Rating: 
Summary: Keeps you in the chase!
Review: The hunt and eventual "capture" of the world's greatest outlaw would necessarily make for some great reading, and this book did not disappoint. I have no doubt that Mark Bowden had meant for this to be an exciting and quick read, and that was exactly what I was looking for.Keep in mind that this operation involved many different agencies from different countries, and spanned years. There were innumerable failures and frustrations, and many of those years were without any sort of mentionable progress at all. Somehow, Mr. Bowden has managed to piece together the most exciting highlights of this chase and made it into a coherent and high-adrenaline account that reads like a thrilling novel. The only people who would be disappointed with this book are those who are looking for research material and minute historical details. I appreciated the fact that Mr. Bowden tells the story from both the Colombian and American agencies involved in the hunt, for both parties were just as crucial as the other in its eventual success. If this book had been written by one of the American Delta Force or CIA members involved in this operation, it would probably have lacked the fairness in giving credit to the Colombian efforts. Sometimes it takes an outsider to give a better overall picture. This is going to be a quick and entertaining read. Having read this as well as "Black Hawk Down", I can't wait to see what topic Mr. Bowden decides to tackle next!
Rating: 
Summary: Just Ok
Review: Bowden's 1999 book, "Black Hawk Down", was a brilliant account of the battle in Somalia that killed eighteen American soldiers. He followed that book with this one, the story of the hunt for mega-narco-trafficker Pablo Escobar. "Killing Pablo" fails to measure up to the previous book. Pablo Escobar was the leader of Colombia's Medellin drug cartel, brutal and uncultured, he was responsible for literally thousands of murders including senior Colombian politicians, judges, and hundreds of police officers. He ordered a commercial airliner blown out of the air and an armed assault on the Supreme Court. There was no crime he would not commit. Bowden's book tracks his rise to power, his casual and ham-fisted use of violence and terror, even where more subtle means would have been more effective, and his bloody demise. The problem is, at bottom, Escobar is a scuzzy little murdering drug pusher. He's not an interesting man, and after just a few pages the awful spectacle of his cocaine empire begins to seem squalid and boring. Bowden does a fair job of putting the reader in Medellin during the final hunt for Escobar in 1993, when a vigilante group called "Los Pepes", perhaps supported by the U.S. slaughtered hundreds of Escobar's people. We see Colombian police and U.S. officials track Escobar to his final hideout. But there is none of the minute-to-minute drama of "Black Hawk Down" that grabbed the reader by the throat. This is just a story of a police operation, larger than most, but ultimately it's about cops and criminals, diverting but not particularly interesting or enlightening.
Rating:
Summary: Muslims, Christians, World Unite
Review: This is not up to the stuff of "Black Hawk Down" yet it is a compelling read. Had it been published after 911 there would obviously be references to the terror network now threatening the world and the "hard ball" required to take down the terrorists who have "hijacked" Islam to pursue thier evil pursuits, just as Escobar hid behind the pretense of helping the poor and terrorized a nation. Hats off to Bowden. From the land of the rising sun and a survivor of the Aum terror........(Tokyo, Japan)
Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't put it down.
Review: I read Killing Pablo in a few hours during a sick day from work. It's a thrilling read that's quite pertinent to our times. I suspect that Bowden wrote Killing Pablo with the assumption that someone would make it a film (like Black Hawk Down), which I think damages some of the integrity of his research. Still, it is engrossing.
Rating:
Summary: Past is present
Review: I agree with the review that made the analogy between the events in this book and our present state of the world. As we get further away from Sept. 11, 2001, some of the similarities between the "War on Drugs" and the "War on Terrorism" are downright frightening. However, Bin Laden's a great deal more culpable and vile than the "Robin Hood"/Tony Montana-esque character that Bowden makes Escobar seem. The stakes are clearly higher now than what's set forth in this book.
This book and Bowden's excellent predecessor (and equally relevant) "Black Hawk Down" are required reading for a better understanding of where we may be going, and how we're going to get there.
Rating:
Summary: Remarkable insight on the US involvement in the manhunt
Review: This book covers an amazing number of facts and details that were unknown to any civilian that had closely followed the manhunt for Escobar. The level of US involvement will be surprising to the people in Colombia, and even in the US.
It was a great read throughout. The factual dissolves into the hypothetical after "the kill", and it would be interesting to someday know who killed Pablo
Rating:
Summary: Killing Pablo and Sleeping Giants
Review: Since Sept 11, 2001 "Killing Pablo" is of more than historical interest. President Bush, Colin Powell and Dick Cheney are mentioned in a battle against a rich locally powerful drug lord. When the US decides that Pablo Escobar in a threat to the US and to Civilization the hunt is on. Mark Bowman's writes this true tale like a modern thriller, but recent events have made this book riveting. "These two atrocities would prove to be fatal miskakes. They made Pablo enemies who were far mor powerful than any he had faced before. Downing a comercial airliner was an attack on global civilization. It meant Pablo now posed a direct threat to American citizens, which meant...that some in the Bush Administration believed he could be legally targeted for assasination.... The Avianca bombing made him public enemy number one in the world." The book tells the tale of the hunt for Pablo in detail and it is not a pretty sight, but it is a tale worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: The Bin Laden of Columbia
Review: If anyone is curious about how they will track down Bin Laden, read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Book
Review: Mark Bowden has done it again. I loved Black Hawk Down and he follows up with this great book. He does a great job with referencing his facts and this book is hard to put down. It must be his journalism background. Like previous books, his decriptions allowed me to visualize the action. If you like Blak Hawk, you'll like Killing Pablo as well. What was most interesting to me was the United States' role in actually killing Pablo. (I think his facts speak for themselves). This is a "must buy".
Rating:
Summary: Death of a Smuggler
Review: As a mystery writer with my debut novel in its initial release, I enjoy nonfiction works that read like great novels. Mark Bowden's KILLING PABLO is one such book. KILLING PABLO tells the tale of Pablo Escober. Pablo (Mr. Bowden's calls Escober by his first name throughout the book) began as a petty thief and reached the top of his chosen profession. He owned fleets of ships and planes. He had a loyal personal army. He controlled the drug trade for more than a short while. Bowden discusses Pablo's rise and then shows us his fall. KILLING PABLO is a great read. You will enjoy it.
| 
