An Edgar nominee that blends horror with a drug cartel story. The violence level was a bit high for me, torturing children,body parts everywhere and Catholic rites transformed into bloody demonic rituals. Generous doses of untranslated Spanish throughout .I saw some reviews calling it noir, but in noir there is usually someone who has some code, even if it may be wholly outside the societal norm, they have their own rules and stick to them. That was lacking here…perhaps that was the point? ( )

Gabino Iglesias calls his novel a “barrio noir.” (A quick aside: Non-Spanish speakers (my college Spanish is rusty) should have a dictionary or Google Translate handy to get the most out of it.) But with your genre expectations set, it’s still best to go into this novel cold, because just when you think you know where things are headed, Iglesias yanks the rug out from under you… and shows you what’s underneath, to mix some metaphors here. Let’s just say that the star-studded list of writers with blurbs on the back cover should give you a good clue: Daniel Woodrell, S.A. Cosby, Chris Offutt—and Alma Katsu, Stephen Graham Jones, Paul Tremblay, and Josh Malerman. You’ve been warned.

It’s also a emotionally moving character study of family, the meaning of friendship, and the burden of guilt. Tragedy strikes our protagonist’s family, and Mario, our narrator, makes a series of bad decisions. I’m not spoiling things too much by mentioning that the increasingly desperate Mario discovers that killing people for money is a surprisingly lucrative occupation.

The Devil Takes You Home features the classic quest elements: the Golden Fleece at the culmination of the journey, a trio of desperadoes facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles (and who don’t quite trust each other), and a long and dusty road. In this case it’s a drive across the border into Mexico for what seems like a suicidal mission. But holy blessed mother of sharp instruments does this novel take an unexpected screeching left turn into the darkest of hells. Bleak and violent and not for the squeamish, I’d be terrified to watch this in the theaters. ( )

“You can wrap a shotgun in flowers, but that doesn’t make the blast any less lethal.”

“A sad woman is a blade hanging over the world, threatening to fall at any moment.”

“Funny how parents can take a bullet and smile if they think it’ll keep their kids from worrying or crying.”

“Bullets don’t believe in remakes or second chances.”

“If a gun embodies everything that’s wrong with humanity, the internet is a festering mirror that shows us what happens when humanity has been completely lost.”

“…to the kind of white supremacist who likes to use the word patriot instead of racist.”

The first 5 chapters of this book are really good! All of the quotes I've typed in above are from them! I think that if the story stopped at the bottom of page 32, this would have been one hell of a short story!

The rest of the book becomes a mix of a plan to rob a Mexican drug cartel of their money, and the constant checking of Facebook by the main character. The 'twist' at the end didn't even register with me. A very uneven book. ( )

A Dark Journey of Mutilation Horror
Review of the Mulholland Books hardcover edition (August 2, 2022)

"Good," said Juanca. "Good. From now on, we ride con Diosito," he said and lifted his left forearm to show us the tattoo of an agonizing Jesus ... He finished while pointing to the Satan tattoo I'd already seen on his other arm. "Then, when it's time for things to get ugly we ride con El Chamuco. You know, because sometimes God is your copilot, but it's the Devil who takes you home."

Note 1: This book contains very graphic scenes of violence especially involving body part mutilation and body part fetishization with supernatural elements.
Note 2: There are probably a few hundred sentences or expressions of untranslated Spanish in the book. A Kindle or other eBook edition with translation capability is recommended if you are not fluent in Spanish and/or do not enjoy reading in languages you don't understand. The 'Book of the Month' edition apparently provided a translation guide, but I have not been able to locate a freely available version of that online.

This is a very dark "barrio-noir" book which centres on a planned heist by hitman Mario, his meth-addicted friend Brian and cartel gang member Juanco. The trio are fronted by a cartel kingpin in the heist which is both a reprisal on a rival cartel and a plan of vengeance. Puerto-Rican American Mario has fallen on hard times after going into debt in an attempt to save his leukemia stricken daughter Anita. He then fell into depression and lost his wife Melisa who left him after his resultant abuse. The hospitals are after him to pay off his debts and in desperation he takes on hitman jobs. The 'one big final score' of $2 million would net each of the trio $200,000 after they reimburse their mentor. Mario dreams that he can still find redemption and reunite with Melisa and throughout the book he flashbacks to his early ideal life with his family. Considering the calibre of his allies, you know that this is not going to end well.

This is more of a horror fiction than a crime noir. Most of the horror is human however and relates to the removal of body parts, with the supernatural being hinted at throughout and only becoming realized towards the conclusion. This is not for the faint-hearted and some of its imagery is very disturbing.

I read The Devil Takes You Home due to its nomination for Best Novel in the 2023 Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America. The winners of the 76th Annual Edgar® Awards will be announced on April 27, 2023.

Other Reviews
NPR Book Reviews at Consider the Depths of Darkness by Ilana Masad, August 6, 2022.

Soundtrack
Until I read The Devil Takes You Home I was not aware that the subgenre of Narcocorrido (Spanish: Drug Ballad) even existed. The music is heard several times by the protagonists in this book. Read further about this subgenre at NPR Narcocorridos: Ballads of the Mexican Cartels. The music of Chalino Sánchez (1960-1992) is mentioned, particularly his song "Contrabando en la Frontera" (Spanish Contraband at the Border) which is based on a true life border shootout by Rosaura Santana and Juan Escalante. The song is on YouTube here and you can read the lyrics here.

Trivia and Links
The Devil Takes You Home has been optioned for a possible future film adaptation by Sony Pictures with director Alejandro Brugués. Read the background to that at Deadline. ( )

This is a noir set among hit men, drug dealers and Mexican cartels, with a very large helping of horror woven in. It's not a cheerful book, but it is a gripping and heartfelt one.

When Mario loses his family, he augments his income with a side gig as a killer for hire. When he's offered a job that pays enough for him to maybe get his wife back and start over somewhere else, he jumps on the chance. But he and his drug-addicted friend are walking into a situation they know nothing about and the forces at work are more than drug cartels and criminals.

This book is terrifying and emotional and scary as anything. ( )