First published 2019
Miguel Ángel Tobar, known as El Niño, navigates the brutal world of MS-13's Hollywood Locos Salvatrucha clique. His path from migrant to sicario unfolds against the backdrop of Reagan-era policies, Los Angeles in the 1970s, and El Salvador's violent western regions. Tobar witnesses how heavy metal-obsessed migrants forge what becomes the world's most notorious gang. The story traces connections between indigenous genocide, El Salvador's coffee industry, and a devastating 12-year civil war. As Tobar commits over 50 murders, the narrative reveals how the Salvadoran state becomes indebted to this merciless killer. The novel explores the complex web linking American foreign policy to Central American violence, showing how decades of intervention created the conditions for MS-13's rise. Tobar's journey illuminates the human cost of geopolitical decisions made in Washington boardrooms and felt in Central American streets.
Genres: fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, crime, thriller, 21st-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, gritty, morally-ambiguous
Setting: El Salvador, Hollywood, Los Angeles
Period: 1970s, Reagan Era
320 pages · Hardcover · Verso
Content warnings: graphic-violence, murder, violence