Denise

The human thing is all an act. He can turn it on and off like that. What he is inside is a monster, a shark, something soulless and ravenous.

When i first started reading this I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. I haven't read many books about Mexican drug cartels and drug lords so I didn't know if this was going to appeal to me. While it does mention the drug cartels and has a drug lord prominently in it, this book is more about Luz's journey to escape the clutches of her drug lord husband and reunite with her young daughter. This book is really about a mother's love for her daughter and the actions she will take to be reunited with her.

I really liked Luz right from the beginning and hoped that she would be able to get away from Ronaldo and get her baby girl back. With all that Luz has been through I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She strikes up an unlikely partnership with Kevin Malone, a man who at first seems to just be drinking life away because he can. Once you realize why Malone is the way he is you can't help but be heartbroken for him. Luz and Malone really make this book worth reading.

The book switches point-of-view between a few characters. I really did not like the two other main characters besides Luz and Malone. One is a corrupt border cop, Thacker, and the other is a former henchman of Ronaldo's being forced into trying to find Luz, Jerónimo. Thacker was a disgusting jerk and there was just nothing redeeming about him. Jerónimo was forced into this situation and must do it to protect his family but I like Luz and hated what he was doing to her that I just couldn't like Jerónimo at all. I have to say that even though I didn't like them, Thacker and Jerónimo definitely made the story interesting.

I was mostly happy with where each of the main characters were at the end, but I felt like some didn't deserve what they got and some needed to be punished. Overall this was a good read with complex characters and some great action. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read Angel Baby.