Wordsworth in Bogotá

“Sundby’s contrasts between the cultures and atmosphere of America versus South America are finely woven into the plot, lending a ‘you are here’ aura to unfolding events, while a host of characters fine-tune their relationships and interactions via the precision of literary and psychological undercurrents that run through the plot like a powerful river…” –D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

Father–son relationships are rarely easy and certainly not when the son’s first love is Shakespeare and the father is the kingpin of a drug empire. Esteban Velasquez, however, manages to forge a frosty détente with his father—he studies literature abroad while his father grooms his older brother as the heir.

Now, though, the empire faces imminent collapse, and the old go-tos of bribery and making key competitors “disappear” are no longer working. It falls to Esteban to use his literary talents to save the family’s fortune. Devising an ingenious plan, he wagers the last of his family’s fortune to stage an international poetry conference—Wordsworth in Bogotá—in an effort to outwit the DEA. But in doing so, he must make choices that will forever change the lives of friends and family.

An international crime mystery told with humor and compassion, Wordsworth in Bogotá introduces a memorable cast of characters, from DEA agents discovering their “inner poets” to restless professors yearning to be individuals of action, not letters. Far more than a tale of drug smuggling, this is a story celebrating those who stumble their way to an understanding of what really matters.