loved and lost. Pinche!
The narrator technique used to move the story forward is a little contrived and the Patricia O'Farrell character is completely OTT.
Having said that, it's worth a read. After you've read The Fencing Master.
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