THE QUEEN OF THE SOUTH

Teresa Mendoza is the girlfriend of a Mexican drug smuggler who tells her that if the cell phone rings, she must run for her life--he will already be dead. The story of Teresa's life is one of transformation from a young and dependent girlfriend to a tough and untrusting woman who survives pursuit, prison, and even becoming a drug-runner. Pérez-Reverte's novel juxtaposes Teresa's story with that of a reporter writing a book about her life a few years later. Lina Patel copes flawlessly with the characters' Mexican Spanish. However, her narration is too subtle to effectively render Teresa's anger and fear. The characters sound so similar to each other that when Pérez-Reverte switches from Teresa's story to that of the reporter, the listener can miss the transition. A.B. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 04/ JAN 05]