Part of Gideon Oliver, book 14
First published 2007
Gideon Oliver expects a quiet Amazon adventure aboard a research vessel with botanical scientists. The forensics professor looks forward to observing plant research while drifting down the mighty river. His peaceful cruise shatters when a crazed passenger murders one of the botanists and plunges into the dark waters to escape. Oliver must use his expertise to piece together the crime while navigating the remote jungle setting. The case grows more complex when locals pull a skeleton from the river, its bones picked clean by piranhas. Oliver discovers the fresh remains connect to deeper mysteries lurking in the Amazon basin. He races to solve both deaths before the killer strikes again or vanishes forever into the vast rainforest. The investigation forces Oliver to confront the dangerous realities of human nature in an isolated environment where civilization's rules barely apply.
Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water
Setting: Amazon, Amazon Basin
304 pages · Hardcover · Berkley Hardcover