Hail The Conquering Hero

I haven't read the prequel of this book, The Old Gods Laugh, but turned out Frank Yerby's Hail The Conquering Hero A Novel, which was published in 1978, could be enjoyed on its own. This is not an easy book to read, at least for me, because of its richness, either in details and languages, and its topic. It's a story about James Rush, an American sent to be his country's ambassador to Caribbean Republic of Costa Verde, which is led by a dictator who does not hesitate to use violence and tortures to get rid of his enemies and to achieve what he wants.

Jim Rush has had experienced in the State Department as Consul in Latin America countries, and takes the offer to prove to himself that he can handle a difficult assignment, before quitting. He is chosen because of Ed Crowley, an oil tycoon, his ex-boss, has used his influence and wants him to help his only daughter gets out of Costa Verde. Jenny has been accused of murder, is now missing and wanted by the FBI. When Jim's plane is about to land in Costa Verde, it is clear that he is not wanted there: a plane is shot down, all its passengers are dead. Although Jim is alive, he has to bear the thought that the terrorists has shot the wrong plane and those people die because of him. 'I'm living on borrowed time,' he thought, 'the time you lent me, friends...' Plus, his life is continuously in danger for it wasn't the last of the attempts to murder him.

However Jim is not alone and he has friends, for they have suffered long under the dictatorship, who are willing to help him. His office and house are bugged and they put spies among his staff, but Jim can carry out his plans to find Jenny, who is in a dangerous man's hands, Joe Harper, a drug smuggler, who later will become Jim's big enemy. As the American Ambassador, Jim is popular in Costa Verde, especially among its women, and later the government's plan to remove him backfired, and the rebels take over the power.