It’s been a while since we’ve recommended some good thrillers. Here are 5 thriller reads to enjoy this June 2020.
Thrillers about drugs and thugs remain relevant today. All over the world governments are still waging wars against syndicates and drug cartels. Thrillers about drugs, crime, and syndicates also educate us about the realities and horrors of the crime world. They open our eyes to what mostly transpires behind the news, the killings, and the war being waged. Of course, these novels also provide us with exciting, fast-paced entertainment. Above all, they provide us with heroes, inspirations, and hope that good will always triumph against evil. Here are five thrillers about drugs and thugs worth reading this month of June.
The Border by Don Winslow
One of the latest thrillers from Don Winslow, The Border follows the story of Art Keller, a DEA veteran who has been at the frontlines of America’s War on Drugs. For over forty years, he has worked so hard to bring down the world’s most powerful drug syndicate- the Sinaloa Cartel headed by Adán Barrera. Elevated to the highest ranks of the DEA, Keller finds out that his enemy is not only the drug cartel but also the politicians in bed with the very syndicate he is trying to destroy. No Boarder is a crime thriller that will take readers from the deserts of Mexico to the slums of Guatemala to the corporate buildings of Wall Street and Washington D.C. No Boarder is filled with violence, vengeance, cunning corruption, and justice.
Jungle Rules by Paul Shemella
Jungle Rules is book one of the Jungle Rules trilogy. It was published in May 2018. In this book, we are introduced to Carl Malinowski. Malinowski is a veteran mercenary who plans to retire to a more quiet life soon. His last mission involves kidnapping Colombia’s most notorious drug lord. The mission leads to a series of events that will push Carl to choose what is right. Aside from the Cartel, Carl also finds out that his own government is after him. With little choice, Carl and his men must return to the jungle and rescue a hostage, before he can save himself and live a life that he has been dreaming- a life of serenity with his girlfriend Gabriele. Jungles Rules is a thriller about drugs and thugs. It has two sequels- A More Perfect Union, and The Dictator’s Revenge.
American Kingpin by Nick Bilton
American Kingpin is a 2017 crime thriller by Nick Bilton. It features the unbelievable true story of Ross Ulbright, the 26-year old programmer who built a billion-dollar drug empire and almost got away with it. In 2011, Ulbricht Silk Road, a clandestine website where anyone could trade almost anything, from drugs, forged documents, counterfeit cash, hacking software, and other illegal stuff. For two years, the federal government pursued Silk Road’s elusive proprietor. During this time, Silk Road already grew into a billion-dollar enterprise. American Kingpin is a thriller read about the evolution of crime and the rise of an unlikely kingpin.
The Infiltrator by Robert Mazur
Before his daring bust on Pablo Escobar’s money-laundering organization was made into a film in 2016, Mazur published The Infiltrator in 2009. In his book, Mazur detailed the years he spent as an undercover agent infiltrating the Medellin Cartel. Mazur posed Bob Musella, a high-level money launderer befriending some of the world’s most powerful and corrupt bankers and businessmen. For years, the mob and the cartel knew him as a wealthy, mob-connected big shot who love to party and make more money. But under Mazur’s Armani suits and in his Renwick briefcase, recorders whirred silently, capturing the damning evidence of their crimes. The Infiltrator is an intense read filled with gruesome murders, dangerous lies, near misses, and escapes. One of the greatest non-fiction thrillers published in recent years.
The Black Ice by Michael Connelly
Published in 1993, Black Ice is Michael Connely’s second novel. It follows a Los Angeles detective named Harry Bosch. The story begins with narcotics officer Calexico Moore. Moore is found dead on a Christmas Night inside a Hollywood motel. The initial investigation reported suicide. It was also rumored that Moore was involved in the selling of a new drug called “Black Ice”. Bosch joins the investigation that leads him to across the border where Mexican drug gangs are operating. As Bosch digs deeper into the case, he also develops a bond with Calexico’s widow. Bosch might be an LAPD veteran but the game he is playing is a complex one. Black Ice is for those who love fast-paced detective stories.