The Cartel Crusher

Reviews

The Cartel Crusher by Dan E Hendrickson is an action-packed crime novel with unusually captivating characters. Marnia Gonzalez, the oldest daughter of one of the most respected Mexican presidents, decides to choose a different path from pursuing politics when she is rescued from a rapist and drug lord, Dominik Thrace. She finds a role model in the man who rescues her, Commander Jacob Edwards of the U.S. Coast Guard. She goes to the military academy and, in spite of the fact that she is a woman, she graduates, determined to fight crime in her country. Her focus is on the cartels, which she takes down one after the other. But in the final showdown, the cartels agree to work together to take her out. Does she have what it takes to beat the largest cartel in Mexico?

Dan E Hendrickson is a great storyteller and I enjoyed the prose, the wonderful world building and character development. The novel starts with a dramatic event — the attempted rape. In the moment that Marnia almost gets raped and is rescued, she understands that life can be infinitely fragile. It’s a turning point for her and I enjoyed her journey of transforming herself into a weapon against organized crime. It is also interesting that the protagonist is female and that she operates in a world where men rule. The prose is excellently done, with great dialogues and scenes that are focused. The Cartel Crusher is one of those books readers want to see on screen, pulsating and utterly gripping.

Christian Sia

Readers’ Favorite

The Cartel Crusher by Dan E Hendrickson is a fascinating tale of the fight against crime spearheaded by an unusual woman. She could have settled for a comfortable life in the country’s elite circle, but the daughter of a reputable president decides to embrace the life of the military and fight the cartels after Commander Jacob Edwards of the U.S. Coast Guard rescues her from a rapist. She believes her hero has given her a purpose to live — to destroy the cartels. And she has what it takes to bring the cartels to their knees ... until the cartels decide to team up against her. Now, does Marnia Gonzalez have what it takes to bring down the most powerful and ruthless cartel in Mexico?

This is a novel with a great setting, a world of crime akin to Narcos, but then a heroine is born from very unusual circumstances and takes the war right into the enemy’s camp. The elements of the setting come out beautifully in the narrative, right from the first chapter with the birthday celebrations in the Caribbean to the very heart of crime in Mexico City. Dan E Hendrickson knows how to craft scenes with focus and he injects a deep sense of humanity and realism into the writing. I rooted for the protagonist and enjoyed the way she is developed. The reader will appreciate the transformation in Marnia and the source of her inspiration. The conflict isn’t a simple one and it is developed with a lot of cunning, and the way the author builds up the tension is terrific. The Cartel Crusher is gripping, an action-packed story with an explosive denouement.

Divine Zape

Readers’ Favorite

Marnia Gonzalez is the daughter of the ex-President of Mexico. After she is kidnapped and brutally assaulted by cartel criminals and rescued by the legendary Hero of Cozumel, Commander Jacob Edwards of the U.S. Coast Guard, Marnia makes a decision that will change her life and those of all the people she loves. In The Cartel Crusher by Dan E Hendrickson, Marnia eschews her pampered and privileged lifestyle to serve in the Mexican military, and to risk her life chasing down and destroying the criminal cartels that ruin the lives of everyday Mexicans and have their tentacles in every level of Mexican society. Marnia joins the Anti-Cartel Task Force and is soon recognised for her intelligence and her ability to defeat the most cunning of cartel leaders. The beautiful, yet deadly Marnia is the number one target of the criminals at home in Mexico, but even more so by the absolute elite of criminals who form part of a secret society that rules the world. Her life and her family’s lives are in danger, but she is determined to end the cartels’ relentless power and hold over her people.

One of the real pleasures of being an “indie” book reviewer is being able to watch new and exciting authors emerge and develop as they hone their craft and tighten their narratives. The Cartel Crusher by Dan E Hendrickson is the second book in this series and, having read the first effort, I am thrilled and stunned by the development of this author over the two books. This book is an out and out thriller, with a touch of sweet romance thrown into the mix. I found it “un-put-downable” and read it in virtually a single sitting. Many of the characters I met in the first book reappear, albeit briefly, in this story, but it stands perfectly well as a stand-alone novel in its own right. The author does a magnificent job at refreshing the backstory for those of us who read the first book and introducing it to new readers. The author’s sentence structure and plot coherency have improved markedly between books and he deserves real credit for this. This second book left me intrigued and dying to know where the series will lead us in the third book of the trilogy. If you love action/adventure with real life relevance then you will love The Cartel Crusher – I certainly did.

Grant Leishman

Readers’ Favorite

The Cartel Crusher by Dan E. Hendrickson is the second book in The Last Enemy series and takes readers to Mexico where they are introduced to Marnia Gonzalez, the oldest of the three daughters of the Mexican President Tomar Gonzalez, who ends up being one of the most powerful women in politics. Dominik Thrace is considered to be the most lethal man alive and he molests Marnia when she is on her birthday cruise with her entourage of friends, all belonging to the richest and most powerful families of Latin America. She is saved when U.S. Coast Commander Jacob Edwards foils the pirate attack on the vessel. The downfall of the Jamaican pirate catapults Jacob Edwards to the position of the Hero of Cozumel throughout Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean from that day on. The horror Marnia endured that day changes her perspective on life forever. She does not want to just lead a life of privilege and luxury as the wealthy high society daughter of the President of Mexico. Marnia graduates at the top of her class from the Heroic Military Academy of Mexico and asserts her position as a natural leader and talented military strategist. She feels that is the only way to handle corrupt military officials and the bloodsucking cartels. Two years later, Marnia gets her first assignment as an Anti-Cartel Task Force Field Officer. Will she be able to bring down the biggest cartels of Mexico?

The story will keep readers on the edge of their seats as Marnia goes from strength to strength in trying to bring down the cartels. She rises to fame in Mexico and Central America by rescuing thirteen children from a human trafficking sex slave syndicate owned by the notorious Santiago Cartel. All the cartels want her out of the scene. The story has a lot of action and the author’s fluidity in expressing and narrating the details not only makes it vivid, but also gives a good pace and movement to the plot. There is not a moment of boredom while reading this book and readers will have a sense of urgency to discover the next scene. I like the portrayal of the characters; all of them leave an impact with their personalities and the action as the plot progresses. The way the author has knitted in terror, action, the cartels of Mexico, and the romantic angle with Jonathan masterfully. The open ending sets the scene for the next book and I cannot wait to read it.

Mamta Madhavan

Readers’ Favorite

In The Cartel Crusher (The Last Enemy Series Book 2) by Dan E Hendrickson, as the daughter of one of Mexico’s presidents, Marnia Gonzalez’s life was all set for her to become a powerful political figure, but that life plan went out the window when the Hero of Cozumel rescued her from being raped and murdered. The Hero of Cozumel's actions inspired Marnia to fight back with actions instead of words against those that would commit such evil acts. Marnia quickly grows into the woman who becomes known as the Cartel Crusher, but her renown has led to the drug cartels being willing to work together to end her. Does Marnia have what it takes to survive against all the odds and come out on top?

The Cartel Crusher (The Last Enemy Series Book 2) by Dan E Hendrickson is an action adventure tale that would appeal most to a mixed audience of young adults and adults who enjoyed reading the first book in the series - The Good Fight - as well as those who enjoy strong female protagonists. The Cartel Crusher is a very well written story that kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page until the last. This is not one of those slow paced books that would reel me in over time, but is a fast paced thriller that grabbed me tight and refused to let go. I quickly found Marnia Gonzalez to be my favorite character with how she managed to turn herself into a person that could be both a hero and an inspiration to others. I liked the fact that this book is capable of being read as a standalone novel, though I definitely plan to read the first book in the future!

Sefina Hawke

Readers’ Favorite

“Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.” This famous quote from Marilyn Monroe was very much applicable in the life of Marnia Gonzalez, the only daughter of Mexican President Tomar Gonzales and his wife, Seῆora Allison Guerra-Gonzales, who belonged to one of the most powerful families in Mexico. Despite the fame and power offered by the prestigious and influential life of her parents, Marnia decided that her personal choice of footwear was combat shoes. Back in her teenage years, her birthday party was ambushed by a ruthless and violent pirate, Dominik Thrace, and two of her friends died from this incident. As she was supposed to be raped and killed by the brutal animal, she was saved by US Coast Guard Commander Jacob Edwards. Right there and then, Marnia decided that she would follow the steps of her hero and be part of the military. As she made her way into the military, she joined an Anti-Cartel Taskforce and stood up with her name of being the first-ever "Cartel Crusher". With burning passion, strong will, and unprecedented skills, she discovered horrible truths and faced cruel battles with enemies bigger than what she expected.

I was always a fan of stories that highlight strong female characters, and this novel exceeded my expectations. It was very refreshing and inspiring to see a female character who was not just a damsel in distress but a soldier with her own gun, respected by her own team and fighting not just minor battles but bigger wars that were usually led by men. It had the right amount of action, suspense, romance, and even drama. When I noticed that Dan dedicated this book to his daughter as his main inspiration, I knew then that the novel would also offer touching lessons about the love and support of family and how these, or the lack of it, could affect someone’s motivation and direction in life.

I mostly loved parts of the book where Marnia actually showed a certain level of vulnerability when the people dear to her were at stake. With the previous books that I read, I became frustrated that with the intent of building a strong character, authors usually failed to bring out the right emotions for them. Fortunately, these scenes made her character more realistic for me. Her tears actually made her stronger and more “human” at the same time.

I could say that this book was definitely one of the most thrilling action-novel that I read. The fight scenes were greatly narrated to build exciting and curious feeling among readers. It was very evident that Dan Hendrickson knew his craft well, and he was able to make the whole story convincing and realistic. Even the romantic slice of the story was natural. I think it was also effective that the narration was in a third-person perspective so all of the characters were represented and justified well. I am sure that every reader would find it hard to stop halfway once they had been part of Marnia’s war against the powerful cartels. The ending was also great and would surely give the readers a good taste of

The Last Enemy series that would leave them wanting for more. Though I noticed some typographical and grammatical errors (like missing and wrong punctuations), I think these were still acceptable and could be easily overpowered by the great plot and overall narration of the novel.

Online Book Club

Marnia Gonzalez is the eldest daughter of Mexico's president and first lady Tomar and Allison Gonzalez. She was happily celebrating her birthday on a cruise ship in the presence of her friends and her nanny, Barbara. She loved and trusted the woman and even forgave her for the affair she had with her father, President Tomar Gonzalez. Barbara used this trust and favor to complete her mission, to acquire sensitive information from the presidential office. Her employer was Boris, a mysterious, exceptionally skilled, and influential Russian. The cruise ship was the final part of the plan, where Barbara was to depart, and Marnia and her friends were the insurance against any government interference. However, things got out of hand when a member of Boris’s team went rouge resulting in deaths and injuries. Commander Edwards Jacob was immediately tasked to rescue and remedy the situation, and he did so skillfully and swiftly.

Since then, Jacobs became Marnia’s inspiration and role model. She reinvented herself, dropped her famous last name, and worked towards joining the Anti-cartel Task Force. She is now Lieutenant Marnia Gonzalez of the Anti-cartel Task Force and immediately begins working towards her goal. She pushes on and is soon immersed in a murky world of child sex trafficking, slavery, gun smuggling, and a bizarre secret but powerful society. She fearlessly pursues the Santiago and Menerez cartels. Boris also resurfaces, and more curiously, a familial name comes up. What does her family have to do with this world? What will be the ultimate cost of her war against the cartels? How much power and influence do these individuals command, and whom will she trust?

The Cartel Crusher by Dan E. Hendrickson lives by its name right from the introduction. It instantly throws the reader into a world where everyone seems to be working an angle or is corrupt. Hendrickson excellently introduces and develops the characters, and the description of their attributes is exquisite. Each character has a specific role and origin, making them realistic and distinct. The action and fight scenes are amazingly detailed, allowing the reader to visualize and experience every physical and tactical maneuver. The depiction of the military operations, cartel settings, and their array of weapons and activities are authentic.

My favorite aspect of the book is the formidable and heroic female presence. Marnia’s skills amaze and terrify many, and she rises through the rankings through hard work and commitment. Rosemary Sargent is another stout woman who runs the most profitable brothel in Mexico City. She commits to and helps Marnia thwart cartel operations at whatever cost, including her own life and wellbeing. I equally love the chronological arrangement and the telling subheadings within the chapters. Initially, I thought the story unfolded too fast, but as it progressed, the reason for this became apparent, and it developed into a comprehensive and captivating plot. Otherwise, I found nothing to dislike.

The book is professionally edited, and I did not find any errors. The language is simple and has minimal use of profanities, but the despicable acts of child abuse and forced prostitution might affect sensitive readers. The book has minimal reference to religion with only one quoted Bible verse.

The Cartel Crusher entails organized crimes, covert operations, government corruption, the wealthy one percent influence, and sadly the perverseness of human behavior. Additionally, there is an unlikely romance blooming, but with one party suspecting the other's sincerity. I recommend it to those looking for an action-packed novel full of secrets, tension, and suspense. The book’s ending is just the beginning, leaving one yearning for the next one. The rating is definitely a 4 out of 4 stars.

Online Book Club

What a wonderful book! I was not sure what to expect but this book exceeded all my possible expectations.

The Cartel Crusher falls under the genre, C/T/M/H. The impressive thriller is told by Dan E. Hendrickson. In a twist and turn style, the book creates suspense to the reader, instilling a sense of urgency and anticipation to find out what ensues.

The thriller revolves around a woman, Marnia. She is the oldest daughter of the popular Mexican president Tomar Gonzalez. His father believes that Marnia was headed for great things, and with his influence and connections, she would become a powerful woman in politics someday after graduating from law school. The hero of Cozumel known to be commander Jacob Edwards of the U.S. Coast Guard rescues Marnia when she was a young adult from Thrace, a Caribbean pirate. She would have been raped and killed by this thug. It is from that incident that her father's wishes are hampered for she completely changes the view of her life. The girl has no political ambitions. She is determined to fight evil no matter the cost. And this would include weeding out all the cartel gangs which was only made possible by her joining the Heroic Militarily Academy of Mexico.

Will the Mexican cartels, the likes of Anthony Santiago, Topaz and the big cartel, Pedro Guerra stand Marnia's vendetta? Marnia is determined to put them down and stop their dirty operations which included drug trafficking, smuggling money and drugs. She has to tread carefully for the cartels she's chasing are dangerous and have connections and influence in the government. She is smart and gets promoted quickly. Been the leader of Anti-Cartel-task-force, and aided by Rosemary and Jonathan, she gathers information about the illegal businesses run by the cartels. The intensity of her operations reaches climax when Santiago kills her mother Allison and her two sisters, Rosa and Catalina. She promises to the depth of her being that those responsible will be caught and punished to the fullest limits of their laws. She adds that she will crush them. She successfully hunts them down, one by one and becomes the hero setting a history across Mexico City.

Dan E. Hendrickson has seamlessly told this story, with clean prose and his great sense of setting is depicted. He does not lose the tempo of this powerful story and in fact, manages to keep the same pace and movement right to the end.

The book is a mirror for everyone to relate and reflect on the similar issues addressed in it. Drug trafficking, money, and smuggling of weapons are criminal operations that take place in many countries and the author wants as many leaders and fighters to have these societal concerns cease. Marnia is just a perfect example and a role model to emulate. If people like her rise to fight the problems afflicting our countries, we will grow and develop and have a peaceful existence. No human rights will be violated.

I love the saying by Marnia, "It's much easier to ask forgiveness than permission." This provokes my mind into proactive thinking. I didn't like the extreme violence contained in the book, however, the author does well at keeping the graphic of the book to a minimum.

I happily give The Cartel Crusher, 4 out of 4 stars. The book is professionally edited and I did not wish to change any aspect. The language used is colorful and the many characters in the story fit into the plot perfectly. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I recommend this great book to lovers of fiction and thriller books. However, I wouldn't recommend this book to the young audience due to its extreme violence and mature content. You'll thank me for the recommendation.

Online Book Club

Marnia's birthday party is commandeered by a Russian man's crew and terrorized by his lead man Dominik Thrace. Thrace chooses Marnia as his next victim and takes her to an office. Before he can get far into his plans, he is attacked by the U.S. Commander Jacob Edwards and a fight ensues. This day changes Marnia forever, and she sees her future differently. Instead of becoming a socialite of Mexico City, she enrolls in the Mexican Military Academy and works her way into the Anti-Cartel Task Force.

Marnia becomes the youngest member of the task force and is given the safest assignment they have. While working her safe assignment, she catches her big break and is catapulted into a bigger operation in Falcon Lake, Mexico. There, she begins to make history shutting down cartel groups in two years. She is down to her last cartel in the area, and she enlists the help of Jonathan; the son of another major cartel leader. She is gearing up for the biggest fight of her life; the cartels will do anything to stop her.

The Cartel Crusher had me at the edge of my seat for most of the book. Marnia is resilient, smart, strategic, and caring. She wins the hearts of not only the citizens of Mexico City and her fellow team but also the world and Jonathon Manarez. She has had so much happen to her in life, yet she's able to bounce back and go after these cartels and gang members harder than they expect. There are a few twists that knock you off your feet and make you wonder will she survive and what happens to the people around her.

I really like the storyline of the book and the cliff hanger at the end. Dan Hendrickson has done a great job getting the reader involved in the crime-solving and piece together clues to bring the cartels down. I had a thought about certain people in the story and whether they would be targets and, in the end, my suspicions were confirmed. I did find that the pace of the book shocked me at first because it would jump ahead so much but as you read you realize that you don't need the extra fluff he would have had to add.

There were minor mistakes that should have been caught by one last proofread. For example, there were special characters in words that seem like formatting mistakes. On Page 241 it says, "…date because they are both going to be ^'working" in the casino area…" There are supposed to be quotation marks before working not ^. The mistakes did not distract from the story in any way so I would still rate The Cartel Crusher by Dan E. Hendrickson a 4 out of 4 stars.

I believe he has done a great job with this book and I have no real complaints that would cause a star to be taken away.

There is a lot of death in the story, as well as guns, kidnapping, rape, and drugs. Anyone who dislikes reading these situations I strongly suggest pass on this book. I do recommend this book to those who enjoy crime solving and mysteries. The Cartel Crusher is the second installment of the Last Enemy Series.

I would imagine the first book, The Good Fight, has a build-up for the second but I, unfortunately, did not read it. I can say that I am looking forward to the third book in the series The Last Enemy.

Online Book Club

The Cartel Crusher by Dan E. Hendrickson is a captivating novel. It revolves around the transformation of the pampered first daughter of the President of Mexico, Marnia Gonzalez into a powerful force to be reckoned with after the horror she experienced on board a cruise ship while celebrating her birthday.

A spy was planted by a Russian criminal named Boris, the said spy was acting as the nanny of Marnia Gonzalez and her purpose was to obtain and hand over to Boris certain vital documents she stole from President Gonzalez (Marnia’s dad). The plan was for her to hand over the documents to Boris when she boards the cruise ship with Marnia, to celebrate Marnia’s birthday party with her friends.

The ship was hijacked by Boris and some of Marnia’s friends were sexually assaulted and killed by one of Boris’ thugs. Marnia was almost assaulted sexually by the same thug but was rescued by Commander Jacob Edward (The Hero of Cozumel). Her encounter with the commander and her experience on board the cruise ship brought about a remarkable turnaround in her choice of what to do and her career path.

The story records her astounding success in crushing several cartels as a military officer, her quick promotion to higher ranks in the military because of her hard work and determination despites the loss of her parents and sisters. It also tells of the booming romance between Marnia and the son of a cartel boss.

I appreciate the strength of the main character and some of the other characters like commander Jacob and his wife who became great sources of strength and support to Marnia.

This book is incredibly well written; Dan weaves a silky story that binds all the characters together, the editing is excellent and the main character is one any story lover can easily relate to and fall in love with and so I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. There are minimal errors in the organization of the story but this does not affect the flow of the story.

I gladly recommend this book to anyone who loves fast-paced novels. It has no graphic or sexual content and so it is suitable for teens.

The end of the story gives the impression that the story is not over and so we should expect a sequel to this story.

Online Book Club

Finally, the long-expected action genre

Super exciting fast-paced action genre, the Cartel Crusher by Hendrickson is one book you will find yourself glued to. This book is certainly a source of encouragement for any woman out there. In this action novel with a lot of twists, we can see how the events in Mariana’s life helped shape her future. From a weak naïve girl begging for mercy in the hands of the Caribbean pirate Dominic to a strong influential girl of the upper class who dedicated her life to fighting off bad people and to keep the country safe from those cartels that have been a cause of fear around for years.

Hendrickson is certainly an interesting author to watch out for. He knows how to tell a good story. I’m certain I will be reading this book over and over again so I can assimilate all the actions this book. I strongly recommend this book to young girls in their early adult years who are passing through some challenges in life. They will certainly find a source of encouragement in the character of Mariana to give them the needed push in life. I wish the author can make this story into a series.

Karrie

Amazon

The author, Dan Hendrickson, hit a home run with book two of his "The Last Enemy" series." I enjoyed the way "The Cartel Crusher" built upon the key characters introduced to us in book one, "The Good Fight." The author weaves their stories together and takes the reader further into the dangerous and sometimes violent world of the mexican cartels. It is an action-packed thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I can't wait to see what happens in the third installment! I highly recommend "The Cartel Crusher."

Amazon Customer

Amazon

I enjoyed the 1st 2 books in the series, I am looking forward to read book 3. I know it will finish the series very well.

Kathleen A Duffy

Amazon

I really liked the action. There was never a dull moment, lots of twists and it was well written.

Cannot wait for the next book...hurry please.

Kindle Customer

Amazon

What an exciting book from start to finish. It takes Dan no time at all to jump right into the action. Marnia, the main character, is an amazing young woman with drive, determination and the tenacity to do what's necessary to finish the job. Until she came onto the scene the cartels had their way but now that there's an official that can't be bought, they have a problem. And along the way Marnia has to make some hard decisions that hit close to home. Be forewarned, once you pick this book up it's almost impossible to put down. Enjoy!

D Sample

Amazon

This is a book with the topic I love. An event that changed the daughter born with power and wealth. From a spoiled girl to a strong soldier. Full of adventurous and intense plots, strong female protagonist. Love it.

Amazon

Great read. Keeps the reader at the edge of their seat...or bed. The character development is a full five stars. Each character has a uniqueness about them that keeps the reader interested.

Tom Whalen

Amazon

Wow what a great book and I can't wait to read the next one,if you are like me and enjoy books about the cartels you will surely enjoy this series.

Goodreads

I enjoyed the 1st 2 books in the series, I am looking forward to read book 3. I know it will finish the series very well.

Goodreads

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Born in Sheridan Wyoming in 1962 near the rustic Big Horn mountain range, to Carl and Helen Hendrickson. Dan went to school in…

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