Jungle Up

How far would you go to save “the one who got away”? It’s been two years since Dr. Gina Brady dumped detective Thomas Prescott, but when he gets a panicked call from her revealing she’s been kidnapped in the wilds of the Bolivian Amazon, Thomas finds himself on a rescue mission. Dealing with drug traffickers, unhappy locals and the dangers of the jungle, Thomas risks all to save the woman he loves. Filled with derring do and old fashioned Indiana Jones type adventure, this book begs to be made into a movie

Reminiscent of the Indiana Jones adventure films, Jungle Up will have you slashing your way through the Amazon rainforest as you follow homicide detective, Thomas Prescott in a scramble to rescue his former flame, Dr. Gina Brady, from the hands of kidnappers. Thomas had once thought Gina was gone from his life forever when she left to take a job battling an outbreak of tuberculosis in Bolivia for the World Health Organization. But when Gina was kidnapped she was able to dash off a brief plea to the only person she knew could help, "Please find me Thomas! Please!" An interesting cast of characters join Thomas on this trek, although I felt there were a few too many as I had difficulty remembering who everyone was as the story progressed. As Thomas was on the trail of Gina's kidnappers, I felt that there was not a lot of action going on at first and I was starting to get bored. But things really picked up in the last third of the story where there was a lot of action, twists, and even humor. This is the 5th book in the Thomas Prescott series, but not having read any of the previous books, I felt that it worked well as a stand-alone. Although I didn't consider it a page-turner, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys smart adventure stories.

Get ready for a nail-biting adventure through the Bolivian rainforest in Nick Pirog’s newest novel, ‘Jungle Up,’ to be published on April 27, 2021. Although this is book five of the Thomas Prescott Series, it can certainly stand alone. 

Thomas Prescott is a retired homicide detective who worked for the violent crimes division of the FBI. He’s babysitting his nephew when he accesses a voicemail from an old girlfriend who has been abducted in the Bolivian Amazon. She pleads with him to come and find where they are holding her hostage. Thomas, who still has feelings for her, gears up and jumps on the next plane to join an expedition into the rainforest and rescue Gina.

Dr. Gina Brady has a background in infectious disease and has been working for the WHO to contain a second tuberculosis outbreak in the remote Tibiono Village in Bolivia. One day she is abducted for her medical supplies and expertise and is forcefully taken deep into the rainforest. Her sole purpose is keeping a badly injured man alive. Gina leaves clues along the way, knowing that although she didn’t actually talk to Thomas, he’s out there looking for her. 

I loved the author’s sense of humour. He had me giggling when he wrote about Thomas’s interactions with his nephew. I instantly connected to the characters; each one was unique and richly developed. As Pirog’s storyline unravels, the true nature (and hidden agenda) of the characters are revealed and readers are introduced to a colourful cast of adventurous trekkers. Pirog’s extensive research shows in his ability to sweep you into the dense rainforest and educate you about the endemic insects and animals, trees, and jungle covered ruins as the characters experience chance encounters with gun toting drug traffickers and ruthless tribesmen. This is a wonderfully written, fast paced, adventure with plenty of twists and turns. I read it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. You’ll have to mark this date on your calendar so that you can read for yourself to find out if Thomas locates Gina or if the rainforest claims her as one of its own. 

The rainforest really fascinates me and I didn’t think I’d ever find another book that held my attention as well as ‘The Lost City of the Monkey God,’ but Pirog has proven that this story is a winner. I’ll certainly be sourcing out the other novels in this series!

Thank you Nick Pirog, Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.