A few days ago I was talking with a guy who I have known for years. He’s from Peru but he has family in Mexico. He told a tragic story of his nephew being kidnapped in Mexico and the subsequent horror of getting it all straightened out. At one point my friend had a gun pointed at him in Tijuana. Scary stuff. And it all happened in the past few weeks.

We have all read the headlines about Mexico becoming an ever more violent place. The Last Narco by Malcolm Beith is a sad but fascinating book about the rise and hunt for Joaquin Guzman Loera, aka El Chapo. It’s a frightening story.

El Chapo is a billionaire, listed on the Forbes list of wealthiest people in the world. He runs a vicious network of drug production and distribution around the world. And he’s the poster boy for the Mexican drug wars. Arrested and convicted in the 1990’s, he escaped from prison and build an empire. It’s an amazing story.

This is not a book for the faint of heart. The violence is described in detail. Fear oozes from the book. And all of us who have traveled in impoverished countries will recognize the signs of desperation, hunger, and failed states that give rise to such sadness.

But with that as a warning, read this book. Anybody who is concerned about American security should stop obsessing over Islamist terrorists and focus on the Mexican drug wars. Because they represent an immediate threat and they are on our borders.