See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

39 used & new from £0.01

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the Richest, Most Powerful Criminal in History
 
See larger image
 

Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the Richest, Most Powerful Criminal in History (Paperback)

by Mark Bowden (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


2 new from £7.98 37 used from £0.01
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 16 used & new from £1.05
Paperback £7.99 £5.99 26 used & new from £2.12
Library Binding (Reprint) 7 used & new from £18.64

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Marching Powder

Marching Powder

by Rusty Young
4.7 out of 5 stars (41)  £4.79
Cocky: The Rise and Fall of Curtis Warren, Britain's Biggest Drugs Baron

Cocky: The Rise and Fall of Curtis Warren, Britain's Biggest Drugs Baron

by Tony Barnes
4.2 out of 5 stars (18)  £4.34
The Damage Done: Twelve Years of Hell in a Bangkok Prison

The Damage Done: Twelve Years of Hell in a Bangkok Prison

by Warren Fellows
4.7 out of 5 stars (106)  £5.99
Mr. Nice

Mr. Nice

by Howard Marks
4.5 out of 5 stars (56)  £5.99
Escobar: The Inside Story of Pablo Escobar, the World's Most Powerful Criminal

Escobar: The Inside Story of Pablo Escobar, the World's Most Powerful Criminal

by Roberto Escobar
3.5 out of 5 stars (2)  £7.19
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Atlantic Books; Reprint edition (1 May 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1903809487
  • ISBN-13: 978-1903809488
  • Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 11 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 58,512 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #27 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Law & Disorder > Issues > Drugs

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
Killing Pablo, Mark Bowden's intoxicating account of the turbulent life of Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar and his inevitable demise, relates in riveting detail the cataclysmic effect one man can have on the world economy. Finally tracked down and killed in 1992 after a 15-month intense manhunt that had resulted in hundreds of casualties on both sides, Escobar was, ironically, that archetypal American hero, the outlaw, siding with "ordinary people" against the ruling oligarchy (although at his peak Forbes magazine listed him as the seventh-richest person in the world). His break came when the American drug of choice changed from dope to cocaine, a golden, or perhaps powdered, egg exploited by Escobar with resourceful manipulation of officials and politicians--he would offer the classic choice of his silver or his lead. Even when incarcerated at La Catedral prison on a smuggling charge, he turned it into a state within a state. The guards, the army and the police all fell within his pay and he led his operation with a quiet, well-mannered ruthlessness. Until, that is, the Americans took an interest.

Bowden is well-equipped to describe the drawn-out campaign by the intelligence services to assassinate Escobar, having already covered similar territory in the superb Black Hawk Down, which chronicled the disastrous 1993 American operation in Mogadishu. His descriptions of the electronic surveillance that finally ensnared the hounded Don and the shady mutual interests of civilian militia group Los Pepes, the Colombian government forces and the US Delta unit that wore him down, are taut, dramatic and deeply thrilling. While he stops short of claiming that the Americans were present or active in the killing, he admits that Delta knew roughly where Escobar was and were dismissive of the electronic wizardry, pointing out that Escobar was eventually spotted by the naked eye. Though Escobar died, the circumstances he seized upon would be harder to expunge. The troubling, concluding lines of Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui come to mind, referring to a character based on Al Capone and Hitler but who could have been Escobar, "The bastard son is dead but the bitch is still on heat". --David Vincent --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
This work charts the rise and spectacular fall of the Colombian drug lord, Pablo Escobar, richest and most powerful criminal in history. The book exposes the massive illegal operation by covert US Special Forces and intelligence services to hunt down and assassinate Escobar. It is a story that has rarely been told before: Mark Bowden has had exclusive access to highly classified intelligence documents, secret surveillance footage and Escobar's wiretap transcripts, and interviewed all the major players in the manhunt. The book sets out to combine the energy of a Tom Clancy techno-thriller and the detail of award-winning investigative journalism.

See all Product Description


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the Richest, Most Powerful Criminal in History
77% buy the item featured on this page:
Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the Richest, Most Powerful Criminal in History 4.2 out of 5 stars (19)
Marching Powder
11% buy
Marching Powder 4.7 out of 5 stars (41)
£4.79
Escobar: The Inside Story of Pablo Escobar, the World's Most Powerful Criminal
6% buy
Escobar: The Inside Story of Pablo Escobar, the World's Most Powerful Criminal 3.5 out of 5 stars (2)
£7.19
The Damage Done: Twelve Years of Hell in a Bangkok Prison
4% buy
The Damage Done: Twelve Years of Hell in a Bangkok Prison 4.7 out of 5 stars (106)
£5.99

 

Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (9)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars How does a civilised society deal with an uncivilised enemy?, 2 Mar 2004
By Andrew Kerr "Alabony" (Dunfermline, Scotland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This is an excellent book.

I particularly liked the way that Bowden took the time at the beginning of the book to explain the recent history of Colombia, and how Pablo came to grow up in such an incredibly violent country. It put everything into perspective for me as I read further into the book.

Mark Bowden touches on several sensitive areas in the book. For example, the premise that came to mean death for Pablo - that a civilised society cannot be seen to allow a man like him to live in such luxury. This meant that the American and Colombian governments co-operated closely to ensure that Escobar would not escape. It also meant that Ronnie Reagan had to bend several laws governing US involvement in another country's troubles, so that US intelligence officals could help track Escobar.

He very nearly did escape on several occasions, though. And this is what Bowden uses to keep you on the edge of your seat. You get a very real impression of just how powerful, resourceful and cruel Pablo was. And you also get a real feeling for how hopeless the job of the Colombian police was - with Pablo one step ahead of them all along.

There's even a twist of sorts - as Bowden explains the quirk of fortune that allows the police to catch him at last.

Superb book - well researched and well constructed to maintain the suspense.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, 30 Oct 2001
By A Customer
An avid reader of many of these types of books, the author really manages to place you in the scene, as if you too were on the hunt for Pablo. Unlike "spycatcher" the talk of radio monitoring is kept interesting and will make you amazed at what one can do with a cell phone.

Brilliantly planned and executed, well done Mark Bowden!

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and about as in-depth as you wil see, 11 May 2002
Excellent background and unbelieveable story of the worlds richest coke dealer to-date. With 5 billion in the bank El Padrino weaved a tale of immesurable violence against the people who saught to capture him, with his charasmatic personallity and ability to scare the bejeebers out of all and sundry (including WHOLE goverments) -Mark Bowden captures the electrically charged atmoshphere between the goverments of Columbia and the USA who between them spent millions in $$'s and thousands of lives in 'killing Pablo'.

This is fantastically reseached and well written account of a tale of power absolute, corruption and the will of man who thought he could buy the country that sired him - he wanted to be respected!. It is mainly involved in the actual 'chase', 'inprisonment', 'escape', 'chase' and finally 'death' of one of the most powerful men in modern society. A must read from cover to cover. Enthrallingly in-depth.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Surely a film soon?
For me, this is not normally the sort of book that I read, but the back cover pulled me in and I felt it sounded interesting. That I have to say is an understatement.... Read more
Published 1 month ago by chuckles

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!
By the man who brought you Black Hawk Down - another very fine, in-depth and fascinating exploration of the rise and demise of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.
Published 5 months ago by miller

4.0 out of 5 stars Scarface is a pussy cat compared to this guy
I had read some of `Black Hawk Down', Mark Bowden's earlier book and actally was a little bit disappointed with it. I didn't find it as gripping as I had hoped. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Hector Parkinson

4.0 out of 5 stars You couldn't make it up.
This is a tightly written and compelling thriller which just happens to be true. Putting Pablo Escobar into the wider context of Columbian history helps explain not only how he... Read more
Published 14 months ago by J. Duducu

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!
I bought this book when I was going on holiday and I couldn't put it down-absolutely unbelieveable how this man lived his life. A book I'm sure I'll read time and time again!
Published 18 months ago by T. Ball

4.0 out of 5 stars very good read
This is a very good read told at a brisk pace. I came away feeling that Pablo was a bit of a tragic figure, with plenty of bad as well as plenty of good in him, mixed in with a... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Paul J. Fitzgerald

3.0 out of 5 stars Well researched but somewhat lacking
This is a decent read for anyone with an interest of how US forces operated in South and Central America around the time this book relates to. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Mr. C. Mansell

4.0 out of 5 stars well researched
This is a biography of the life of drug king Pablo Escobar. The writer has clearly got some inside story as to his life as it is very detailed (probably too detailed regarding his... Read more
Published on 11 Mar 2007 by J. Mellor

5.0 out of 5 stars superb
excellent book which gives a real insight into the world of cocaine dealing in Columbia,I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in either Pablo Esobar or crime in general
Published on 26 Mar 2005

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book about Pablo Escobar
i read this book a while ago and thought it was a good read. the book is about the colombian cocaine baron pablo escobar. Read more
Published on 3 Aug 2003

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Transnational Crime in the Americas

Transnational Crime in...

"Farer has assembled a dazzling array of tough-minded experts. The... Read more
£26.59

Find similar items

 

Let Olay Amaze You

Olay Total Effects Day Moisturiser SPF15 50ml
Amazon.co.uk sells all your favourite ranges from Olay, including Regenerist and Total Effects.

Discover Olay at Amazon.co.uk

 

We've Got Converse

Converse
Stock up on your favourite styles with great deals on Converse shoes.

Shop Converse

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates