Hat tip to John Carter for his recommendation about “Once Upon A Time in Argentina”, by Frank Kidd – a recent publication outside the big publishing house channels.
Once Upon A Time In Argentina - by John Carter
Almost every country over-fishes the oceans. The only difference with China is that they do it better & bigger than anyone else. Having over-fished their own waters, Chinese boats now roam the world’s oceans – sneaking into other countries’ EEZs to grab illicit fish.
In the real world, this has caused a problem for Argentina. The authorities want the illegal fishing stopped … but they need China’s investments. In the novel, the Argentine authorities address this conundrum by hiring mercenaries to pretend to be an environmental group which disrupts illegal fishing. The mercenaries are ex-military types recruited by a shadowy figure on the promise of a huge pay-off.
The protagonist of the tale was tossed out of the Marines for assaulting his Commanding Officer, and at the beginning of the tale is stuck unhappily in a silly job in an office in San Diego – spending his time devising methods to commit suicide. Then he finds himself recruited along with another half dozen people to interfere with Chinese illegal fishing.
The book is a real page-turner, fast-paced, with laugh out loud incidents as well as lyrical descriptions of Patagonia and the Atlantic Ocean. And deaths, lots of deaths.
There is also a philosophical undertone. When the team rescues a group of Filipinas who were being used as sex slaves by the Chinese, the protagonist wonders what they have really achieved – victims are going to be victimized.
It is easy to see why today’s feminized publication industry would not touch this novel. The heart of the book is the relationships between the men who form the mercenary team. There are significant female characters, from bar girls to lawyers – but they are human beings, not the mythical boss-girl super-women beloved by female New York editors.
As with most good novels, a certain amount of suspension of disbelief is required. But for this tale, that is definitely worthwhile.