Tremendous Story of Ordinary Men Thrust in Extraordinary Circumstances

Pablo Escobar was no Robin Hood — although the English outlaw’s last name is apt. While Escobar did build civic projects, clinics, and sports fields for his hometown of Medellin, he also murdered thousands of its citizens, including more than 500 police officers. Escobar’s hitmen, called “sicarios,” conducted a murderous campaign across the country. They assassinated a presidential candidate, journalists, and judges. They bombed a civilian airliner and supported an attack on the Palace of Justice that led to the kidnapping and ultimate killing of the Supreme Court Justices. 

During his heyday, Escobar and the Medellin cartel were pushing an estimated 70-80 tons of cocaine into the U.S. every month. 

Before we get to the book review, we encourage all our readers to check out our upcoming podcast with the authors of the book Steve Murphy and Javier Pena who lived through its events. The duo were DEA agents who were stationed in Colombia and were assigned to take down Escobar and the Medellin cartel.