Synopses & Reviews
winged obsession
The Pursuit of the World's Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler
One of the world's most beautiful endangered species, butterflies are as lucrative as gorillas, pandas, and rhinos on the black market.
And in this cutthroat $200 million business, no one made more money than—or posed as great an ecological danger as—Yoshi Kojima, the kingpin of butterfly smugglers.
Determined to capture Kojima, rookie U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agent Ed Newcomer became close to the smuggler, posing as a young apprentice eager to learn the smuggling trade. But twice the agent's inexperience allowed this criminal, with a nearly supernatural sense of survival and an overwhelming sense of paranoia, to get away.
Just when it seemed Kojima was out of reach, Newcomer was given one last chance to reel him in. Somewhere in the hunt, Kojima had become obsessed with the agent. This obsession, along with his continued mania for butterflies, could finally spell the downfall of the untouchable smuggler.
But the story doesn't end there. Working under-cover to research this book, Jessica Speart befriended Kojima as well. Like Newcomer, she was going to betray Kojima. What she didn't know was that this cagey smuggler was planning to turn the tables and use her as a patsy for continuing his illegal butterfly trade.
Review
Winged Obsession offers a fascinating glimpse into the illegal market in exotic and endangered butterflies....By the end of Winged Obsession, I was rooting for creatures I didnt know existed before I read the book. Miami Herald
Review
Meet the Hannibal Lecter of the conservation world... this expose reads like a thriller and proves once again that truth is stranger than fiction. Lee Child, New York Times Bestselling author
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Winged Obsession is an unputdownable thriller.... I loved this book! Lisa Scottoline, New York Times Bestselling author
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“A true thriller about an undercover U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent hunting for the ‘human vacuum cleaner of the insect world.” Cleveland Plain Dealer
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“Reads like a suspense thriller.” Oklahoma City Oklahoman
Review
Butterfly smugglers? Who knew? Journalist Jessica Speart chases down the butterfly worlds most elusive criminal, the notorious Yoshi Kojima, in her fantastic new book. Its a journey with the twists and turns of a taut thriller like The Orchid Thief, only with wings. Daily Candy
Synopsis
In the tradition of The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean comes Winged Obsession—a gripping, real-life thriller that exposes the seedy underbelly of illegal butterfly trading. An acclaimed mystery writer and respected journalist specializing in wildlife issues, author Jessica Speart tells an extraordinary but true tale of greed, obsession, and sexual temptation, masterfully chronicling the downfall of the “Indiana Jones of insects” through the determined efforts of a rookie Fish and Wildlife agent who put his life on the line to stop him.
About the Author
Jessica Speart writes about environmental and wildlife issues. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, OMNI, Travel &Leisure, Audubon, National Wildlife, Mother Jones, Delta's Sky Magazine,and many other publications. Unsafe Harboris her tenth Rachel Porter mystery. Jessica lives in Connecticut with her husband and their two dogs, Max and Tallulah.