Michael L Conniff

The Great Panama Railroad Caper Michael L Conniff

Four Americans and a Panamanian decide to revive the Panama Railroad, a historic line that had fallen into disrepair by the 1990s. They obtain a concession from the government, find a vintage train in Cuba, and have it refurbished and shipped to Panama to inaugurate the service. Unbeknownst to them, the US embassy in Panama mounts an effort to prevent the group from succeeding, on grounds that they are a threat to national security. Various intelligence agencies, coordinated by the embassy, execute a spoiler plot that leads to wreck of the train and cancellation of the contract. The narrative takes the reader to Havana, Panama, New Orleans, and Medellin, Colombia, as the plot progresses, and much of the action occurs in various nightclubs and hotels.