Review Rating:

5 Stars 

Reviewed By Grant Leishman for Readers’ Favorite

In Book Three of The Last Enemy series: The Last Enemy, author Dan E. Hendrickson brings readers the explosive finale of the Cartel Crusher adventures. Commander Jacob Edwards was known throughout Mexico and the American border as the Hero of Cozumel for his exploits over a decade earlier when, as a United States Coast Guard Commander, he foiled a planned assassination of the then Mexican president’s daughter, Marnia Gonzalez, aboard a cruise ship off the coast of Mexico. Marnia would go on to become one of Mexico’s most feared law enforcement agents, known as the Cartel Crusher. Jacob’s actions had put him in direct conflict with some powerful and dangerous people; Boris, a notorious Russian mafioso whose sole ambition was the accumulation of power and money, along with powerful Mexican cartel lord Maximillian Manerez. When Jacob, his wife, and his mother are all killed in a sabotaged plane crash whilst heading to Australia on holiday, it appears Boris has won – but has he really? Marnia believes Jacob was not actually on that plane and is determined to uncover the truth, along with Jacob’s father and his daughter Danielle. 

Having read the first two books in the series, it was a pleasure for me to be reunited with all the old, familiar characters in The Last Enemy. Author Dan E. Hendrickson has drawn characters at the very extremes of human nature, from the intensely patriotic and family-oriented members of the Edwards’ family through to the magnificent evilness of Boris and Maximillian. What I particularly liked about Jacob as a character was that he was flawed and defined by his actions that had seen him proclaimed as the Hero of Cozumel. He knew he had a dark side to him as evidenced that day but he accepted his limitations and still did whatever was necessary to protect his family and his country. I felt the author went out of his way to present positive and uplifting characters on the Mexican and Central American sides. Given the current stereotyping of these people, this was a real plus for me to read. If you like a series with realistic action sequences, lots of twist and turns, plus some good, old-fashioned values and family love, then you shouldn’t miss out on this book and this series. This is an excellent series and one in which the author has grown as a writer. I look forward to what’s next from this author.