Author Guide · Investigative Journalism
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For two years Óscar Martínez, a young reporter from El Salvador, rode the freight trains that carry Central American migrants north through Mexico, the trains they call La Bestia, and wrote about the kidnappings, extortion and violence they faced. His dispatches became The Beast. He went on to report on the gangs and killings of his own region for El Faro, the Salvadoran news site he now leads as editor-in-chief. This guide covers all four of his books in order, with which ones you can read in English, and where to start.
By Lisanne Swart · 4 books · Investigative journalism · 2010–2021 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Óscar Martínez has published four books: The Beast (2010), about migrants crossing Mexico; A History of Violence (2016), about gangs and violence in Central America; The Hollywood Kid (2018), written with his brother Juan José Martínez d'Aubuisson, about an MS-13 hitman; and Los muertos y el periodista (2021), a reflection on his work. The first three are available in English.
Where to Start with Óscar Martínez
If you want the famous one
→ Los migrantes que no importan (2010).
If you want Central America
→ A History of Violence (2016).
If you read Spanish
→ Los muertos y el periodista (2021).
All 4 Óscar Martínez Books, in Order
Los migrantes que no importan
Two years travelling with Central American migrants through Mexico, on the freight trains known as La Bestia, through territory controlled by cartels, kidnappers and corrupt police. In English it is The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail, named a book of the year by The Economist and the Financial Times.
A History of Violence
Fourteen pieces he wrote for El Faro between 2011 and 2015 on gangs, massacres, trafficking and the police in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, explaining why so many people flee the region.
El Niño de Hollywood
Written with his brother, the anthropologist Juan José Martínez d'Aubuisson: the life and death of Miguel Angel Tobar, a hitman for the MS-13 gang who became a witness for the prosecution. In English it is The Hollywood Kid.
Los muertos y el periodista
No English edition · available in Spanish
A personal reflection on years of covering violence in El Salvador: the sources, the dead and the responsibilities of the journalist who writes about them.
How Many Books Did Óscar Martínez Write?
Four books between 2010 and 2021, three of them available in English.
- Migration — The Beast (2010). Read the entries →
- Gangs and violence — A History of Violence and The Hollywood Kid. Read the entries →
- Reflection — Los muertos y el periodista (2021). Read the entries →
In What Order to Read Óscar Martínez
His books are not a series, but they follow his career: from the migrant route through Mexico to the violence in Central America that drives people to take it.
A reading path
1. The Beast (2010)
2. A History of Violence (2016)
3. The Hollywood Kid (2018)
Quick facts about Óscar Martínez
- From
- El Salvador
- Works for
- El Faro, editor-in-chief; formerly editor of its organised-crime unit, Sala Negra
- El Faro
- Moved its legal base to Costa Rica in 2023
- In English
- The Beast; A History of Violence; The Hollywood Kid
- Books
- 4, from 2010 to 2021
How Óscar Martínez Works: Staying Close
Martínez reports by staying close to the people he writes about, for months or years: riding the trains with migrants, sitting with gang members and the families of their victims.
He writes in the tradition of Latin American crónica, narrative journalism that tells events through scenes and characters, and he insists on showing the everyday lives of his subjects, not only their violence.
Frequently asked questions about Óscar Martínez's books
How many books has Óscar Martínez written?
Óscar Martínez has published four books: Los migrantes que no importan (2010, in English The Beast), A History of Violence (2016), El Niño de Hollywood (2018, in English The Hollywood Kid) and Los muertos y el periodista (2021).
Which Óscar Martínez books are in English?
Three: The Beast, A History of Violence and The Hollywood Kid. Los muertos y el periodista is available in Spanish.
What is The Beast about?
The Beast is Martínez's account of travelling with Central American migrants through Mexico on the freight trains known as La Bestia.
Footnotes
- El Faro — Wikipedia
- Life and death among the gangs of Central America — The New Republic
- Los muertos y el periodista — Universidad Veracruzana
Bibliography last verified 1 October 2026.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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