Author Colette L. Saucier is releasing a noir romantic suspense based loosely on the Sinaloa Cartel and Drug Lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán entitled THE WIDOW on August 5, 2015.
PRLog - Aug. 4, 2015 - NEW ORLEANS -- Loosely based on the exploits of the Sinaloa Cartel and Drug Lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who has dominated headlines since his daring escape from Mexico’s most secure prison in July, this thrilling romantic noir follows undercover DEA agent David Alvarez. After infiltrating the multi-million dollar money laundering network of the ruthless Sonora Drug Cartel only to have his primary target gunned down by a rival gang, his only hope in salvaging the operation and bringing the largest drug trafficker in the world to justice lies with the man’s beautiful, young widow Catherine, whom he cannot bring himself to trust.
When asked about the book Saucier said, “Although I primarily wrote THE WIDOW to entertain and engage, I also intend it to be thought provoking and draw attention to a crisis that has escalated over the last nine years: The United States’ war on drugs has been an unmitigated disaster, which demands a new approach. Since joining forces with the Mexican government in 2006 to crack down on trafficking, drug-related violence has proliferated. Intentional homicides in Mexico increased from 780,000 deaths in 2007 to over 2 MILLION homicides in 2012, thousands innocent children. This alliance has done nothing to curb the supply of drugs either. The US now imports 90% of its cocaine from Mexico, up from 77% in 2003. Our lax gun laws haven’t helped either. While the United States Government has provided $1.4 billion to aid the Mexican military against the cartels, 87% of firearms in Mexico are coming from the US illegally.
“The fact that ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán was imprisoned early last year, shortly after I completed the first draft of THE WIDOW, and then escaped only 18 months later, just before the novel’s release, is further indication of the failure of the current approach. With widespread corruption and everyone in ‘law enforcement’ from police officers to prison guards willing and eager to take a bribe, Guzmán cannot be contained as long as he has access to his drug fortune. That is why the DEA operation in THE WIDOW focuses on the multi-million dollar financial network of the cartel.”
The concept of THE WIDOW came to Saucier when watching one of her favorite films.
“While watching the Hitchcock classic NOTORIOUS for the hundredth time, I thought the basic plot could adapt well for the 21st century. The second half of THE WIDOW shares many similarities with NOTORIOUS, with the first half devoted to the setup and the development of the characters of Catherine and David and their relationship. Instead of World War II and the Nazis, it’s the war on drugs and the cartel. In NOTORIOUS, the heroine’s father is a Nazi war criminal; but in THE WIDOW, Catherine is THE WIDOW of a drug capo. Instead of being a drunk, as in the Hitchcock film, Catherine experimented with recreational drugs in college and fell in love with her connection, never realizing that not only was he the dealer, but the importer and manufacturer as well. Now she must suffer the consequences of poor choices made in the haste of youth; and in keeping with the noir genre, this leads her on a path of self-destruction. Yet, with all the angles and plot twists, in both NOTORIOUS and THE WIDOW, the story focuses on the relationship between the hero and the heroine, and the predominant theme is trust.”
About The Book
In this thrilling romantic noir suspense, after drug lord Ignacio “El Ratón” Martinez’s daring escape from a maximum security prison, DEA agent David Alvarez invested four years in deep undercover infiltrating the ruthless Sonora Drug Cartel only to have his primary target gunned down by a rival gang. Now his only hope in salvaging the operation and bringing the largest drug trafficker in the world to justice lies with the man’s beautiful, young widow Catherine, whom he cannot bring himself to trust.
Catherine would do anything to break free from the clutches of the cartel, but despite her desperate efforts, she can never escape the mistakes of her past that continue to haunt her.
Even though he cannot deny their mystical, mutual attraction, David must carry out his orders – from both the DEA and the Cartel – catching Catherine in a spider web of duplicity and deceit.
How far will David go to bring down the cartel? If he succeeds in winning the widow’s trust, would he be willing to risk her life – or his heart?
THE WIDOW will be available on August 5, 2015 in e-book format from Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and in hardback from bookstores both nationwide and online.
About The Author
Colette Saucier has been writing poems, short stories, and novellas since grade school. She devoted fifteen months traveling to Britain and researching Regency England, as well as vampire lore and literature, to complete her first full-length novel ‘Pulse and Prejudice’ (Austenprose Readers’ Choice, Top 5 Books of 2012). ‘Pulse and Prejudice’ has been meticulously researched for historical accuracy and remains faithful to nineteenth century literary conventions and Jane Austen’s narrative to create a compelling, thrilling paranormal adaptation of ‘Pride and Prejudice.’
‘Pulse and Prejudice’ is the 1st Place Winner in its category in the 2013 Chatelaine Awards Romantic Fiction Contest and is listed in Chanticleer’s 2013 Best Book Listing.
Colette was selected a “2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award” Semi-finalist and named “Debut Author of the Year” in 2012 by Austenprose for her novel ‘The Proud and the Prejudiced’ (previously titled ‘All My Tomorrows), which was also chosen Austenesque Reviews “Favorite Modern Adaptation” for 2013 and voted a Top 10 Romance Novel of 2012 (P&E Readers’ Choice).
Colette’s romantic thriller ‘Alicia’s Possession’, was the publisher’s #1 Bestselling Romantic Suspense for 4 straight weeks following its debut in June of 2013 and then again in January, 2014, after being voted a “Top Ten Romance Novel of 2013” (P&E Reader’s Choice).
She lives in South Louisiana with her husband and their two dogs.
For more information or questions for the author, please contact Rachel@mmwpr.com.
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Stunning Noir Thriller Reflects Current World Events
August 04, 2015 at 08:00 AM EDT
