Queen of the South - Softcover

Perez-Reverte, Arturo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0452286549 ISBN 13: 9780452286542

Publisher: Plume Books, 2005

Synopsis

The Queen of the South Set to the irresistible beat of outlaw ballads, this sweeping story encompasses sensuality and cruelty, love and betrayal as its heroine's story unfolds. It spans continents from the dusty streets of Mexico to the sparkling waters off the coast of Morocco, to the Strait of Gibraltar and Spain. Full description

About this title

Review:

The Queen of the South is the latest in an impressive line of quite mesmerising novels by Arturo Perez-Reverte in which he has refined and enriched a narrative tradition stretching back to his great forbears of the past. In books such as The Fencing Master and The Dumas Club, the author demonstrates that he is a master of finely-honed storytelling techniques, impatient with the thin gruel we are so often served up today, and eager to cram his books with the kind of fastidious detail and exuberant plotting that was once the norm. The latest book has all the panache of its predecessors, with a new ambition--apart from the trials of his beleaguered heroine, we are given the intriguing insights of her mysterious biographer.

Güero Dávila and his lover, the initially docile Teresa Mendoza, are caught up in the drug smuggling activities of the ruthless Mexican cartels. But when Dávila tries to play both ends against the middle, he ends up dead--and Teresa finds herself on the run, in mortal fear for her life. In Spain's sultry and dangerous city of Melilla, she encounters another man engaged in the drugs trade, the dispassionate Galicain Santiago Fisterta. He draws her into his activities, and Teresa is soon involved in the hashish trade. But her destiny is not to be the ugly, meaningless death of Dávila; she is a woman who will achieve a remarkable reputation--if she can stay alive.

It isn't just the impeccable scene-setting of this dangerous Latin world that makes The Queen of the South such an impressive read; it's also the perfectly judged dialogue (of which there is a great deal)--Perez-Reverte is a master of idiom, and everything here rings true. The compelling central narrative of Teresa is set against the perceptions of her anonymous narrator, and the result is a fascinating mélange; over-ornate, perhaps, but always utterly involving. --Barry Forshaw

Review:

Praise for The Queen of the South

"John Le Carre meets Gabriel Garcia Marquez...Pérez-Reverte has a huge following...and it's spreading."--The Wall Street Journal

"A modern-day epic...bearing the unmistakable ring of authenticity and a slam-bang narrative sure to resonate with legions of appreciative readers...All the core elements, after all, are here: love, violence, betrayal and honor."--Los Angeles Times

"The Da Vinci Code and The Rule of Four...pale in comparison with Pérez-Reverte novels...Pérez-Reverte shines in some white-knuckles action sequences...but his greatest triumph is [his] heroine."--Time Out New York

"Pérez-Reverte's literary thriller explodes with history, heartbreak [and] determination...An epic suspense story of heart and grit."--Entertainment Weekly (Editor's Choice)

"The hand of a master is apparent even in the novel's opening line...This sweeping tale of drug-running and intrigue...is an engrossing yet literary tale of an embattled heroine on the run for her life."--Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"A heart-stopping narrative...It's a rare novelist who can create a literary page-turner. Pérez-Reverte is one of those rarities."--The Denver Post

About this edition

• Publisher: Plume Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0452286549
• ISBN 13: 9780452286542
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 464