Mexico

Set in Mexico, the 12 stories in Barkan’s (Blind Speed) collection broadly explore the pervasive, violent impact of drug cartels on the country’s citizens and culture. In “The Chef and El Chapo,” a Mexico City chef prepares an entrée seasoned with human blood for an infamous drug lord. A doctor accidentally kills a narco during surgery in “The Plastic Surgeon,” and a sharpshooter reflects on his role in the death of a fellow soldier in “The Sharpshooter.” The title character of “The American Journalist” is forced to choose between safety and journalistic integrity. “Everything Else Is Going to Be Fine” features some simplistic writing on the complicated issue of homosexuality in Mexico. For a collection about such a vibrant, complex country, the writer’s reliance on generalities is disappointing (“Mexico was a place of tamales and tacos, mariachi bands and guacamole”), as if its details were sourced not from experience but from a tour guide. (Jan.)