"The Black Hand: The Bloody Rise and Redemption of a Mexican Mob Killer" Goes Deep into The Mexican Mafia

In and out of prison his whole life Rene "Boxer" Enriquez would land himself in Pelican Bay for the murders of fellow Black Hand members. The ultimate realization that he will live and die behind prison walls tears at his very soul and forces Boxer into an unheard of decision; turn against his Black Hand brothers and bring down the Mexican Mafia.

Boxer resides in an unknown prison somewhere in the United States under the witness protection program, a marked man by the Black Hand and a lonely soul buried by the regrets of a violent past.

"The Black Hand: The Bloody Rise and Redemption of a Mexican Mob Killer" was written by Chris Blatchford, who is no stranger to dangerous undertakings. Blatchford has investigated numerous stories that deal with the underground criminal element including a link between the Italian Mob and MCA/Universal's music and home video divisions for which he won a Peabody award.

Blatchford captures the gritty and violent inner working of Los Angeles' most notorious gang by narrating the life and times of Rene "Boxer" Enriquez, a Black Hand Mob leader turned stool pigeon.

The story hits with the force of a freight train, the grim reality of life behind bars steeped in every written word. The hopelessness and sheer terror described by Blatchford and Enriquez turns one's stomach upside down and forces the realization that evil is prevalent in our society.

"I became a regular user of PCP when I was 14. Not only did I use it, I made it and sold it too. I bought mint leaf by the ounce and cocui dust at the local Safeway and let it crystallize on dry ice. I sold it to other school kids, not a bad lucrative business for an eight grader," Boxer says.

With each turn of the page Enriquez transforms from a drug dealing juvenile delinquent to a hardened murderer and enforcer for the Black Hand. Blatchford saturates every sentence with the unmistakable scent of death and suffering, enough to turn a two bit thug into a model citizen. Prison-yard stabbings and cell block riots are illustrated in such a raw and powerful light; the viciousness lingers long after the book is closed.

"The Black Hand: The Bloody Rise and Redemption of a Mexican Mob Killer" is without a doubt a seminal work, casting its readers straight into the fires of hell.

It's frightening glimpse into a criminal underworld that is can only be described as unforgiving. Blatchford delivers a must-read for any crime drama enthusiast. Mario Puzo would be proud.

Thanks to Carlos Ramirez