Rating: 
Summary: Good, but a bit Holywood
Review: I remember growing up being in my friend's house, who is Colombian, and from the same town Escobar was and hearing him praise him. So I was always curious about how people could worship a drug dealer, especially one so violent. The author did a great job of capturing the feeling Colombians had for Pablo, both negative and positive. But at times he gets a bit too caught up in the hype and adds "holywood" elements, I felt at times he tried to add a sense of drama, the story of Pablo is good on its own, no need to add to it. Good read, and remember Bolivia, Peru, El Salvador and many other coutries contribute to the cocain trade, but man what a violent country Colombia is.
Rating: 
Summary: Killing the Spanish language
Review: As a native Colombian, it has been a horrible experience to listen to Mr. Bowden's Spanish on the CD edition. It is painful. If he felt the need to read his own book, why not invest in learning the correct pronunciation of basic words and names he uses? I have only listened to one CD so far, and am tempted to stop at this point. The level of ignorance in the correct pronunciation of such basic names makes me wonder how accurate his research might be.
Rating: 
Summary: Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw
Review: I feel that the book "Killing Pablo" was very well written with excellent documentation and drama... it really put me on edge and was in awe at the life of Pablo Escobar. there is so much to analyze its like the Assasination of JFK, The frolic of Robin Hood, and life of Al Capone, all in one. I would like to see this on the silver screen. This would make a GREAT MOVIE!!
Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing, but full of holes
Review: This is an interesting text, the first book-length approach to the greatest Colombian criminal in history. As a Colombian, I am impressed by the amount of information of which I was heretofore unaware. If only it were true...In reality the book is full of mistakes, some of which would have been quite easy to detect and fix. These are just a few I found in a quick reading: (1) Simon Bolivar did not try to join Colombia with Peru and Venezuela to form the "Gran Colombia" (p. 16)(the "Gran Colombia" included Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela); (2) The Rojas Pinilla dictatorship did not last five years (p. 18) (it lasted four years:1953-1957); (3) Carlos Lehder and Jose Rodriguez Gacha were not "Antioquia Crime Bosses" (p. 29) (Lehder was from Quindio and Rodriguez was from Cundinamarca); (4) President Alfonso Lopez Michelsen was not a founder of the Liberal Party (p. 62) (the Liberal Party dates back to mid-nineteenth century and thus could not have been founded by President Lopez Michelsen, who is still alive); (5) President Cesar Gaviria Trujillo was never part of Bogota's elite (p. 122) (Gaviria comes from an upper-middle class family in the provincial town of Pereira); (6) Marina Montoya was not a slender woman (p. 127) (Miss Montoya was a heavy-set woman); (7) Father Garcia Herreros was not named Fernando (p. 130) (his name was Gabriel); (8) The "Procuraduria General de la Nacion" is not "a kind of internal-affairs unit for the government" (p. 189) (the Procurador General is a constitutional level state official appointed by Congress and not part of the government); (9) The government owned radio and television station is not called Intravision (it's named Inravision); (10) Natives of Medellin are not called Medellinos (p. 280) (they are called medellinenses or just paisas). The book is full of mistakes in names and dates as well (we do like our names to be properly spelled, if it's not too much trouble), and it relies altogether too much on a self-serving account published by Escobar's cousin, Roberto. The author's lack of familiarity with Colombian history and language is obvious, and pervasive. This makes it a bit hard to trust some of the more sensational revelations. As semi-fiction it's quite fun, though.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book to have
Review: This is book is great, real exciting and interesting. Other great books are kings of cocaine and Blow.
Rating:
Summary: Tightly written and gripping!
Review: If you don't have a lot of free time but like reading well-researched and suspenseful books, this is just the one for you. Mark Bowden has left out the dry and dull information that less-experienced writers often leave in. He has managed to keep only the best - a sure sign of a gifted writer who knows what readers need to know -and who also knows that they don't need a lot of unnecessary padding of the facts. I couldn't put this one down, riveted by the story of Pablo Escobar, his beyond-the-boundaries, risky life and the final conclusion. I don't mean to be vague here but I absolutely HATE it when reviewers give away all the details of a book so I hope this whets your appetite for the rest. Congratulations, Mr. Bowden, for a job well done!
Rating:
Summary: WAW, if your American don't read it you'll feel ashamed !
Review: What a book ! If you are an American please don't read this book you'll feel ashamed of your government. Another american plot to keep power in their hand. This book tells a story of another person who was born in a banana republic and managed to spook the guts out of the quasi American kapitalist society and the Bush administration. Another guy who got to big for the Americans and was treathening their power and their hypocritical visions of what the perfect world had to be like. Did Pablo get to big or was he just the embodyment of the American dream and a bigger capitalist then America could handle read it and think ! A must read ! LOS PEPES !
Rating:
Summary: Compelling Story but not as well-written as "Black Hawk Down
Review: If you've read Bowden's "Black Hawk," you will find this story less action-packed and far more redundant. It is an amazing story of corruption and vigilanties, if you don't know the history. Worth a read for educational purposes.
Rating:
Summary: Nonfiction That Reads Like Fiction
Review: A terrific book -- fast-paced, interesting, funny, and sad. My favorite book of the summer so far.
Rating:
Summary: A great story by a great writer!
Review: Only a gifted writer could thoroughly research this story and distill it down to 300 pages. Escobar is an incredible character, as are the key figures who orchestrated his demise. Pablo's exploits are legendary. From small-time thug to one of the richest people in the world, capable of disrupting the executive and judicial branches of the Government of Columbia. You just have to read about a guy like that! A large cast of characters for sure, but Pablo gets rid of most of them after a page or two! Another well-crafted story by Mark Bowden,documenting the U.S involvement in the hunt for Pablo. Does the end justify the means? You decide.
| 
