"Truth be told, they were mostly in it for the money." On February 13, 2003, a plane carrying three American military contractors on a recon patrol crash-landed in the jungle-covered mountains of Colombia. Within minutes, FARC guerrillas swarmed the wreckage and killed the American pilot and a Colombian crew member as they tried to escape. The survivors--Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell, and Thomas Howes--were marched at gunpoint into the rain forest. For the next five years, they would live as hostages under the jungle canopy, facing starvation, fights with fellow hostages, and threats of execution. Veteran journalist Otis places the hostage story in its full context by exploring the inner workings of the FARC, the U.S.-backed war on drugs, and Colombia's efforts to free the rebel-held prisoners--offering a cautionary tale about the pursuit of fortune in one of the world's most dangerous places.--From publisher description.

Air America -- El Gordo -- Into the wild -- The great divide -- God's little gift -- Blade creep -- Three gringos -- The lion's den -- Bonfires -- Community chest -- The messenger -- Land of Oz -- Miracle fishing -- The round-up -- The eighth plague of Valledupar -- Joan of Arc -- The dirty thirty -- Fall guys -- The one who got away -- Sideshow Hugo -- The masked avenger -- Neck and neck -- Eyes on -- The unthinkable -- Checkmate -- Passports -- Epilogue: Living to tell the tale.