justinereads's review
3.0
Jacob Smalls is a travel writer and author of guidebooks to the kind of South American countries that nobody really wants to travel to. A fellow travel writer has gone missing from The Hotel Matamoros in Bolivia and Jacob is persuaded by his former lover and the PR agent of the hotel to join in the search for her. We are then led on a wild goose chase slowed down by the involvement of local Bolivian language, culture and politics. Truthfully I found the main character vague, self-deprecating while also self-assured and thus not quite likeable while the two main female characters in the novel are portrayed as promiscuous and vindictive. The plots twists were numerous and entertaining enough to string me along to the rather disappointing conclusion.
dlperin's review
1.0
The book started out with an engaging character and a good premise. A cynical travel writer is enlisted to help find an editor who disappeared in Bolivia. But the story roams around, and there are too many odd characters, far too many uselessly cryptic conversations with secondary characters, and too many scenes that didn't seem to move the plot forward at all. I stopped caring about all of the characters pretty early on. Not worth your time, I'm sorry to say.
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