"A glossy and inventive thriller" from the pen of the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Jurassic Park during his early years (Washington Daily News).

Charles Raynaud feels at home in the jungle. A snake trapper, he makes a tidy profit selling poisonous creatures to the zoos of Europe, but it isn't just the snake trade that pays his bills. Raynaud is the finest artifact smuggler the world has ever known, and his particular talents are about to be put to the test.
Between jobs in Paris, Raynaud meets an old drinking buddy. One of London's wealthiest, nastiest men, Richard Pierce has eyes on his late father's fortune and wants Raynaud to act as his bodyguard until he acquires it. But after the first attempts on Pierce's life, Raynaud begins to smell a rat. Has he been hired as a bodyguard, or a target?
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Michael Crichton including rare images from the author's estate.