Jan Smolders

Ripping the Veil Jan Smolders

In a room of a posh hotel in Punta Cana, the jewel of the Dominican Republic, Dr. Silvia Herrera takes a stand against ruthless, Mafia-style extortion and violence. Moments earlier, she'd discovered another victim of the brutal syndicate she works for. It's the third case she's encountered in two weeks, and she knows that she must draw a line in the sand. Just days ago, one of her acquaintances was murdered for not paying the protection money the mob demanded. She knows that her bosses are a cruel gang of criminals in the Caribbean, exploiting AIDS patients. Despite the feeble protection of laws designed to stop just this sort of abuse, the people she works for assume themselves to be above those laws. Silvia decides to take a stand against corruption, against violence, against the hopelessness these men spread like a virus among the island's weakest residents. But first, she needs to know who these crime lords are. She and two friends embark on a wild and dangerous hunt for the criminals. It leads her and her friends through hidden corners of Santo Domingo and through jungles, cities, remote towns, and mysterious churches and convents in Venezuela. Can Silvia uncover the truth before her dangerous enemies bury her?