Buried Secrets: A True Story of Drug Running, Black Magic, and Human Sacrifice (Hardcover)

~ Edward Humes (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Although others have written of the mass killings in Matamoros, Mexico, between 1985 and 1988, Pulitzer Prize winner Humes of the Orange County Register in California offers here the definitive study. Cult leader Adolfo Constanzo, a bisexual Cuban-American devoted to the Afro-Caribbean religion of Santeria and its black-magic offshoot Palo Mayombe, set himself up as a magician and fortune teller in Mexico City in the mid-'80s. Constanzo soon attracted disciples, who obeyed him out of either fear or love, and he saw that more money was to be made from drugs than from reading cards. As his involvement with the drug trade increased, so did the torture-murders he asserted were necessary to sustain his power. The kidnapping and ritual murder of American student Mark Kilroy eventually brought about his downfall; Constanzo was killed in a shoot-out and most of his chief followers sentenced to prison. Humes provides an extensive background examining Caribbean religions and pseudo-religions, the feuds between federal and local police in Mexico and between the DEA and customs officials in the U.S., and, most intriguingly, the power of superstition south of the border. One of the best true-crime tales in recent time. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

When Mark Kilroy, an American student on his spring break, disappeared in 1988 in the Mexican border town of Matamoros, an intensive search for him proved fruitless. However, a roadblock set up to catch drug smugglers led to the discovery of his mutilated body on an isolated ranch. He had been killed by a small group of believers in Palo Mayombe, an offshoot of the Santeria religion that merges Christianity and African magic. Believing that human sacrifice gave him a magical invincibility, Adolpho Constanzo, the cult's leader, used his malevolent magnetism to manipulate his followers into committing murder 24 times. Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Humes, with access to the records of the principals involved, Drug Enforcement Agency materials, and extensive interviews, has written a chilling story of murder and religous mania. Although extremely grisly in detail, this book will be in demand. Recommended.
- Sandra K. Lindheimer, Middlesex Law Lib., Cambridge, Mass.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (February 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052524946X
• ISBN-13: 978-0525249467
• Product Dimensions: 20 x 20 x 20 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #865,393 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SCARY STUFF AND ALL TOO REAL!!, October 28, 2003

By	"tek_trader" (Cape Canaveral, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This book literally scared me!! I am an avid reader of horror, sci fi and true crime, but this one was the wildest tale I'd ever encountered. Adolpho deJesus Constanzo, a Cuban American, takes up residence in Mexico and acquires a cult. The religion he practices is a mix of Santeria and Payo Mayombe, an ancient African religion which steals souls through murder and acquires power through blood rites. He tortures and kills his victims in horrendous fashion and "steals their souls" as they scream to their death. Some of the murder scenes were so graphic I could barely read them. The cult is a bunch of drug runners (shoes drop all over the place in this one!) who beleive they are invisible and invincible through the powers of their Priest. The Priest is also bisexual, acquiring female Preistesses and male devotees alike. Most of his early victims are rival drug dealers. They run into trouble when Constanzo insists on a blonde American victim and they steal a college kid who is out partying across the border. Buried Secrets is an understatement when you realize how many bodies are finally unearthed on discovery. In the end, the Preist has his followers kill him on the promise that he can easily return. Hair raising, on a par with the Exorcist for those of us with Christian backgrounds. This man was so evil I nearly beleived he could come back!! Read this at your own risk. Not for the squeamish. Although, I must admit I read it several times and I recommend it highly for anyone who is an avid reader of true crime or books about the occult.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FREAKIN SCARY AND TRUE!!, March 8, 2007

By	Margarito Espinoza Jr. "will-e" (Harlingen, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am from the area where this happened, and i remember seeing this on tv, when they unearthed all the bodies in the Ranch of Santa Elena. To this day, i dont think i've seen a scarier true story of mass murder than this. when i read this book, it literally blew my mind!! i am not easily scared, and this book is scarier than any movie out there. the book covers the early life and up bringing of the cult leader and how he rose to power using magic, and eventually capturing the young blonde spring breaker who was partying in mexico, tortured and killed him along with many many others. i believe it was over 40 bodies that were found, well, peices of them. you really need to read this. it will get you hooked!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, February 26, 2008

By	J. Wilson (Warrenton, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As I first began to read this book, I wasn't sure I'd be able to stomach it, but Edward Humes has written a superb book on Adolfo Constanzo and his "cult".

Constanzo, a Cuban-American born in a family where their religion routinely sacrificed animals, was raised to believe he had special powers. In the 1980s, Constanzo moved to Mexico, and read fortunes and performed "cleansings" which involved animal sacrifices to help his clients achieve fame, wealth and protection. Constanzo had some people believing in his magic so strongly that they actually thought they'd be invisible to police and impervious to bullets.

As successful as he was, Constanzo wanted more power and money, and turned his energies to drug smuggling. Constanzo became more sadistic and delusional, and justified human sacrifice in order to provide shelter from harm (as well as remove competition), but it didn't stop at murder - he wanted to torture, rape and dismember in the name of his religion. Sadly, 15 victims were found buried near the shed where the rituals occurred, one of whom was American student Mark Kilroy.

There's a lot of background on each of his followers, the culture and people of Matamoras, and the Santeria and Palo Mayombe religions. There's also interesting information on Mexican law enforcement and corruption, and the distrust between their agencies and US agencies.

I would highly recommend this book.