by Robert Stone
First published 1983
Frank Holliwell, an anthropologist and former CIA operative, travels to a fictional Central American country torn by civil war. He encounters Sister Justin, an idealistic nun working among the poor, and Pablo Tabor, a drifter running guns for the revolutionaries. The three Americans find themselves pulled into the brutal conflict as government forces crack down on dissent. Holliwell struggles with his past intelligence work while Sister Justin's humanitarian efforts put her at odds with both the military regime and her own church. Tabor's smuggling operation grows increasingly dangerous as the violence escalates. Their paths converge in a nation where moral certainties collapse under the weight of political terror. Stone examines how ordinary people become complicit in extraordinary violence when caught between competing ideologies and survival instincts.
Genres: american-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, political-thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Central America
Period: 20th Century
Paperback · Ultramar
Content warnings: violence