Welcome to the rain forest, a medicinal goldmine where amazing new drugs are being developed from plants all the time. In debut author Andrew Baltzegar’s gripping thriller Itapi, dedicated doctor and researcher John Lentz isolates a new drug from one of these plants, and his life quickly turns into a nightmare. Stalked by unseen forces, Dr. Lentz suddenly finds all traces of his find destroyed in a mysterious fire. Even worse, people around him are dying mysteriously, including his colleague who dies in a seemingly random mugging. To his horror, Dr. Lentz learns he is being stalked by a ruthless pharmaceutical company racing to create their own miracle drug, and literally out to kill the competition! Aided by two American expatriates and a warring Amazonian tribe, Dr. Lentz ventures deep into the jungle to find another sample of his mysterious plant. Can he get there in time or will the killers get to him first?

Schooled in Marine biology, author Andrew Baltzegar is acutely aware of our ecosystem and how corporate greed can bankrupt Paradise. Richly atmospheric, Itapi is a fascinating look at the rain forest, where the difference between poison and medicine can often just be the dose. Itapi is as timely as today’s headlines and an edge-of-your-seat thriller that won’t let go until the very last page!

download the first two chapters of Itapi

buy Itapi at Amazon.com