In this riveting and relentless nonfiction thriller, award-winning investigative reporter William C. Rempel tells the harrowing story of former Cali cartel insider Jorge Salcedo, an ordinary man facing an extraordinary dilemma—a man forced to risk everything to escape the powerful and treacherous Cali crime syndicate. Colombia in the 1990s is a country in chaos, as a weak government battles guerrilla movements and narco-traffickers, including the notorious Pablo Escobar and his rivals in the Cali cartel. Enter Jorge Salcedo, a part-time soldier, a gifted engineer, a respected businessman and family man—and a man who despises Pablo Escobar for patriotic and deeply personal reasons. He is introduced to the godfathers of the Cali cartel, who are at war with Escobar and desperately want their foe dead. With mixed feelings, Jorge agrees to help them. Once inside, Jorge rises to become head of security for Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela, principal godfather of the $7-billion-a-year Cali drug cartel. Jorge tries to turn a blind eye to the violence, corruption, and brutality that surround him, and he struggles privately to preserve his integrity even as he is drawn deeper into the web of cartel operations. Then comes an order from the godfathers that he can’t obey—but can’t refuse. Jorge realizes that his only way out is to bring down the biggest, richest crime syndicate of all time. Thus begins a heart-pumping roller-coaster ride of intensifying peril. Secretly aided by a pair of young American DEA agents, Jorge races time and cartel assassins to extract damaging evidence, help capture the fugitive godfather, and save the life of a witness targeted for murder. Through it all, death lurks a single misstep away. William C. Rempel is the only reporter with access to this story and to Jorge, who remains in hiding somewhere in the United States—even the author doesn’t know where—but has revealed his experience in gripping detail. Salcedo’s is the story of one extraordinary ordinary man forced to risk everything to end a nightmare of his own making.

zlib/no-category/William C. Rempel/At the Devil's Table_118150613.azw

Rempel, William C.

Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Random House, Incorporated

Random House AudioBooks

1st ed., New York, New York State, 2011

United States, United States of America

Unabridged, New York, 2013

5, 2011

azw

Includes bibliographical references (p. [329]-331) and index.

In this riveting and relentless nonfiction thriller, award-winning investigative reporter William C. Rempel tells the harrowing story of former Cali cartel insider Jorge Salcedo, an ordinary man facing an extraordinary dilemma'a man forced to risk everything to escape the powerful and treacherous Cali crime syndicate. Colombia in the 1990s is a country in chaos, as a weak government battles guerrilla movements and narco-traffickers, including the notorious Pablo Escobar and his rivals in the Cali cartel. Enter Jorge Salcedo, a part-time soldier, a gifted engineer, a respected businessman and family man'and a man who despises Pablo Escobar for patriotic and deeply personal reasons. He is introduced to the godfathers of the Cali cartel, who are at war with Escobar and desperately want their foe dead. With mixed feelings, Jorge agrees to help them. Once inside, Jorge rises to become head of security for Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela, principal godfather of the $7-billion-a-year Cali drug cartel. Jorge tries to turn a blind eye to the violence, corruption, and brutality that surround him, and he struggles privately to preserve his integrity even as he is drawn deeper into the web of cartel operations. Then comes an order from the godfathers that he can't obey'but can't refuse. Jorge realizes that his only way out is to bring down the biggest, richest crime syndicate of all time. Thus begins a heart-pumping roller-coaster ride of intensifying peril. Secretly aided by a pair of young American DEA agents, Jorge races time and cartel assassins to extract damaging evidence, help capture the fugitive godfather, and save the life of a witness targeted for murder. Through it all, death lurks a single misstep away. William C. Rempel is the only reporter with access to this story and to Jorge, who remains in hiding somewhere in the United States'even the author doesn't know where'but has revealed his experience in gripping detail. Salcedo's is the story of one extraordinary ordinary man forced to risk everything to end a nightmare of his own making. From the Hardcover edition

The Cartel war years, 1989-1993
Six and a half years earlier
A terrible noise
El Doctor and the gentlemen
Welcome to the Cartel
Target : Pablo
Prisoner of the clouds
Maternity and martial law
The witch knows best
How many did you kill?
In the Cartel's secret service
Meet the rival
Sting of the dragonfly
Get me a fork
Into the black market
The dark side
The hauntings
A shot at the FBI
In too deep
The Cartel's man, 1993-1995
A life sentence
The new deals
Far from heroic
One honest man
Sex, spies, and videotape
The vulture account
Her name was Emilia
New kids in town
The limit
The last days, summer 1995
More wrong number
A killer's busy day
El Dorado in a desk
Love in the time of crisis
Who is Pallomari?
They're coming
Please don't leave
I'm dead
Very strange
The gay caballeros
Go for it
The rising son
Race the assassin
A weekend funeral
We know what you're doing
The man who used to be
Epilogue: wrapping up
Appendix: Jorge and me.

Traces the collaborative effort between two U.S. agents and a security chief for a notorious Colombian drug cartel to dismantle the organization and bring its leaders to justice, a life-risking venture marked by a race to protect the life of a key witness.

2025-01-15