There are books that are comfort reads. This is certainly not one of them. If you enjoy getting punched in the stomach repeatedly by the very worst the world can muster, this one is for you. We follow a protagonist who has lost everything and pursues a task in the hope of regaining even a fraction of that loss. Blood, gore, loss, racism, betrayal, organised crime, the occult, drug abuse, poverty—he witnesses it all, described in excellently immersive writing and prose. Gabino Iglesias does not pull any punches, detailing all the horrific acts in detail, so fair warning to anyone sensitive to violence of any kind. One thing that hampered my enjoyment is that about 20% of the book involves conversations in Spanish, with no footnotes, translations, or sometimes even context clues to rely on. While I appreciate the authenticity, I dislike not understanding conversations or having to look up a significant chunk of a book on Google Translate.