Las Almas: A tale of the drug war along the border

The novel Las Almas traces the paths of characters on both sides of the U.S./Mexican border who are caught up in the currents of the drug war, some by choice, others by happenstance. The one common thread for all of them is that their lives collide in the fictional border community of Las Almas — and each pays a price for confronting the truth of the drug war.

Las Almas’ plot line is driven by three main elements that are the underpinnings of the war on drugs: The law enforcers and narco-traffickers engaged in the battle and the civilian population coping with the blowback from the corruption it spawns.

Although fiction, Las Almas is drawn from experience. I have been covering the drug war along the border for the past 10 years as a journalist working for both print and online publications.

Las Almas takes you on a journey into the heart of that drug war, as it plays out among a cast of characters — law enforcers, politicians, informants, criminals and ordinary folks — all trapped in a script that you will not read in any newspaper or see aired on any TV newscast.