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I read this book because my students were so into the series, but I had to force myself to finish it. Reading it made me anxious and a little bit upset.

The story deals with the struggle for power between fictional modern-day crime families. There is non-stop action between what I would call the action scenes (bullets fly), the sex scenes (graphic), and the money scenes ("Carter stood up smoothly and put his hands in his $400 Armani slacks.") Ultimately, I think the reason I had such a strong reaction to this book wasn't the sex or the violence, but the storytelling. I don't see the artistry in the writing, maybe there is something I don't understand, and as a result, the book is a surprisingly painful read. The world is governed by the iron-fast rules of family loyalty and the pursuit of opulent wealth. There is little to question, and little to invest in emotionally or intellectually. Basically a non-stop series of revenge killings and power grabs, to me this book never stopped to consider the question, "Why?"

Reading this book has raised for me the question of how far I can willingly extend my sympathy in the realm of literature, and I am going to make it a point to read more books in this genre in the future, although right now that resolution is looking a lot more like homework than it did before I started "The Cartel." What constitutes quality? I am going to think about what I can be enthusiastic here. And in the meantime, I'm actually looking forward to going back and reading canonical fiction. Perhaps this last revelation will be my cloud's silver lining?

I tried not to be two-faced here, that is, to write a review that I wouldn't mind my own students reading. It would make an excellent study in the use of plot in literature, I guess. And I think that any book that can get my students interested in reading is probably a good thing. After reading this book, I am going to have to seriously reconsider my presumed open-mindedness as a reader.