The Queen of the South

By: Arturo Pérez-Reverte

Narrated by: Lina Patel

Length: 17 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Few authors inspire the kind of passion that Arturo Pérez-Reverte does. Reviewers, readers, and booksellers alike have embraced his fiction as the perfect blend of suspense and literary ambition. A global best seller, he is one of the most admired and widely read authors in the world. And his stunning new novel is his best yet.

A remarkable tale, The Queen of the South spans continents, from the dusty streets of Mexico to the sparkling waters off the coast of Morocco, to Spain and the Strait of Gibraltar. A sweeping story set to the irresistible beat of the drug smugglers' ballads, it encompasses sensuality and cruelty, love and betrayal, as its heroine's story unfolds.

Teresa Mendoza's boyfriend is a drug smuggler who the narcos of Sinaloa, Mexico, call "the king of the short runway", because he can get a plane full of coke off the ground in 300 yards. But in a ruthless business, life can be short, and Teresa even has a special cell phone that Guero gave her along with a dark warning. If that phone rings, it means he's dead, and she'd better run, because they're coming for her next.

Then the call comes.

In order to survive, she will have to say goodbye to the old Teresa, an innocent girl who once entrusted her life to a drug smuggler. She will have to find inside herself a woman who is tough enough to inhabit a world as ugly and dangerous as that of the narcos, a woman she never before knew existed. Indeed, the woman who emerges will surprise even those who know her legend, that of the Queen of the South.

The Queen of the South is translated from Spanish by Andrew Hurley.

©2002 Arturo Perez-Reverte, Translation 2004 Andrew Hurley (P)2004 Penguin Audio and Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A frightening, fascinating look at the international business of transporting cocaine and hashish as well as a portrait of a smart, fast, daring and lucky woman, Teresa Mendoza." (Publishers Weekly)

“John Le Carre meets Gabriel Garcia Marquez...Pérez-Reverte has a huge following...and it’s spreading.” (The Wall Street Journal)

"A thriller with an almost meditative tone, the novel's energy comes not only from the action scenes, which are expertly delivered, but also from the monologues in which Mendoza struggles with the multiple contradictions in her life. Many Perez-Reverte readers will be...drawn in by the author's remarkable eloquence and ability to plumb the recesses of a character's psyche." (Booklist)

great Read

A must read book. A great written storyline. A great written story about a women in a mans world.

Great Book

Loved the story. Different version from the show. Very entertaining! Teresa Mendoza rocks! Will read more from this author.

awesome

real life speak, This might sound weird but it's first book I reread when I can't find a new read. I promise you will love it.

very intriguing

Loved it. Kept me interested til the very end.
the intricacy of how they moved the drugs and the learning that she had to do was admirable.

what a wonderful book it never stopped being excit

what a wonderful book you never wanted to end you want to know what happened to Teresa Mendoza you want there to be a part 2

what a great book

Would you consider the audio edition of The Queen of the South to be better than the print version?

didn't read

What other book might you compare The Queen of the South to and why?

don't know

Which scene was your favorite?

loved the whole thing

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

more or less

Any additional comments?

just a good story, well written. interesting, surprising, deep, real. so good.

Starboard and port

overall good story, but the author spends way too much time talking about the details of the boat using to many sailing term. Makes it hard to focus on the actual story.

Had to read it for book club

Some parts were interesting, but the back and forth timelines kept me thinking - get to the point.

Loved the story

I really enjoyed the story, even though l was truly disappointed with bad pronunciation of names, nouns, countries, cities in Spanish. it seems as though none of the prior work of the basic rules of reading in Spanish was applied. Really pity to that.
Author is a great star🤩 ❤️and a master of word 🔥

What a woman

Teresa definately lived a life like no other. The book was slow at first but I enjoyed it overall all. There were a few surprises that had me hooked for several hours of listening.