Written by Douglas Kimball

Publisher Description

Colin Campbell is developing the first black pepper plantation in the West Indies. His days are spent clearing jungle, planting and fighting vipers. His nights are spent playing jazz piano at a local bar and enjoying the company of the local ladies. He meets Alan Greene at a jazz festival in Limon. Alan, a Canadian botanist, is marooned in Costa Rica, abandoned when his employer curtailed his mission. (He refused to leave his outpost so he could complete research on the native herbal traditions.) Alan agrees to help Colin, known locally as El Colonel, with his pepper propagation problems in exchange for a small salary, room, board, and help getting to the Canadian Embassy to clear up his visa issues, gain access to funds, and exit Costa Rica.

But Alan does not leave Costa Rica. He and Colin develop an abiding friendship while navigating…