Law of the Jungle: The Hunt for Colombian Guerrillas, American Hostages, and Buried Treasure

By John Otis

Book Overview

Law of the Jungle by John Otis is a wild and riveting true story of kidnapping and drug trafficking in the jungles of South America. Written by a 20-year veteran reporter based in Colombia--the only reporter qualified to tell the tale--this incredible account of "The Hunt for Colombian Guerrillas, American Hostages, and Buried Treasure" tells the untold flip side of the story chronicled in the New York Times bestseller Out of Captivity. An amazing surreal-but-true adventure in the tradition of Mark Bowden's Killing Pablo and Blackhawk Down, Law of the Jungle is, at once, heroic, tragic, and bizarre, placing the Colombian hostage story in its full and magnificently strange context.

How did a routine surveillance mission spiral into an international hostage crisis, a treasure hunt, and a story stranger than fiction?

A Gripping Survival Story: Follow the five-year ordeal of three American hostages as they navigate the brutal realities of captivity in the Colombian jungle.Exclusive On-the-Ground Reporting: From a veteran journalist who spent two decades in Colombia, this is the definitive account of the crisis, pieced together from firsthand interviews and unparalleled access.The Hunt for Buried Treasure: Uncover the bizarre, untold story of the Colombian soldiers who stumbled upon millions in buried FARC cash while hunting for the hostages.The Untold Story: Discover the stunning flip side to the events chronicled in the bestseller Out of Captivity, placing the saga in its full, complex, and tragic context.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061671827
• ISBN13: 9780061671821
• Release Date: March 2011
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

A complex tale full of untold stories

John Otis wrestles successfully with a complicated subject that remains largely ignored by most of the world - outside Colombia. Complex stories require reader patience, and this one was hard to crack - which I think caused another reviewer to down-rate the book. I learned a great deal about the FARC, Colombian politics and government since the 1970s. The tales of three American contractors, and of Ingrid Betancourt, bookend sad stories of the hundreds and thousands who have suffered at the hands of Colombia's right, left, and center. Otis's book explores and enlightens, approaching a crescendo in the last ten chapters that kept me up reading late until I finished.

Spellbinding Tale

Law of the Jungle is a great read- it really lays out the complex web of narco-politics in Colombia through the story of three "gringos" shot down over the jungle interwoven with the strange adventure of the Colombian Special forces team who were sent to find the Americans. The story would be difficult to believe if it were not true- and that is the common thread through out the novel. I have often wondered the back story of the whole war on drugs- especially as it has played out in Colombia, Law of the Jungle brought me up to speed in a thoughtful and entertaining way. The author's in depth knowledge of latin america, both culturally as well as politically show through in the narrative, Mr. Otis should continue writing on this subject, I can't wait for his next book!