{"product_id":"2940152425949","title":"THE TAKEDOWN: A Suburban Mom, A Coal Miner's Son, and the Unlikely Demise of Colombia's Brutal Norte Valle Cartel","description":"\u003cp\u003eIf ever there was an odd couple.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA suburban mom and a coal miner's son.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBonnie Klapper is an attractive, funny, off-beat but tenacious federal prosecutor who constantly thinks out of the box, often to the chagrin of her superiors. She is a full-time Assistant US Attorney, and a full-time mom to two sons, one of whom is a special needs child.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow retired Special Agent Romedio \"Rooney\" Viola —- first of US Customs then of the Department of Homeland Security —- is a slightly built, larger-than-life eccentric from West Virginia whose reputation was based on his obsessive-compulsive pursuit of fugitives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey were brought together by happenstance while both were assigned to the \"El Dorado Task Force,\" operating out of the World Trade Center. A raid on three wire remitters in Queens, New York uncovered huge amounts of drug money being sent to three tiny villages in Colombia that no one had ever heard of.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNeither the Justice Department nor the Treasury Department seemed terribly concerned with where the money was going, as long as this flow of drug cash was stopped.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut Bonnie and Rooney wanted to know more.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWorking together out of her tiny office in the implausible outpost of Hauppauge, Long Island, they set off on a 13 year journey to dismantle —- systematically —- the Colombian cartel responsible for 60% of all the cocaine coming into the United States.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHer superiors at Justice and his superiors at what was then Immigration and Customs Enforcement were quick to write them both off as dreamers. Management believed there were enough drug dealers in the greater New York area to keep everyone busy for a long time. Taking down a barbarous gang of traffickers and murderers 2500 miles away, was pure fantasy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut Bonnie wasn't so sure.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd Rooney didn't give a damn what they thought.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e• ***********************************************\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePRAISE FOR JEFFREY ROBINSON'S THE TAKEDOWN\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A gripping end-of-summer read. \"—Daily Beast (This Weeks Must Read - 9\/2\/11)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A real-life Law \u0026amp; Order... the narrative crackles with authenticity.\"— Kirkus Reviews\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A tribute to Robinson's storytelling...\"— Publishers Weekly\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A fascinating, behind-the-scenes look.\"— Booklist\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Jeffrey Robinson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47110621004016,"sku":"2940152425949","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940152425949_p0.jpg?v=1764020119","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940152425949","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}