Killing Pablo

I've read a few books by Mark Bowden, and you can definitely tell he's a reporter writing his take on contemporary history. That's not a bad thing. In fact, I like his direct, blunt style. There's not a whole lot of philosophical reflection on the life and death of Pablo Escobar. He's neither demonized nor glorified in this book. Still, it's an interesting account of the combined Colombian and US forces that worked for years to track him down and kill him (there was no intent to take him alive). I'm into the whole covert government thing, so this was an interesting cross section of technology and old fashioned gumshoe detective work leading to his death. Also, the terrorism employed in Colombia then (and I guess to some extent now) would make Al-Qaida blush. People don't talk about this b/c, uh, I don't know why people don't talk about it. However, you can read more about this aspect at your local library.