"A roller coaster ride of a big-time lawyering, scamming, gambling, smuggling and general misadventuring… Fast-paced, sure-footed nonfiction that packs all the intensity and dramatic qualities of a good novel. This true crime story offers a revealing look at drug smuggling in El Paso…and vividly illustrates the dangers of some federal drug laws and agent provocateurs. Journalist Gary Cartwright's diligent research has produced a rich evocation of the lives of the Chagra family… A sharp and often startling disclosure of personal folly and government corruption." — Booklist
"Dirty Dealing, by Gary Cartwright: Dope smuggling, brotherly love, and the assassination of a federal judge, all leading to the biggest investigation in FBI history. Best of all, the Texas Monthly writer makes this true story read like a novel." — GQ
"Here's a rip-roaring tale about drug-running chicanery on the U.S./Mexican Border. Problem is, this tale is more than 20 years old, proving once again that what goes around keeps coming around and around. The "what" in this story is called the War on Drugs, and it don't work, darlin'. But at least it makes for good reading. In this Cartwright classic, the feds run amok in search for evil-doers, a federal judge gets murdered, and a whole mess of other folks get sent off to prison. Meanwhile, the drugs keep coming and nothing changes." — Molly Ivins
"Part true-crime drama, part family tragedy, and almost, in Cartwright's own summation, like a fable: 'There were three brothers from El Paso. The oldest one got greedy and got killed. The second got greedier and was accused of killing a federal judge. The third went to prison for it.' ... Texas Monthly staffer Cartwright knows his territory, and this story of "greed and fear" and life on the border (in all senses) will hook a wide audience." — Kirkus Reviews
"Not an uplifting story. But it does show that when a government has $11.4 million to spend on a case, and isn't finicky about its methods, or about releasing criminals to jail the innocent, it can put people behind bars. Cartwright has carefully researched his story and tells it well." — Newsweek
"A hell of a story about drugs, corruption and violence, told by a virtuoso." — Playboy
