The Last Narco focuses on the Sinaloa Cartel boss, Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, known as "El Chapo". I’ll start off by saying that I found this very informative and it appears to be well-researched. I really liked the writing style, and while it gets a little repetitive in some places, mostly it has great pacing. 

The focus of the book was anchored to El Chapo, but Beith includes in other individuals that give the reader a broader understanding of the narco network. Beith discusses other narcos, junior narcos, narco wives and girlfriend's, and the reasons why locals might prefer live under the narco rule than pick up the phone to report a body in the street. Beith also brings in how the Sinaloa Cartel overlapped with La Familia, the Tijuana, Juarez and Gulf cartels, as well as Los Zetas (a mercenary group). 

One thing that I think really grounds this book is the discussion on the affluence of different areas of Mexico. Those areas that have always been deprived and/or under control of the cartels and those that have come to be controlled by the cartels. When I’m reading about these cartels it’s easy to wonder if these things actually happen, because

smuggling cocaine inside of shark carcasses

can sound a little farfetched. But, reading about locals who may have never received any formal education because of where in Mexico they were born, reminds you of the struggles some of the locals feel and grounds the book in reality. 

The Last Narco was written in 2010, 4 years before El Chapo was captured again (and then recaptured again in 2016, honestly, this guy!) and there is an updated version of the book, but I'm not prepared to pay £16 for the extra 50 or so pages. However, I would like to read the updates though, and by this author too. 

Overall, this is a good look at the Mexican cartels but written in an accessible way, with a look at how far-reaching the narco networks are and the effects on the different groups of people living in Mexico.