A trip to paradise gone awry. The cartel took his son, but contending with a former Soviet special forces officer could be more than they bargained for. "Drug cartels and hostage-taking are among the provocative plot elements in a tumultuous odyssey that takes you from snowy Russia to the highland jungle of old Mexico and finally to Jamaica's beautiful but troubled shores. Rodney Powell brings authority and vivid authenticity on par with the best of classic Tom Clancy thrillers !" Cal THOMAS ─ Syndicated Columnist THE RANSOM is a continuation of THE PARDON , the breakout debut novel by Rodney Powell. Follow the stories of Vladi Gavrilov and Marco Rivera, moving from the Cold War era to the blood-soaked cartel wars of Latin America. Most of the time, we can see good and evil for what they are. But life's journey sometimes takes us through gray areas where our options aren't so clearly defined. How do you choose when the border between right and wrong is blurred and time is running out? Find out in THE RANSOM .... ***"*** Faith, emotion, anxiety, thrill, and a double dose of adventure ... THE RANSOM brings it all. Powell painted such a vivid picture that I could feel, smell, see, hear, and even taste the situations and settings." Col Clinton "Sandy" McNABB ─ USAF, Ret