• The Black Hand

  • The Bloody Rise and Redemption of "Boxer" Enriquez, a Mexican Mob Killer
  • By: Chris Blatchford
  • Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
  • Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (1,630 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Black Hand  By  cover art

The Black Hand

By: Chris Blatchford
Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.00

Buy for $25.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Rene "Boxer" Enriquez grew up on the violent streets of East L.A., where gang fights, robberies, and drive-by shootings were fueled by rage, drugs, and alcohol. When he finally landed in prison - at the age of 19 - Enriquez found an organization that brought him the respect he always wanted: the near-mythic and widely feared Mexican Mafia, La Eme. What the organization saw in Enriquez was a young man who knew no fear and would kill anyone - justifiably or not - in the blink of an eye. That loyalty and his iron will drove him up the ranks as a mob enforcer and ultimately to the upper echelons, where he would help rule for nearly two decades.

Enriquez helped La Eme become the powerful and violent organization that it is now, with a base army of approximately 60,000 heavily armed gang members who control the prison system and a large part of California crime.

Arguably the most dangerous gang in American history, its reach is growing. And now award-winning investigative journalist Chris Blatchford, with the unprecedented cooperation of Rene Enriquez, reveals the inner workings, secret meetings, and elaborate murder plots that make up the daily routine of the Mafia brothers. It is an intense, never-before-told story of a man who devoted his life to a bloody cause only to find betrayal and disillusionment. After years of research and investigation, Blatchford has delivered a historic narrative of a nefarious organization that will go down as a classic in mob literature.

©2008 Chris Blatchford (P)2008 Tantor

What listeners say about The Black Hand

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,255
  • 4 Stars
    259
  • 3 Stars
    85
  • 2 Stars
    22
  • 1 Stars
    9
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    924
  • 4 Stars
    241
  • 3 Stars
    164
  • 2 Stars
    49
  • 1 Stars
    23
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,132
  • 4 Stars
    174
  • 3 Stars
    69
  • 2 Stars
    17
  • 1 Stars
    9

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • E
  • 07-08-15

Intense, brutal, and informative

I was really stunned by all the details given.
I recommend a narrator with a Spanish language backround who can pronounce the Spanish words better.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

narrator not so good

book is great lots of insight on prison life as an eme member. the narrator could have been just a little bit better

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story - Won't Want To Stop Listening

This is a great story; my only wish is that they would have gotten a Spanish speaking narrator. It was painful to hear the Spanish words being butchered. Edward James Olmos would have been perfect for this, but as you will learn from the book - that could never happen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Unforgettable situations

The narration had some issues in the first hour or so. After that the performance was excellent, in my opinion.

Rene "Boxer" Enriquez chose a certain path it seemed because he wanted to be with the best, the most respected. These guys operating within the Mexican Mafia had to be in total control of themselves at all times except when they were drugged up, and they were almost all users of narcotics.

The level of control that Rene and his peers demanded of themselves felt surreal to me. Their rules were strict, especially with regard to not being a coward and not hesitating. Imagine a lifestyle where you'd be required to kill somebody seemingly at the drop of a hat. So I can see how they were regarded by many as warriors and not just criminal offenders.

The issues all the 'made' guys run up against are fundamentally the same as those for everybody, only with consequences that end up being violent and deadly for some unlucky member. It's all about what they call "politicking." That's the word they use: politicking. I have a new appreciation for that word now.

The significant events were mostly prison stabbings. Once a prisoner gets stabbed, if he survives that event he will be marked as one who is likely to get killed at any moment. He can't recover.

Basically, the guys are always reorganizing themselves based on individual power within the group. There's a lot to learn by listening to this book. Rene and his buddies aren't amateurs. Most aren't book smart but some are. They're all savvy when it comes to the pecking order and how every little thing brings the potential of change to the pecking order.

I felt empathy for Rene as did the author. Maybe I was conned by a mean guy with charisma. Either way, I enjoyed the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Story was okay,

Struggled to finish this one. It really didn't leave me with any real opinion of the main character and seemed like a bunch of name dropping.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book, narrator not so much

This is a story about the Mexican Mafia and the associates and lifestyles it brings. It needs a voice to prove

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great Content

This book has the potential to be a 10 star! But I was highly thrown off and disrespected by the narrator. He destroyed the "Chicano language". I don't understand why you would have a Caucasian narrate a book about"Chicano Vida"??? his pronunciation was disastrous to our culture! They should've thought about that little bit of respect and courtesy to his "Chicano" readers. VIVA LA RAZA!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome criminal enlightenment

I recommend a reader who can pronounce Spanish words and who has a tad Spanish accent. Overall, great story. Brought me back memories of my delinquent past. SCLA.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Insightful

Great historic accuracy filled with specific dates and events that illustrate the impact of the Mexican mafia

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating story and great insight on the history of La M

A well written account of one of the most dangerous gangs in the US and one of the most dangerous members of that gang. There is a lot of violence so reader beware.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!