Murderer, philanthropist, drug dealer, politician, devil, saint:
many words have been used to describe Pablo Escobar, but one is
irrefutable - legend. For the poor of Colombia, he was their Robin
Hood, a man whose greatness lay not in his crimes, but in his
charity; for the Colombian rich he was just a bloodthirsty
gangster, a Bogie Man used to scare children in their beds; for the
rest of the world flush with his imported cocaine, he was public
enemy number one. During his reign as the world's most
notorious outlaw, he ordered the murder of thousands - at one point
even bombing a passenger jet - smuggled drugs into the US in
mini-submarines inspired by Bond films, was elected to parliament,
staged midnight escapes through the jungle from whole army
battalions, built his own prison, consorted with presidents,
controlled an estimated fortune of over $20 billion, and for over 3
years outwitted the secret American forces sent to kill him. His
ambition was as boundless as his violence, and neither was ever
satisfied. This is the first major, and definitive, biography of
this remarkable criminal life, told in jaw-dropping detail by the
one man who, more than any other, can understand just how far he
came and just how low he fell: his brother, Roberto Escobar.
Told with a cool reserve... Escobar's life makes for a grim, ensnaring tale. -- Kirkus Reviews Jaw-dropping... Roberto's portrait of his brother is an important corrective -- Misha Glenny, The Sunday Times More eye-opening than a line of coke -- Melanie McGrath, Evening Standard Escobar led such an extraordinary life that the narrative is always absorbing. -- Independent Authoritative ... remarkable. -- Daily Express
Roberto Escobar operated for over fifteen years as the accountant for Pablo Escobar's Medellin drug cartel. After handing himself into the Colombian authorities in 1992, he was placed in a maximum security prison, until his release in 2004. He now lives on a farm in rural Colombia.
