The Cocaspore Project
The Cocaspore Project is an engaging, stimulating read that will appeal greatly to any lover of political intrigue, action, and adventure.
In an action-packed joyride of an adventure, The Cocaspore Project, a new political thriller by William Claypool, leads us down the dark paths of life in a drug mafia, and the sometimes equally shadowy intrigue in the world of secret government projects.
A clandestine project is designed to eradicate cocaine by eliminating the coca plant. When Dr. Paul Sloan, a genius botanist, develops a fungus capable of wiping out the world’s supplies of the coca plant, the truly necessary ingredient in the manufacture of cocaine, he’s also putting his own life, and the life of his family, at risk. Is the potential benefit of his research worth the danger he now faces? And can any government truly be trusted with a recipe for species annihilation, even if the stated intent is for the greater good?
The author clearly knows botany, and scientific themes in general, and his writing style is clear enough to keep nonexperts engaged in what’s happening in the more academic passages. The story line takes a somewhat unique direction in that the bulk of the novel focuses on the movements of the drug mafia and those chasing them, rather than on Dr. Sloan and his family, who might typically be the central characters. The focus on behind-the-scenes investigative work by those working to protect Sloan and those he loves, and on the political machinations embedded in the culture of those involved in the illicit drug trade, is an inventive way to move the plot forward.
Bits of the story are clunky, but in general, the work in its entirety is written deftly. For example. Sloan’s patriotic stirrings as his plane circles Washington’s Reagan National Airport:
To his eye, the clean white buildings were perfectly spaced and beautifully arranged around the controlled lumbering giant of the Potomac. In many ways, compared to New York or Chicago, it was unspectacular and overly designed like an elaborate board game. But its majesty came from knowing the buildings and what they represented.
Sloan and drug lord Don Ricardo are deeply developed characters, realistic in both their demeanor and tone of the dialogue they use. Claypool’s literary style is exciting, moves quickly, and tells a complete story. The underlying themes of governmental interference, control, and the legality of secret projects lie beneath the surface.
The Cocaspore Project is an engaging, stimulating read that will appeal greatly to any lover of political intrigue, action, and adventure.
Reviewed by
Tracy Fischer
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
