Then he is on to Panama to help an old friend find buried Incan treasure ( I know the Incas were not indigenous to that area but that’s all part of the tale). He finds the campsite littered with corpses both human and animal. Just as he is about to investigate, boats arrive with Panamanian soldiers and a lovely American captain (warning love interest sighted). As they are getting acquainted a twelve year old survivor attaches himself to the duo and everyone flees as helicopters full of Chinese soldiers strafe the area and throw dynamite.

For more than 500 pages Mercer solves it all. He uncovers the plot to control the Canal, figures out how the treasure hunters died, evades the acupuncture torturer, escapes death at least five times, dodges bullets, resists lethal gas, discovers the ancient treasure and wins the hearts and minds of the twelve year old and lady soldier. She just happens to be a skilled scuba diver, Spanish linguist, weapons expert, and general’s daughter. Due to this last attribute that she is able to summon Special Forces teams, helicopters, armaments, and even a battleship simply by telling “Daddy” what she suspects. But that’s not all - be sure to include Harry, Mercer’s one-legged 80 year old dipsomaniac retired sailor neighbor, a French spy, assorted Foreign Legionaries, a former canal pilot, and many accommodating Panamanians and you have the forces of good. They are arrayed against evil Chinese attempting to blackmail the United States in a repeat of the Cuban missile crisis, manipulating military men and corrupt officials.

The plot is quite complex and difficult to follow at times and it does get tiring when Mercer can always do just the right thing. It reminds me of how James Bond can pull out one of Q’s devices in the nick of time to save the world. There are hints of Tom Clancy in the descriptions of weaponry and Fredrick Forsyth in the skirmishes. There is even a little Roald Dahl in the improbable escape in a luxury car inside a freighter. Did I mention Mercer is carrying a wounded comrade at the same time? I told you to suspend your disbelief.

On the whole it is a good yarn with occasional lapses into fantasy. It is just good escapist (in more ways than one) literature. The map is quite helpful for those unacquainted with Panamanian geography. Having lived in the former Canal Zone for several years, I appreciated DeBrul’s descriptions of the area. In his acknowledgements he admits that some of the technology he uses is still in the developmental stage and that its capabilities surpass what he portrays. For all his impressive research he did make one mistake (the author not Mercer) in that a captured soldier recites only name, rank and serial number. Since Vietnam social security numbers are used instead of serial numbers.

Like James Bond Philip Mercer has a new woman for each adventure but postpones romantic involvement until he has made the world safe from the latest gang seeking world domination. Perhaps he needs a different woman every time due to his persistence in always being right.

--Jane Davis