Book Description

In the tradition of authors Jill Leovy and Beth Macy, award-winning Buzzfeed investigative journalist Jessica Garrison unravels the real-life story of Jose Martinez, a serial killer and drug cartel debt collector responsible for the murders of Latinos in the impoverished towns of California's Central Valley, and sheds light on the lack of protection for the poor <!--[if !supportAnnotations]--><!--[endif]--> THE DEVIL'S HARVEST tells the story of Jose Martinez, a ruthless drug cartel hitman who ravaged California's Central Valley with murder after murder while their police forces did nothing. Widely known as a loving father and devoted son, he was also a merciless murderer and responsible for numerous kidnappings and illegal shipments of drugs and weapons. Though he painted himself as a modern Robin Hood, his victims' families and the larger community suffered immensely during his 35-year reign of terror. In the end, Martinez was only caught because he confessed to the authorities in order to spare his family from increasing law enforcement pressure; otherwise, he could have gotten away with it, because as he said, he was "so damn good" at killing. How was Martinez able to kill with such impunity? Because instinctively, Martinez understood a dark truth about the criminal justice system: if you kill the right people-people who are poor, who are not white, who are often presumed to be criminals, and who don't have anyone to speak up for them-nobody tries that hard to catch you. Combining the pacing and suspense of a crime thriller with the reporting rigor and depth of an award-winning investigative journalist, THE DEVIL'S HARVEST presses upon moral questions haunting our politically divided country: why do some deaths-and some lives-matter more than others?