Subtitle: A True Story of Serial Murder South of the Border.

Beginning in 1993, the residents of Juárez, Mexico, just across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas, became aware of a disturbing frequency of murders of young women. The women were mostly young, slender, and with long hair. They disappeared in broad daylight, from bus stops or while walking home from their jobs in factories or downtown shops. Their bodies were typically found in the surrounding desert, usually days or weeks after they disappeared, with the result that there was little evidence remaining. And yet the families claimed that authorities took the murders too lightly.

Investigators bungled or just ignored standard procedures, failed to collect and secure (or just lost or destroyed) key evidence, and relied on torture of random suspects to secure “confessions” and clear the dockets. The continued murders attracted international attention, but despite heightened scrutiny the crimes and lack of prosecution continued.

Journalist Teresa Rodríguez was a reporter for Univision and spent considerable time in the area interviewing families, suspects, prosecutors and police officials (when allowed to). This is her report of the time up to about 2005. It’s well researched and the story is presented in a manner that is easy to absorb, however distressing the subject.

Some estimate that at least 350 women were murdered between 1993 and 2005. It seems that the machismo culture put little value on these women. But Rodríguez makes it clear that there was considerable corruption and/or ineptitude among authorities. The most disturbing thing to me is that the book leaves the reader with more questions than answers. ( )

This was a difficult and frustrating read. Difficult because of the subject matter. Frustrating because of the wide spread corruption of the police in the city of Juarez. I couldn't believe how they treated the families of the victims, and I felt impotence and anger on their behalf. Equally frustrating is the fact that there is no resolution to the problem. The book ends and the murders still go on. Justice is not attained. ( )

Amazing research and legwork went into unravelling these important stories. After a while, however, I became numb to all the official lies and reversals. The poor in Juarez are completely at the mercy of the police. A stunning disgrace ( )

This is such a sad story about these forgotten women killed in Juarez, Mexico. Hundreds of women have been raped, tortured, and murdered and it seems very few people other than the families care. It seems there are a multitude of suspects (police, gangs, serial killer) but the crimes keep happening and justice does not seem to be served. I know that the justice system in the US does not always work, but at least we have a justice system. This book will leave you shocked, saddened, and appalled at the state this border town is in. These women should not be forgotten and not shoved under the rug with no justice. ( )

Just across the United States-Mexico border in Juarez, nearly 400 bodies of women who had been tortured, raped, and murdered had been recovered by 2005 – with at least as many women counted in the ranks of the missing. Many of the bodies bore striking resemblances in the wounds and violence done to them, suggesting the work of one or more serial killers at work. Corrupt and inept government agencies, including the police and prosecutors, have still not closed more than a handful of the investigations, and even those that have been closed suggest frame-ups.

Teresa Rodriguez, a Univision investigative reporter, describes the murders and failed investigations in minute detail, beginning with the earliest discoveries of brutalized and murdered women in the harsh desert outside Juarez, Mexico in 1995. Since that time, hundreds of women have gone missing, some resurfacing as partially skeletonized remains that bear the marks of extreme torture and violence. The question of who is responsible – one or more serial killers, narco-traffickers, police – remains unanswered. The only thing that rivals the brutalization of the victims is the brutalization of many of the ‘suspects’ in the search for ‘confessions.’ Ultimately, the story points as much to a disregard for human rights on any level as it does to a story of crime and justice.

Rodriguez’ only failing is the sometimes melodramatic tone she sets with her prose. The story is urgent and gripping without any dressing up, and Rodriguez would have done well to stick to a more ‘just the facts, ma’am’ style to get her point across.

Bottom Line: A largely unknown but important story – well-researched and well-told, if a little melodramatic sometimes.

4 bones!!!! ( )