The Dogs of Mexico

Mr. Asher brings to his former CIA field operative both humanity and believability. As a former Green Beret (Vietnam war era) I had dealings with a spook or two in my time, and his central character reflects the actuarially of human frailty and ultimate risk field agents must face. Unlike soldiers, these shadow figures are unable to call in airstrikes or artillery to pull their ashes out of the fire. The Dongs of Mexico quickly becomes a page turner. It is a great ride with a completely satisfactory end. Good read. I hight recommend it.

If you've read John J. Asher's A DIGNIFIED EXIT (ADE), you know that the main character displays a fondness for a certain Panama hat. If you expect one in THE DOGS OF MEXICO (DOM), you will be disappointed, because once the plot winds begin to blow, there's no way a hat of any kind can remain on Robert Bohnert's head.

I think it's safe to say that many of us have favorite authors whose novels attract because we know what to expect, typically a recurring main character that we can follow through a series of fictive adventures. Other authors may attract us because the opposite is true, and Asher most definitely belongs in that category for me.

There are constants, of course: vivid prose, complex characterization, conflict, tension, and rich setting details of Mexico, although here is where the resemblance ends. In ADE, the beauty of Mexico surrounds the characters and provides a luscious backdrop for a poignant story of unlikely love and tragic loss. In DOM, the dark and vicious brutality and senseless disregard for human life that might lie in wait around the next corner can be compared to a pit bull with Bohnert's scent in its nostrils and killer instincts in full pursuit.

DOM may not be an easy story for some to digest, but unless you approach reading like a contestant at a pie-eating contest, this novel invites you to slow up and experience a side of human existence that we might rather not acknowledge, but that we know exists. And you can take it from me, it's best to leave the Panama behind.

Asher is a favorite author of mine, because I can count on his stories being beautifully written and full of complicated, hardscrabble characters you root for--and yet every one of his books is different. In DOGS OF MEXICO, former government agent Robert Bohnert has left the life behind--but it won't leave him. Broken by the destruction of his family, he agrees to one last job--this time for the other side. As a "straightforward" diamond smuggling operation goes south--literally--Bohnert finds himself trekking through Mexico, pursued by a dangerous alcoholic smuggler, a cross-dressing hit man, and a psychotic meth addict. The story is complicated by a smart-mouthed teenage runaway girl as Bohnert tries to follow an ever-more-complicated trail that leads to a betrayal he never could have imagined. It wouldn't be an Asher story without an unlikely love story at its center, and this one's as compelling as his others, as the woman he stole from one of his pursuers becomes the one person who might offer him salvation. Asher brings to this raw, breakneck suspense novel the same depth of humanity and the elegant writing that highlight all his stories.

Another intriguing book set in Mexico by this talented new literary author. Robert Bohnert is a former CIA agent dealing with a painful family tragedy. When an old colleague offers him an assignment in Mexico he ends up on whirlwind trip with some dark characters, a beautiful woman, and stolen diamonds. Asher has a keen eye for description and you'll love the details of Mexico from his point of view. A must read for anyone who loves great writing with a cast of complex characters.