The Devil's Elixir    by Raymond Khoury Order:  USA  Can Dutton, 2011 (2011) Hardcover, CD, e-Book      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth From Raymond Khoury (the New York Times best-selling author of The Templar Salvation) comes a new thriller, The Devil's Elixir, that will certainly keep readers on their toes – on every page. We travel from the 1700s – meeting shamans involved in mysterious religious rites, with drug use to accompany those rites - to the present day when a mysterious elixir is discovered. In today's parlance it 'will make meth seem as boring as aspirin.' The consequences of such a drug would unsettle the global community with unforeseen havoc. Raoul Navarro is a drug lord to be reckoned with. Cruel, dangerous and ruthless, he sees no reason to abstain from taking what he wants - in any manner necessary to achieve his goals. He intends to find the elixir and synthesize it for mass distribution. Of course, there are those who see the problem very clearly and attempt to thwart Navarro. This leads to death – many are eliminated - and thrilling scenes as the good guys try to prevent this man from obtaining his heart's desire. A thread of romance is woven in, but just to further the story. Because he is the author, Khoury gets to expound on his take on the drug industry. He explains just what is happening with Mexico and Mexico's part in drug marketing. Also the U.S. role in helping to make this the scourge of the world. It is excellently put, and this discourse did not in any way diminish the thrilling story in The Devil's Elixir. It's a tightly written tale that works in every detail. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews