When her notorious drug lord uncle is recaptured, Layla Navarro catapults to the top of Mexico’s most powerful cartel. To expand cartel influence she accepts an offer to move two tons of cocaine from Colombia to Cancun by jet. Along for the ride are her abusive bodyguard/lover, the laidback Canadian pot grower who set up the deal, and a coke-addicted Vietnam vet. The deal takes a bad turn during … during a stopover in Guatemala when Layla unexpectedly uncovers a sex-trafficking ring. Plagued by self-doubt, she must navigate the minefield of Mexican machismo, outsmart government officials and fight off gangsters. Against a backdrop of lush tropical settings, Layla plots to succeed, wreak vengeance, and find herself—not to mention stay alive.
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Wheels Up: A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival
By Jeanine Kitchel
Jeanine Kitchel, 2018
Available from Amazon Books: Paperback or Kindle
Wheels-up: A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival, is Jeanine Kitchel’s fast-paced debut novel in her cartel trilogy. Mexico aficionado and prolific writer Kitchel will transport you into the heart of the drug cartel business. Zooming from cities to jungles and haciendas located in Mexico, Colombia, and Guatemala, the story will keep you wondering what could possibly happen next.
When El Patron, the head of the Culiacan Cartel in Sinaloa, Mexico, is imprisoned and the men in direct-line for succession are either dead or unsuitable, his niece Layla Navarro is chosen as his replacement. Layla’s vivid descriptions of life inside the double-crossing, brutal existence of the Mexican drug cartels are precisely as I imagined.
In the beginning, Layla is adrift in the male-dominated business operating in a macho culture, but with the assistance of Carlos, her overbearing bodyguard and lover, she quickly learns the ropes. Until she doesn’t — and that leads to a deadly mistake for Layla and her accomplices.
Jeanine Kitchel has written for The Miami Herald, El Universal/Mexico City, The Herald/Mexico City, Baja Times, The Mexico Files and Fodor’s Travel Guides. For decades, she has had an ongoing love affair with Mexico, eventually settling in the fishing village of Puerto Morelos on the Quintana Roo coast. Her local knowledge and experience with Mexico and its culture gives the story an authenticity that is captivating.
I must admit I was prepared to unconditionally loathe the female protagonist, Layla, simply because of her position as boss in a ruthless, soul-destroying business. She is tough and weak, smart and sometimes clueless, but she has a line that she won’t cross — human trafficking. By the end of the novel I was rooting for her to survive.
Jeanine is currently working on the sequel, Layla’s Law… and I am impatiently waiting to read it.
Layla’s comment, ‘You don’t quit the cartel, the cartel quits you,’ sums it all up quite nicely.
Published or Updated on: February 16, 2019 by Lynda L. Lock © 2019
Magnificent story
Enter the life of the cartel, but it’s not just about that, it’s about survival and perseverance. The author brought this reader right in the middle of the story on a thrilling and intense ride. The author shows great knowledge of the setting of this book, as well as the rough and raw world she brings in this story. The characters have a lot of depth, and a grand sense of reality. Layla is part of the world, she is one powerful character, trying to make her way up to lead her family. It’s filled with violence, drugs, and adventure, with adding the environment as another extraordinary character. Magnificently written. Couldn’t put it down until the end!
Wheels Up by Jeanine Kitchel promises to deliver an adventure about drugs, cartels and survival – and it does. It does not mention on the cover, and is left to the curious and immediately hooked reader to discover, that it also comes embellished with powerful and interesting characters – prominent of which is Layla, the new female head of a dominant, Mexican cartel, a headstrong, independent, and strangely principled young woman – and a wonderful array of exotic and mostly Yucatan-based locales, with enough adventure packed into its fast-moving pages to satisfy the most ravenous armchair thrill-seeker. The book begins with a drug-loaded airplane crash into the jungle and never relinquishes its momentum after that.
Layla Navarro, the Latina heroine (ironic word) of Jeanine Kitchel’s intensely engaging, drug-based escapade, Wheels Up, is a uniquely likable if questionable example of a powerfully ambitious woman determined to take her rightful place at the top of a very dangerous food chain. She is equally intimidating and attracting to the men conscripted to protect her, and to those most determined to liquidate her with supreme prejudice. Goaded to the limits of her already rather compromised ethics through discovery of human trafficking by her so-called business partners, Layla seeks vengeance for the deaths of her beloved body-guard and the young Mexican girl she meant to save. This is where the fun, or rather the race for survival, begins. Ms. Kitchel gives the avid reader no further chance to breathe as she narrows her exciting plot down to its final, deadly confrontation. No spoilers here. Get your own self hooked.
It’s Tea Time Tuesday once again my Mammoth Manuscript Munchers. I hope your day went well. Today’s Gem is the color of Copa d’Oro, Cup of Gold, a beautiful Mexican flower. This Gem is white with a beautiful golden center. It is also the color of cocaine, which so many seem to think will make them gold and all their troubles go away. Hold it in your gloved claw and it is heavy, a cumbersome burden to bare. Do not touch it, it is Death to all who seek it out.
Our Gem Maker is Jeanine Kitchel who has lived in Mexico, built a house and business there at one time. She brings us “Wheels Up: A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival”. Her characters are realistic. They are not over the top, like some cartoonish Hollywood version of Cartel overlords. These people are smart, ruthless and deadly, just like the product they sell. But for the past few decades it has not only been drugs they sell. Drugs can be gotten on the relative cheap, but can only be sold once. They have thought up a new investment, a new game, a game that hurts, a game to the death: Human Trafficking. This game effects us all.
Kitchel’s main character, Layla, has become the head of her family’s cartel, the Culiacan Cartel. The former head, her uncle, El Patron, is in prison for a very long time. His partner, Don Zoyo, has been running things until he named Layla as his successor. Normally a woman would not be named, but Reynoldo, Layla’s brother had been killed while running the cartel and Layla was the only choice. She was a good one. She’d kept the books prior to her promotion. She had a mind like a computer, she was smart, savvy and quick to learn. Her time has come.
One night in Guatemala at Don Guillermo’s Villa she is there with her body guard, Carlos and her Canadian partner, Clay. They are to make the final arrangements for a huge cocaine shipment. Layla makes a terrifying discovery, one she cannot ignore. Human trafficking is going on in a form she cannot ignore. She lets her temper get the better of her and she shows her hand at supper in Guillermo’s Villa. A dangerous move and this is when everything gets rolling. Put on your seat belt, keep your hands inside the ride at all times, this is about to get dangerous.
From this point on the action does not stop. A plane crash, assassination attempts, every cartel everywhere is out to get Layla and her men. I loved this book. Never a dull moment. I never like drug dealers in books. I think Layla is growing on me and it scares me a bit. I do hope Jeanine writes a sequel because there are questions to be answered, bad guys still breathing and relationships still up in the air. There is still a chance for this Cartel Queen to be rehabilitated.
If you are looking for a book to keep you on the edge of your seat, this is it. It is available now on Amazon and is available in both Kindle and paperback. Get it today.
Until tomorrow, I remain, your humble book dragon, Drakon T. Longwitten
I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
A well-written first novel that leaves you wanting more
It’s always refreshing to run across a well-written first novel that stands out from the torrent of new books by indie writers (4,000 or more new titles every day on Amazon, some analysts say). This one is waaay better than the dime-a-dozen thrillers that flood the marketplace. Many seem to follow a formula—hook the reader with a flawed protagonist in an impossible situation, come up with an solution that leaves unanswered questions, and hope readers buy sequel books. Here, the author researches and writes about cartel drug trade involving Canada, USA, Mexico, and smaller countries in Central America. Not a new subject, but the female protagonist in this book is the accountant in the family business who wants a larger role—a great twist to the multitude of macho-dominated books, TV novellas, and movies about the cartel. The author earns five stars for writing, but unfortunately the book misses a great opportunity to have the accountant show how cartels move money. Maybe that will come in a sequel.
Readers who enjoy fast paced, high energy reads that are based on the insane world of drugs and cartels, will absolutely love Wheels Up: A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival by Jeanine Kitchel. This book is an adventure into the arena of drug sales, drug use and all the mania and drama that goes along with that lifestyle.
The book starts out with a startling bang, when a jet loaded down with drugs crashes into the lush Yucatan peninsula jungle. The momentum and action charges forward, and it never lets up from there. From the very first exciting chapter I was completely hooked. Based on Mexico’s narcotic industry, I was fully intrigued and readers will be too.
Our main character and bold heroine is the fearless Layla Navarro. She rises to power in one of Mexico’s top drug cartels when her uncle has been recaptured and jailed. Layla is beautiful, strong, unyielding and refreshingly sympathetic.
She rises to the occasion and becomes a force to be reckoned with. As she makes her way through the highly dangerous task of being a drug lord, her life becomes complicated and messy, therefore she is forced into survival mode.
Filled with thrilling suspense, Wheels Up: A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival, will captivate readers to no end. There are many rich subplots that are very interesting, adding depth and drama to the story. With exploits and deadly missions, readers will be holding their breath and gripping their seats. I couldn’t put this fascinating book down. It would be a fun, perfect summer read, especially if you were on a cruise or trip in Mexico.
The cast of colorful characters are fascinating and realistic. They are fully developed with interesting exotic personalities. The descriptive writing is impressive and appreciated. The scenes and surroundings are lit up with vivid sharpness making it a pleasurable visual read.
The narrative and dialog is astounding. I was fully impressed with Jeanine Kitchel’s crisp writing style. She skillfully tells a story that is unique and original filled with suspense, mystery, danger and Intrigue. It is full, rich, intelligently researched and authentic.
Wheels Up: A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival is a real page turner and one of the best books I have read in quite a while. It thoroughly captivated and hypnotized me. I highly recommend it to all avid readers and those that want a serious exciting escape. There are no spoilers here. You must pick up a copy and read this extraordinary story for yourself. You won’t be disappointed, but rather thrilled instead. 5 Big Stars
Readers who enjoy fast paced, high energy reads that are based on the insane world of drugs and cartels, will absolutely love Wheels Up: A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival by Jeanine Kitchel. This book is an adventure into the arena of drug sales, drug use and all the mania and drama that goes along with that lifestyle.
The book starts out with a startling bang, when a jet loaded down with drugs crashes into the lush Yucatan peninsula jungle. The momentum and action charges forward, and it never lets up from there. From the very first exciting chapter I was completely hooked. Based on Mexico’s narcotic industry, I was fully intrigued and readers will be too.
Our main character and bold heroine is the fearless Layla Navarro. She rises to power in one of Mexico’s top drug cartels when her uncle has been recaptured and jailed. Layla is beautiful, strong, unyielding and refreshingly sympathetic.
She rises to the occasion and becomes a force to be reckoned with. As she makes her way through the highly dangerous task of being a drug lord, her life becomes complicated and messy, therefore she is forced into survival mode.
Filled with thrilling suspense, Wheels Up: A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival, will captivate readers to no end. There are many rich subplots that are very interesting, adding depth and drama to the story. With exploits and deadly missions, readers will be holding their breath and gripping their seats. I couldn’t put this fascinating book down. It would be a fun, perfect summer read, especially if you were on a cruise or trip in Mexico.
The cast of colorful characters are fascinating and realistic. They are fully developed with interesting exotic personalities. The descriptive writing is impressive and appreciated. The scenes and surroundings are lit up with vivid sharpness making it a pleasurable visual read.
The narrative and dialog is astounding. I was fully impressed with Jeanine Kitchel’s crisp writing style. She skillfully tells a story that is unique and original filled with suspense, mystery, danger and Intrigue. It is full, rich, intelligently researched and authentic.
Wheels Up: A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival is a real page turner and one of the best books I have read in quite a while. It thoroughly captivated and hypnotized me. I highly recommend it to all avid readers and those that want a serious exciting escape. There are no spoilers here. You must pick up a copy and read this extraordinary story for yourself. You won’t be disappointed, but rather thrilled instead. 5 Big Stars