In an era before the infamous drug cartels cast their ominous shadow, Santa Marta, a picturesque Colombian coastal town, flourished as a haven of natural beauty. It beckoned to visitors and adventurers from across the Caribbean, drawing them with its splendid allure. Cruise ships and steamboats graced its shores, fostering an idyllic haven. This was the world that Miguel Angel had envisioned growing up in, until an incident of police brutality and the tragic demise of a young British backpacker, his newfound friend, shattered the tranquillity that once defined his existence.

Within the vortex of state-sanctioned persecution marked by brutality and aggression, a resolute single mother embarks on a Herculean quest. Her unwavering resolve is channelled into shielding her son from the relentless horrors of life on the run. Her relentless pursuit of truth and justice propels her into a treacherous clash with the Establishment—a confrontation that will reverberate as a harbinger of disastrous consequences for an entire nation's future.

The true-crime genre has ignited a global frenzy, and this book stands as a quintessential embodiment of its narrative essence. Venturing into uncharted territory, I plunged deep into a subject hitherto unfamiliar to me, and in its wake, my curiosity was kindled, driving me to delve further into its intricacies. The prospect of its adaptation for the screen by a platform like Netflix is undeniably tantalizing.

While the eBook captivates, the avenue for refinement and enhanced user-friendliness is evident. The inclusion of navigational chapter links, the mitigation of conspicuous word gaps, and the incorporation of a compelling cover design would transform the eBook from its current document-like format into a truly immersive literary experience. Given this, a modest deduction from my rating seems warranted.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this true story about the author and his mother. It’s an interesting story and I appreciate that the author was able to put it into a book to share with the rest of the world. The writing was not amazing, but the story itself was, so I gave it 4 stars.

I don't really know where to start with this book. It feels almost wrong to rate it and try to summarise/feedback on it for a few reasons.

First off, Miguel is an excellent writer. He painted vivid scenes of his young life and the scrambled moving from place to place with his mother probably only touches what it was actually like. There were some bits that had been repeated, for example the detail on the cells lacking electricity and water. I think that was said two or three times. And the taxis as income: 'a small fleet of four yellow taxis that she ran to supplement her income'; 'a small fleet of vehicles that mother ran as a business and with which she supplemented her income.' Not a huge deal but I did stop a couple times and have to check if I'd read that part before. I'll admit I was also confused when Carmen confronted Carrasco (side note - the absolute brass she had for this was top), she asked about Julian Daniel Andrade. The two people with the name Andrade are Matilde and Diego Alberto Jesus Andrade. So who was Julian?

Minor things in an otherwise emotional story.

The book largely is from Miguel's POV and fills in the blanks with Carmen's experiences, highlighting the incredible person who raised him. There were a few moments when it swapped between Carmen's story and Miguel's which took me a second to realise then follow more clearly.

I think for most of us, when we think of Colombia, we think of cartels, Narcos and the big names/events that Netflix has dramatised further. This is like a glimpse of the lives uprooted before the events we know began. I wish we knew what happened after the last update from the reporter about Natalia, and my heart breaks for Georgiana, whatever her name was. There's so much more I could say but it would spoil the story, which also feels weird to say because this is a true story, this happened. How can you spoil what happened?

Anyway, it's a short book, it's well written. It is a story you won't want to believe happened and meanwhile, you'll know this is only a glimpse of what went on.