The true-crime story of a U.S. Border Patrol agent turned serial killer, the four sex workers whom he killed, and the upended border town of Laredo where his crimes occurred.
It’s gripping stuff. It’s also moving because Jervis takes care to put the women — Melissa Ramirez, Claudine Luera, "Chelly" Cantu and Janelle Ortiz — at his book’s center. Despite its title, Devil is really about the poverty, addiction and racism that put these four in the path of danger.
Jervis delivers the tragic, headline-grabbing story with staccato precision and emotional depth ... Jervis excels at conveying the frenzy of Ortiz’s crimes and his dramatic capture.
The author contrasts Ortiz’s seedy unraveling with the difficult lives of his victims. He empathetically reconstructs their lives and the complex social network that marginalized people depend on ... An affecting true-crime drama that captures unsettling realities of the southern border.
