A Tourist in the Yucatan

by James McNay Brumfield

Book Overview

Journey to the sun-washed resort of Cancun and follow a young American couple on a trip into the jungles of the Yucatan Peninsula. Adventure turns to terror when Jack's wife, Josephine, disappears and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0974530905
• ISBN13: 9780974530901
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Tres Picos Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Thrills, Intrigue, Conspiracy, Deceit and a hell of a story weaved herein.

I first heard of this book when I read a review for one of Preston-Child's books. The comment was to read this instead. Sure. Well, after seeing several such unrelated comments scattered around, I ordered the book and kept it on the back burner for when I needed a book for a plane or beach or rainy day etc.. I finally picked it up and to tell you the truth, I could barely put it down. Sure it's not as polished as some established writers but for a first novel it's outstanding. Actually after you're caught up in the intrigue and suspense the seeming lack of polish basically disappears and you're reading something that should've been on the New York Times best seller list, really. Well done, Mr. Brumfield. In a nutshell the protaganist and his wife get caught up in a myriad train of events while wrapping up a Yucatan vacation. The trail that leads Jack to track down his kidnapped wife takes him through a Mayan nightmare of stolen artifacts, murder (nearly his own several times) and very dangerous, ruthless characters tied somehow to an upcoming Mexican election with ties to Washington that would ultimately favor one man's drug empire if all went according to plan but will it? Shifting between Washington and the various locales in the Yucatan the interest and intensity never lets up. I thoroughly recommend it. Hands down.

A fast-paced and highly enjoyable read with tasty cultural tidbits

I first read 'Yucatan' a few years ago, and was delighted to see it republished. It had me holding my breath even the second time around. Jack and Jo Phillips are on vacation in Mexico, kicking back and visiting the sites of ancient ruins. They meet up with Stephen Potter, a man who seems quite familiar with the Mayan culture. The three travel to Chichen-Itza and run into Jack's old buddy, Gus Wise, an archeologist on a dig in Coba. Gus tells an intriguing tale of his dig, and explains why he can't meet them in Merida. Instead, Stephen Potter travels to Merida with Jack and Jo. In Merida, Jack runs out for coffee and discovers that Stephen Potter is on the front pages of the newspapers as a wanted drug smuggler. Racing back to the hotel, he finds Stephen dead and his wife missing. Jack is taken to the police station and interrogated, but before he can be locked up there is an attempt on his life and a rescue by a stranger. The stranger turns out to be Travis Horn, who says he wants to help Jack, but has mysteriously picked up Potter's red duffle bag. Jack knows he's in trouble, and knows that there is no one he can trust. Slipping through the fingers of both the law and Horn, he makes his way to Gus's dig site in Coba. It seems Gus is missing also, so Jack takes up with Hector Flores, the archeologist left in charge of the dig. Hector is the only one that Jack now trusts, and he is torn between attempting to flee Mexico and finding his still missing wife. The action shifts from the tropics of Mexico to the political boardrooms of Washington DC's State Department and FBI offices. Here we meet Nelson Carlton, an alcoholic has-been waiting for retirement who has been assigned to investigate 'Operation Raven', a hush-hush project under the direction of Senator J.J. Hightower, an influential man about to be named a Vice Presidential nominee. Two men under Hightower have already mysteriously died, and a foiled attempt on Hightower's life has left the Senator in a highly public position. Carlton is aware that he was chosen for this assignment as a scapegoat, and swears to discover the truth behind 'Operation Raven'. He senses a connection between the covert agents abandoned in the Yucatan and the assassinations in WA DC, but knows that he won't be taken seriously. Jack's trials are far from over; he is still being hunted by the Mexican authorities and by the mysterious Travis Horn. Carlton's worries have just begun when the rat he uncovers begins to stink. The duel intrigue of a single battle being fought by very different men under very different circumstances lends itself to a story that moves so fast it is very difficult to put down. 'A Tourist In The Yucatan' is one of my favorite books. Brumfield writes of the Mayan culture and jungles with such descriptive precision that I could feel the humidity and smell the dirt and greenery. A subterranean scene left me as breathless as if I were exploring the dark passages myself. Th

Brilliant thriller!

My husband bought this book before our trip to Cancun. We did not realize we had planned our trip during hurricane season (I guess that is why we got such good deals!) I am not typically a big reader, especially of fiction, but with with a few stormy days to pass I started this book. I was quickly hooked and could not put it it back down! The story concerns a young American couple that is on holiday in the Yucatan when the wife goes missing. The husband goes half-mad trying to figure out what happended to her while at the same time finding himself on the run from the Mexican Police, and other assorted bad characters. Aside from the brilliant thriller story, with plenty of juicy sub-plots, the author does a great job describing the ancient ruin sites of the Mayan's - Chichen Itza and Coba. In fact, since the diving was so poor (because of the storms) we took an unplanned tour of Chichen Itza and it ended up being the highlight of our trip! I can highly recommend this for beach reading for any one looking for a great story and also learn a little about the Yucatan.

Adventure, thrills, and mystery

This is worthy thriller adventure! It is kind of a cool cross between Clancy, Ludlum, Cussler, and Indiana Jones. The tale of a Young married couple (Americans) who, while vacationing in Mexico, find themselfs tangled up with the wrong people - I don't want to say too much and spoil the surprises. But to give you an idea: A portion of the story involves a State Department spook (Clancyish), then you have the everyday Guy on the run in a foriegn country, from powers he doesn't understand-both the good and bad guys want him dead (Ludlumish), there is one mysterous stranger who kind of reminded me of Dirk Pitt (Cusslerish), and then there is the setting of the ancient Mayan cities lost in the jungle (Indiana Jonesish). Best of all I found most of the thrills, action, and plot mostly beliveable, (something I cannot say of a lot of books I've read lately). At least the author did not have me questioning the probability of each action scene or forcing me to suspend my beliefs in human endurance or physics. If you like adventure-thrillers and maybe want to learn a little about the ancient Mayans this might be the book for you! If you have any good suggestions for adventure thrillers please email them to me!

Just like I remembered

I took an extended vacation on the Yucatan in the late 1980ies and the author describes the places just as I remembered them; chichen itza, Coba, Merida, Playa del Carmen. . . And what an exciting story! better clear out a weekend to read, for once you start you won't want to put it down.