ZERO SAINTS by Gabino Iglesias / Z-View
Zero Saints by Gabino Iglesias
Trade Paperback: 196 pages
Publisher: Broken River Books
First sentence…
I didn’t hear those pinches cabrones coming.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
In Zero Saints, Gabino Iglesias created one of the most intense opening chapters in memory. Fernando, a drug dealer/crew leader, is beaten and taken to an abandoned house. Secured to a chair is Fernando’s friend. Fernando is forced to watch a heavily tattooed gangbanger (with insane black eyes) slowly torture and behead his buddy. The message is clear: Give up your territory or die.
Fernando knows a war has arrived. His odds of survival are slim. So with his back against the wall, Fernando recruits a Russian gun thug (who owes him a favor) and a crazy blood simple buddy to join him in a last ditch chance at payback.
Iglesias takes what could be a simple tale of revenge and peppers it with gangbangers, drug dealers, hitmen and a touch of the supernatural. Fernando isn’t your typical protagonist. He’s unable to save his friend, others close to him die and he fears the Mara Salvatrucha cartel (especially the one with the black eyes). Fernando moves through a gritty underworld that exists in many big cities, but is only safely visited in stories like Zero Saints.
Zero Saints was my first book by Gabino Iglesias. I look forward to reading many more (hopefully including tales of Fernando and his supporting cast… well, those who lived).
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