Fear Is Just a WordFear Is Just a Word

The riveting true story of a remarkable woman who pursued her own brand of justice to avenge the kidnapping and murder of her daughter by a ruthless Mexican drug cartel-from a global investigative correspondent for The New York Times Fear Is Just a Word begins on an international bridge between Mexico and the United States as a fifty-six-year-old woman named Miriam Rodríguez stalks one of the men she believes was involved in the murder of her daughter, Karen. He is her target #11, and a member of the drug cartel that has terrorized Miriam's once-quiet hometown of San Fernando, almost one hundred miles from the U.S. border. Having dyed her hair red as a disguise and staying just out of sight, Miriam orchestrates the arrest of this man, holding him until police come, and exacting her own version of justice. Even though Miriam had paid ransom money she could not afford, in hopes of saving Karen, her daughter was never returned. Finally, with no other options, Miriam decided that "fear is just a word," and she began a bold campaign to track down Karen's killers, and then to create a community to help other victimized families pursue justice. This is one mother's extraordinary story, but Karen Rodríguez is just one of the many people who have disappeared. Fear Is Just a Word also charts the history of how cartels built their control in Mexico, over many years, escalating the use of violence as messaging and dominance, and how-for money, control, and intimidation-hundreds of victims have been kidnapped and murdered. Propulsively readable, deeply researched, and brilliantly written, Fear Is Just a Word is an unforgettable and moving portrait of a woman, a town, and a country, and of what can happen when violent forces gain power in a nation, leaving people to seek justice on their own.