Jim Price’s “Of People, Poppies & God” is a novel focusing on real events in the late 1950s and early 1960s at the birth of the “war without end,” the worldwide drug revolution.

Jimmy Waters is a half-Mexican, half-Anglo orphan who becomes the ward of his wealthy aunt and uncle.

Uncle Charlie and Aunt Mattie are benevolent, substitute parents for Jimmy and he grows up feeling safe and loved, but doesn’t know the family secret until he graduates college: Uncle Charlie is a top drug lord in Mexico’s illicit drug trade.

Bewildered and angry at this betrayal, Jimmy joins the U.S. Army where he becomes an undercover agent engaged in taking down a drug operation run by Cuban ex-patriots who have set up a network within the Pacific Command. Jimmy encounters some of the world’s most devious and despicable characters as he uncannily re-enters the world that he fled.

Who do I trust?

Becoming a killer himself, as he executes in the name of God and country, Jimmy begins to wonder just who the bad guys are. As his mission nears its close, life brings him full circle to an explosive encounter and the knowledge that not everything is always as it seems, especially when it comes to the people who love him.

Finally, back home, he discovers a stunning surprise that brings new hope and opens the way to a brand new future.

A thriller

Earl K. Newcomb (U.S. Army, Retired), 5th Special Forces 173rd Airborne Brigade said Price’s novel is a thrilling, intimate glimpse into drug trafficking and the players, both legal and illegal.

Interweaving fact with fiction, he creates authentic characters that interact within the bounds of a seamless plot line. Immensely entertaining, “Of People, Poppies & God” reflects the foibles and strengths of human character with bold and expert finesse. Today's headlines highlight its poignancy.

Author’s Web site: wlwritersagency.com/OfPeoplePoppiesAndGod.

(About the author: Jim Price Sr. of Nogales, is a writer, former soldier and international entrepreneur. He has worked as a reporter/editor in the Army and a field publications manager with the Atomics International Division, North American Aviation.)