Review - Colombiano by Rusty Young
By Carmen, 7 December 2019
My Copy of the Book
Year Published: 2019
Genre: Contemporary; War; Crime
Blurb:
All Pedro Gutiérrez cares about is fishing, playing pool and his girlfriend Camila’s promise to sleep with him on his sixteenth birthday. But his life is ripped apart when Guerrilla soldiers callously execute his father in front of him, and he and his mother are banished from their farm.
Swearing vengeance against the five men responsible, Pedro, with his best friend, Palillo, joins an illegal Paramilitary group, where he is trained to fight, kill and crush any sign of weakness.
But as he descends into a world of unspeakable violence, Pedro must decide how far he is willing to go. Can he stop himself before he becomes just as ruthless as those he is hunting? Or will his dark obsession cost him all he loves?
About the Author:
Rusty Young is the author of the international bestsellers MARCHING POWDER and COLOMBIANO. Voted by his colleagues at law school as "the most likely to end up in prison", he spent 4 months voluntarily living in Bolivia's San Pedro Prison to research his first book, MARCHING POWDER, written with Tanzanian-born UK inmate, Thomas McFadden. MARCHING POWDER is due to be made into a major Hollywood film.
Rusty then moved to Colombia for 7 years, working in counter-terrorism for the US government, driving a bulletproof car and assisting in anti-kidnapping efforts. His interviews with child soldiers from the FARC and Paramilitaries formed the basis of his next book, COLOMBIANO.
He recently interviewed various "legends" of the drug trade, including George Jung (played by Johnny Depp in "Blow") and Pablo Escobar's chief assassin, for the award-winning documentary WILDLANDS, directed by Colin Offhand.
Buy the Book:
Amazon: Amazon Purchase Link
My Take on the Book:
I expected this to be an intense and moving book – but not in the way that it actually happened.
It’s amazing what chaos and hunger for power war can sometimes create – I feel that Pedro Gutierrez focuses too much on revenge; though in his situation – it isn’t surprising.
One thing that was done REALLY well in this book – was the vague foreshadowing; the sort that puts a person on edge and keeps them reading. There was a lot of suspense and tension as well – there were a few intense things that happened in this book.
If you’re one of those who enjoys civil war stories – of the sort where characters are involved in moral dilemmas, decisions and intense moments – then this is a good book to pick up.
I ended up giving this book a four star rating and got a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Last Word:
Since this is the first time that I’ve read a book by this author – I was really impressed; and am hoping to read more in the future.
Enjoy,
Carmen