Detective Isaac Bell's wife has said that he is always in the wrong place at the right time. This is certainly the case when Bell thwarts the assassination of a U.S. Senator shortly after meeting the man. This heroic rescue is just the start of the mystery for Bell, who suspects that the would-be assassins have a much larger and more dangerous agenda--one involving the nearly-constructed Panama Canal. While the senator supports the building of the canal, there are many, including a local Panamanian insurgency known as the Red Vipers, who never want to see its completion. Facing a deadly insurgency, an attack on the canal's construction site, and the possible assassination attempt on one of the most important men in the United States, Isaac Bell searches for answers--and for the identity of whoever has put the plot in motion. With millions of dollars and the fate of two nations on the line, Bell will--for once--have to be in just the right place at the right time in order to stop the nefarious plot. -- from book jacket.