Panama's Gold: A Tale of Greed

by Jim Tritten, Sandi Hoover

Chen Zhou represents his company and a Chinese gang in Panama in 2018. His objective is to secure an economic advantage for his country with raw materials critical in manufacturing smartphones, digital cameras, computer parts, and in the renewable energy technology industry, military equipment industry, glass-making, and metallurgy. Chinese gangs are running investments and infrastructure development in Panama. Lanny Mitchell, a youthfully American retired environmental lawyer as the antagonist, revisits Panama, to test her idea of becoming a resident ex-pat. She unexpectedly encounters ecological issues and the activities of the gangs. A dormant volcano leaks poisonous gases that kill local fowl and threatens humans. Spanish gold and artifacts are linked to events while the Panama Canal was being excavated with hints at government coverups explaining Yellow Fever caused massive deaths during construction. Chinese attempts to capitalize on the opportunity to corner the world rare-earth market are thwarted by Lanny and local Panamanians. They want Panama to retain its ownership of the valuable rare-earth and Spanish gold. Chen Zhou meets his fate at the hands of the Chinese gangmaster, who does not tolerate failure. Finding the answer to environmental and economic concerns and helping friends drive the action to a surprising finish, with enough clues to hint at a follow-on adventure.

Sandi Hoover has explored the setting while on an extended birding trip. She has written several prize-winning short stories, and this is her debut novella. Jim Tritten is a multi-award-winning author with numerous publications to his name, including books with Westview, Praeger, the Naval War College Press, and most recently with Artemisia Publishing. Panama’s Gold is their sixth collaboration.

154 pages, Paperback

Published August 30, 2021

About the author

Jim retired after a forty-four-year career with the Department of Defense, including duty as a carrier-based naval aviator. He holds advanced degrees from the University of Southern California and formerly served as a faculty member and National Security Affairs department chair at the Naval Postgraduate School. Dr. Tritten’s publications have won him eighty-three writing awards, including the Alfred Thayer Mahan Award from the Navy League of the U.S., the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) Writer of the Year and the Parris Award from SouthWest Writers (SWW) – both of the latter in 2023. He has published fourteen books and over four hundred fifty chapters, short stories, essays, articles, and government technical reports. Jim was a frequent speaker at many military, arms control, and international conferences and has seen his work translated into Russian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

I use Jim Tritten as my post-DoD career writing and Goodreads required me to create a separate page under that name. My original page is under James John Tritten

Reviews

[Military Writers Society of America (MWSA)]

MWSA Review

Authors Sandi Hoover and Jim Tritten have truly brought us a tale of greed in their novella, Panama’s Gold. Set on the isthmus of Panama, the story has a bit of everything—international intrigue, nefarious dealings, colonial history, ecological adventure, and budding romance.

On an excursion, mysterious bird deaths in the jungle find our antagonist, Lanny Mitchell, a retired American environmental lawyer, navigating a maze of international twists and turns. An unexplained helicopter crash hints at more skullduggery afoot. But why? And who is involved? She teams up with her guide, Alejandro, and Bernardo, his professor friend, to uncover the truth.

The book’s characters are well developed, credible, and entertaining. The details, in particular those of Panama, are vivid and colorful. The ending is a shocker and leaves the reader begging for more.

Review by Sandy Cathcart (February 2022)

[Chazzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast-paced, smart thriller that blends environmental mystery, geopolitics, and history beautifully. Panama’s Gold is engaging, timely, and absolutely worth more attention.