The Black Hand: The Bloody Rise and Redemption of "Boxer" Enriquez, a Mexican Mob Killer (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: big spider, peg leg, other carnales, Mexican Mafia, Pelican Bay, Boxer Enriquez (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. There is much to praise in this authorized biography of Rene Boxer Enriquez, penned by Peabody Award–winning journalist Blatchford (Three Dog Nightmare). While this is a superb cautionary tale about the dangers of youth falling into senseless gang violence, it also rates as a probing, redemptive story of Enriquez, a vicious, heroin-addicted killer for Los Angeles's largest criminal street gang, with 20,000 members involved in extortion, drug-dealing, vice and murder. Blatchford explores with grim accuracy Enriquez's criminal past, prison killings, turf wars and contract eliminations around the West Coast. But the book also reveals Enriquez and his crew's total commitment to hoodlum honor, the cost in lives and status, and the betrayals and intrigues both behind bars and out in society. This is a savvy account of Enriquez's arduous self-education and personal transformation from cold killer to a man who, in his own words, educates law enforcement and the public about a prison and criminal subculture that should scare the hell out of them. (Sept.)
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Review

"A gripping, powerful, chilling inside look at a criminal organization that is changing the organized crime landscape. This is a mob classic." (Dominick Dunne )

"A fascinating look at the world of the Mexican Mafia, more ruthless than the LCN. A must read for law enforcement and a tribute to the courage of 'dropout' Rene 'Boxer' Enriquez." (Joe Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco )

"A fascinating, vivid and unforgettable insider's look at the bloody, secret and deadly Mexican Mafia. Chris Blatchford's compulsively readable wake-up call spares no one and names everyone, including the politicians who aid and abet this dangerous criminal organization, through corruption, maddening naivet, or political correctness." (Joseph Wambaugh )

"A courageous and well-written expos on one of the most ruthless and powerful gangs of all, the Mexican Mafia. Chris Blatchford reaffirms his position as being among Americans greatest investigative reporters." (Vincent Bugliosi, author of Helter Skelter )

"Chris Blatchford has hit a grand slam. The Black Hand is an important page turning book that will take you into a frightening dark world that shouldn't exist. but it does. It's riveting, and when you finish the book, you'll get up and lock your doors. Highly recommended." (William "Billy" Queen, retired special agent ATF and bestselling author of Under and Alone )

"Blatchford is well-suited to tell this story . . . he captures the nuances and nihilism of the prison world . . . The narrative is interspersed with fascinating prison arcana." (Los Angeles Times )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (September 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006125729X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061257292
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #100,886 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Powerful!, October 1, 2008

By	Norwalquero "David A." (NORWALK, CA!!!) - See all my reviews

My first acquaintence with Rene Enriquez came in the early 1990's, during a week-long, Chris Blatchford exclusive on the Mexican Mafia.

In that early 90's report, Blatchford revealed 'Boxer' as a cold-hearted Eme leader who (during his double-murder, double-attempted murder trial) turned calmly toward the camera lens of a courtroom news crew and broke into 'shoulder -shaking laughter'. Since then, I have been anxious to know more about this man.

Like Blatchford himself, I too was floored when I learned (a few years ago) that Rene Enriquez had chosen to 'debrief' and to turn aside from his Gang. After all, not only had 'Boxer' previously demonstrated the Can't-stop-won't-stop mentality of a loyal Eme soldier (by laughing in the face of a possible death penalty situation) but had also risen through the ranks of Eme leadership to the highest echelons of Mafia power.

Blatchford's long-anticipated book on Rene Enriquez does not, by any means, disappoint! To the contrary, it is perhaps the best first-hand account of the Eme's power, influence, ruthlessness and depraved potential in print today. (While "Mundo" Mendoza's seminal work provides an in-depth understanding and historical background of the first 25 years of the Eme's existence, Blatchford/ Enriquez bring readers up to speed on 'M' into the 21st century)

Blatchford covers Rene Enriquez from his childhood in Cerritos (then surrounded by dairy farms) to his initiation (following his older brother's footsteps) into 'Arta/ Artesia X3', to his teenage years gang-banging against the likes of Hawaiian Gardens, Tokers Town & Norwalk, getting high, doing robberies and growing increasingly rebellious against his parents and against authorities.

Blatchford follows Rene's graduation from Los Padrinos to Boys Republic to OC County Jail to Soledad, San Quentin & beyond. Rene speaks at length about his relationships with Eme leaders like "Black Dan" Barela who "read his Bible every day, but yet had a kill-first-talk-about-it-later attitude", "Topo" Peters who, after stabbing "Mon" 26 times in the LA County Jail's attorney room, urged "Boxer" to 'just plead guilty so we can go to our cells at Pelican Bay and watch color TV'.

He talks about the execution of Nico Velasquez for converting from Eme to Christianity (an action which Rene Enriquez himself disagreed with strongly), and about "Kilroy" Roybal's conversion to Christianity after being stabbed in Tehachapi, and a plethora of other interesting facts.

So much more can be said about Rene Enriquez's evolution/ redemption and about Blatchford's book. Much more than a mere book review can capture. The thing that struck me hardest, perhaps, was how utterly contrary to the popular/ romanticized version of Mafia the actual reality is.

Contrary to the notion of Eme being a closely-knit fraternity of brothers bound by loyalty to one another, Rene portrays the incessant backstabbing, politicking and scheming of 'carnales' against one another; about the never-ending anxiety that "Boxer" carried with him from day one of someday ending up "In the hat" (ostracized and marked for death by his own 'brothers') for some small, inconsequential infraction.

Contrary to the popular notion that power and 'palabra' (in the criminal world) is the be-all and end-all of life, Rene portrays with sober clarity that nothing could be further from the truth. Both Joe Morgan and "Topo" Peters died alone (and lonely) and in prison. (Not to mention that there were only a half-dozen attendees at "Topo's" funeral service) Meanwhile, "Tupi" Hernandez is standing around in his prison cell naked (at Pelican Bay) talking to himself...a fate worse than death (according to Boxer).

To end with a theological reflection: the devil's a LIAR...and a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy. For those youngsters who aspire to become 'carnales' and who are starstruck by the 'Big Homies' you hear and read about: don't take my word for it! Take it from "Boxer" Enriquez...someone who reached the heights of power in both the streets and the pinta...and concluded that it's all a massive (and evil) deception, and definitely NOT worth it!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Hands of Terror, September 23, 2008

By	Mr. Richard D. Coreno "Mr. C" (Berea, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Street life can be brutal, even for those who think they hold the winning hand.

Investigative reporter Chris Blatchford delves into the shadows of La Eme, the Mexican Mafia, in this authorized biography of former gang enforcer Rene Enriquez. The tentacles of this monster of urban terrorism spans several continents and grips the halls of government, businesses and neighborhoods by day, while brutally dealing drugs, extortion, vice and murder under the darkness of night.

And Enriquez - who is serving a life-sentence for crimes perpetrated for the gang - was once a player in the largest street gang in Los Angeles. Enriquez learned the ropes while growing up on the street of East L.A. and showed the smarts and muscle to find his way into La Eme.

His life of violence and the reasons he finally broke away, along with what happened when he began to publicly renounce the gang, makes for a compelling and urgent story. But Blatchford connects the dots in the puzzle that makes La Eme a force in North, Central and South America, with a growing army of gang members and supporters who have massive influence within a web of operations.

This is not some Hollywood version of wise guys or a fictionalized account of "honorable" men in a dishonorable profession; this is the hands of terror that are scooping up power and slapping aside those honest enough to stand in their way.

It is a call from the "Boxer" to stop the onslaught by the thugs before it is too late.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Single Most Organized Criminal Enterprise in America Today, June 22, 2009

By	Nancy L. Farren "NewHope1" (Jacksonville, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

"Eme is the new La Cosa Nostra...in southern California their army of loyal Latino gang members numbers in the tens of thousands. La Cosa Nostra in the U.S. never had anything close to those numbers to build on." [PG303]

"...[La Eme] represent the single greatest threat to the internal security of the nation because their power is derived from a 'choke-hold' on the prison system at the federal, state, and local levels. That power is growing rather than receding in the years since 9/11, when law enforcement took its eye off the ball. Eme was battered and bruised in the late 1990s and into 2000-2001 - on the verge of extinction - but law enforcement at every level left the field, and Eme has undergone resurgence. Today they are at the pinnacle of the crime pyramid in the USA." [PG 301] I heard that 30% of today's U.S. prisoners are Latino. With rising crime committed by illegals, I thought, tho a high percentage, that was the explanation for it. This quote gave me pause.

"Thank God most of them are heroin addicts. It keeps them from doing what they have the potential of doing." - Gang expert & retired L.A. County sheriff's sergeant Richard Valdemar [PG 303]

"I don't think the public understands the ramifications of what the Mexican Mafia has grown into - and right now it's in its nascency. THERE IS A BIG SHIFT TOWARD MAKING GUYS WHO AREN'T LIFERS AND DO NOT USE DRUGS. - Rene Enriquez [PG 303]

"They ran it essentially like a corporation." [PG 300]

"Rene invested his drug 'tax' dollars in U.S. Treasury bonds, CDs, and double-e series U.S. savings bonds. ... He and other inmates legally set up interest-earning banks accounts at Bank of America...some Mafiosi even play the stock market." [PG264]

I just heard that some MS-13 members were arrested. You've probably heard of them. Pretty scary people. Glad to hear that law enforcement is gettin' it done, right? But here's what Richard Valdemar said on PG 298:
"The irony here...is that MS-13 is the junior varsity. MS-13 pays tribute to La Eme. That number '13' marks MS loyalty to the Mexican Mafia. ...La Eme is the big-time, not MS." Couple this up with the info above that imprisonment is no obstacle to continued criminal activity...

SO WHY DO WE HEAR ALMOST ZILCH ABOUT LA EME IN THE MEDIA? WONDER WHY I DON'T RECALL AMERICA'S MOST WANTED EVER COVERING THEM? I'd love to hear whether a year's time has changed the status of this threat.

THIS BOOK WAS PRETTY DANG SCARY. THESE PEOPLE ARE SHOCKINGLY BRUTAL, WELL-FUNDED, WELL-ARMED, WITH TIES TO THOUSANDS OF OTHER GANG MEMBERS, WELL-SPREAD OUT IN MANY STATES. Rene's story is beyond compelling, his redemption inspiring. He deserves a measure of gratitude for opening up to us the reality of this 'cancer' that has permeated throughout our country. AND how difficult La Eme is to counteract. In his debriefing he made many good suggestions for how to interfere with Eme operations; POLITICS, POLITICIANS, COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS AND PRISON RIGHTS GROUPS interfered with implementing his recommendations. Disillusioned, some he described as 'idiots,' others 'corrupt' or cowardly, yet others "well-meaning...who do not understand who they are dealing with. ...Do-gooders should run from [Eme people] like their hair is on fire." [PG292] Some connections fanned out to La Raza and United Farm Workers. There's one recent reviewer here (he's clearly in denial that EVIL DOES exist among us) that thinks Senator Gloria Romero should SUE for mentions of her in the book. Maybe so (tho I don't think she has since the 2008 publication), but any time there's people with power (legal or illegal) and plenty of money, it's like a magnet to some, whether it be due to misguided ideology, greed or vicarious thrills/playing with fire. Luckily most of us can go about our lives unaffected, but we aren't ALL stupid and gullible! Here's one last telling quote which hopefully knocks out some naivete: "['Popeye' Barron, connected to Mexico, wanted to hook up with La Eme] was a 'terrorist' with major supplies of assault weapons, drugs and money and connections in Europe, Colombia, Japan, Jamaica, and Italy. ...the influence Popeye...had with politicians, judges, military officials, and law enforcement. Those contacts extended to a bail bonds company, U.S. embassy workers, Dept of Motor Vehicles employees, Border Patrol agents, a San Diego County sheriff's deputy, and even social services workers..." [PG 210] Get the picture?!

Enriquez takes the cover off and exposes a serious threat, and doesn't flinch at sorting out the 'good guys' and the 'bad.' He freed himself from "that twisted bizarro existence that confused right and wrong." "I don't want to kill anyone ever again. My greatest desire is to be a better man. I want my sons to someday be able to say that their father was a good person who made a lot of terrible mistakes but finally learned - that I ultimately had some positive impact, made a difference." My husband and I did some prison ministry for awhile; we developed discernment because convicts are notoriously skilled manipulators. Enriquez is highly credible in my opinion. Ignore his warnings at your (and our country's) peril.