The Black Hand, Chris Blatchford
The Black Hand, Chris Blatchford
18 Rating(s)
List: $21.99 | Sale: $15.39
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The Black Hand
The Bloody Rise and Redemption of "Boxer" Enriquez, a Mexican Mob Killer

Author: Chris Blatchford

Narrator: Paul Boehmer

Unabridged: 14 hr 2 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 12/15/2008


Synopsis

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 nineteen—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 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.

About Chris Blatchford

Chris Blatchford is an investigative reporter and the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller Three Dog Nightmare. He has won numerous commendations and awards for his reports, including several Emmy Awards and a Peabody for his investigation into Italian Mafia infiltration of MCA/Universal's music and home video divisions. He lives in Los Angeles, California.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Guillermo on December 20, 2015

I describe "The Black Hand" in one word: Brutal. Boxer Enriquez recounts his seventeen years of being a "Carnal" (a senior leader) in the most powerful criminal organization functioning in the California prison system, the Mexican Mafia. The book isn't just about the cold working of a criminal empire.......more

Goodreads review by Macie on January 20, 2015

The Black Hand introduces the life and story of Rene “Boxer” Enriquez and his association with The Mexican Mafia. This story shows the side of Rene “Boxer” Enriquez that he is a willing person to show the world his realization about The Mexican Mafia and without denying, is forward with every crime......more

Goodreads review by Steve on July 09, 2018

I used to watch a series on the History Channel called 'Gangland' and found it fascinating as each episode took a look at a notorious gang and provided some insight to how these criminal groups work, and why people are drawn into them. When I saw this book at the bookstore it piqued my interest as i......more

Goodreads review by Sahara on December 10, 2018

In all honesty it wasn't a bad book. I don't know exactly what I was expecting out of it but I was not impressed. I really actually got to enjoy the last few chapters because it detailed how corrupted our system is, especially in California, and how law enforcement gets their hands tied by politics.......more

Goodreads review by Kelly on March 24, 2011

Caught the audio book at the local barrio library, & they really should have gotten, at the very least, a Hispanic to do the audio. Or at least an American! I don't know where the dude that does the reading on this comes from, but he not only pronounces Spanish & Spanglish words wrong, he can't even......more