Sweet Mary

Our Executive Editor Lori Hoffman just shared a really interesting article with me in this month’s Marie Claire titled “Daddy’s Girl” about Mexico’s 29-year-old Estrella Hermila Ramos, who took over her father’s business when he got gunned down by members of the Sinaloa cartel. So often we hear of the men en el narcotrafico, but what of the femmes? I’ve always been fascinated by these women, and not in the I-think-what-they-do-is-so-cool way, obviously, but I just always wonder what draws each of these women into that sordid world and what is it like once they’re in? Do they walk around smoking cigars and wearing fur coats all day? Do they chill in the Jacuzzi, Tony Montana-style, and say outrageous things? Do they get high off their own supply? So many questions…

Apparently, drug queenpins are not that rare these days. Says Dr. David Shirk, director of the Trans-Border Institute at the University of San Diego: “I wouldn’t say that cartels are equal-opportunity employers but evidence does suggest that there are spaces in cartels for women who are able to assert themselves and show their talents and abilities as operators within the cartels.”

So imagine how excited I am about a new book that combines two of my favorite topics: Miami and drug queenpins!

Sweet Mary, award-winning journalist Liz Balmaseda’s debut novel, is the story of Dulce Maria “Mary” Guevara, a woman wrongly accused of being a cocaine queen. She’s lost her job, her reputation, and custody of her son. Desperate to get it all back, she goes on a hunt for the real reina de la coca, but in order to do so, she must enlist the help of her ex-fiance, a man whose connections to the drug world will only present more problems for Dulce. Her search leads to some disturbing realities that challenge her formerly tranquil life as she knew it.

A proud cubana with two Pulitzer Prizes under her belt (one for her role in covering the federal seizing of refugee Elian Gonzalez), Liz has written for Latina quite a bit over the years, including the first Shakira cover story back in April 1999.

Andy Garcia is already a fan of Sweet Mary, calling it “emotional, inventive and provocative writing, [which] engrosses you in the most satisfying of ways.”