The Alpha Males

About the Book

Along the rivers of Central West Africa tales of lost treasure are as common as mosquitoes; so when Charlie Gordon and Nick Nikkemba hear yet another story, they’re skeptical. This story, however, seems a little more probable. Vic Rice, an American diamond merchant, tells Charlie and Nick that during World War II a plane carrying a load of diamonds to finance the war effort was flying north from South Africa when it crashed into an area of dense jungle. Rice hires Charlie and Nick to guide him through the area where the plane is most likely to be. A complication is that Cavelli, an American gangster, is also looking for the diamonds and has hired two mercenaries, Mason and Piper, to guide him. Charlie, Nick, and Rice learn that these men are watching them and so make an escape by riverboat on their way to the jungle. But Cavelli and Piper, led by the homicidal Mason, are in close pursuit. Law enforcement outside the cities in this country is the responsibility of the Patrol Service, and Captain Jolo and Sergeant Amed are in charge of the local branch. They learn what’s going on and so, with two of their men, take off in pursuit of the first two groups. As they make their way through the jungle, Rice proves to be a fast learner who accepts the hardships without complaining; a trait that makes a good impression on Charlie and Nick. Cavelli, by contrast, is a whiner who complains about everything, leading the ill-tempered Mason to be on the verge of killing him. Jolo and his men, all tough veterans, are tailing the other two groups. When they finally locate the plane, it leads to a shootout between the three groups that has surprising results. Even more surprising is what they find inside the plane.

About the Author

George Buford is a professor of classical studies at the Missouri School of Veterinary Medicine. He did not violate the American embargo on travel to Cuba by going to Mexico on a false passport and then flying to Cuba. He didn’t do that. Honest.