The Lord of Opium

Readers of Nancy Farmer’s award-winning 2002 novel, The House of the Scorpion, are familiar with the country of Opium, epicenter of the Drug Confederacy, and an imagined future when drug lords have the power of kings. After the death of Matteo Alacrán (aka El Patrón), attendees at his funeral unknowingly consumed poisoned wine, killing all…