The Rose of the Winds

The main character, JAKE BURGUNDY (American mid 20s) arrives at the tropical island resort of Isla Hermosa (1985), where he plans to spend a few peaceful days soaking in the hot tropical sun and floating in the the clear blue waters of the Caribbean. While checking into a local youth hostel, Jake meets MARIE MARTIN (mid 20s), a dark-haired beauty from Montreal. Soon thereafter, Jake joins Marie at the hostel café for a cup of java. During the ensuing conversation, Jake learns that Marie has come to Isla Hermosa with a whole cadre of French-Canadian friends, including her own beau and several single girlfriends. Nonetheless, all her friends have gone to visit some nearby ruins, but Marie has stayed behind because she is superstitious about visiting the past. Carnival is only a week away and as the popular holiday approaches, Jake's peaceful holiday turns into a swinging melee of partying and dancing. During this time Jake falls for a friend of Marie's, an auburn-haired woman in her 20s, named LELE PELLETIER. As Carnival Day approaches, the hostel fills up with numerous visitors, including many Americans. Unfortunately, a dark soul also appears. The antagonist is a young man from Rio de Janeiro, named ROBERTO SANTOS. He speaks both English and Spanish, but with a distinctive Portuguese accent. Most importantly, the young Latino man appears to bear a grudge against North Americans, especially those from the U.S.. At a local dance, Jake asks Lele to join him on a daytime visit to the pirate's estate. To Jake's surprise, Lele gladly accepts. While strolling around the old gardens, Lele discovers that they are being stalked by the antagonist, Roberto. At first, Jake is nonchalant about this turn of events, but Lele is not. Eventually, the two leave the gardens without incident, but the stalker has put both Jake and Lele on edge. On Isla Hermosa, Carnival is celebrated by a series of under-the-stars dancing. On Fat Tuesday, Jake spends much of the time with Lele and her friends. Afterwards, the group heads to the beach for an impromptu party. In the wee hours of the morning, the party breaks up and Jake and Lele head to her room for a short cordial visit. At five a.m. Jake retires to his own hammock, alone, but madly smitten by Lele. At six a.m. he is awakened by the Mexican police because an American woman has just been raped and the description of the criminal fits Jake, almost to a tee. The police take Jake to the station to meet the victim, but she says that Jake is not the culprit. Unfortunately, the police order Jake off the island, immediately and give him 48 hours to leave the country. He is told this is for his own protection and he is not allowed to tell anybody that he is leaving. For the next two days, Jake drifts southward, towards the Belize border. On the first night, he ends up hanging out with a colorful American ex-pat and his pet parrot in a surfside cabana. The next day, Jake enters Belize and journeys to Belize City, where he runs into a CIA operative, who is aware of what has happened in Mexico. As it turns out, the antagonist is a serial rapist, who is on the run from authorities in several countries. Jake is important to the CIA guy and his creole buddies, because he can identify the rapist, but Jake does not think they will find him out on the water. Time proves that Jake is right and soon the young American is on a bus to the Guatemala border., where there have been a few rapes committed on foreign visitors. At Tikal, a popular Mayan archaeological site, a young man introduces himself to Jake. His name is FRANCIS LARUE and he is a Frenchman with Israeli connections. Furthermore, he has information on the rapist, who he thinks is headed overland towards Nicaraugra, which is in the midst of a violent revolution. He wants Jake to join him in tracking down the criminal. Jake agrees and so, for the next few weeks, the two men follow the wanted man across some of Central America's poorest (and most spectacular) places. In Livingston, Guatemala, it seems that all is lost, as their quarry appears to have successfully alluded his pursuers and is headed towards a huge barrio in the capital city.. Still, despite the odds, the two skiptracers press on towards Guatemala City and check into a rundown hostel, realizing that their man has most likely escaped and the mission is a failure. But lo and behold, they stumble across Roberto lurking in the wings of the hostel, talking to an attractive American woman. The antagonist immediately recognizes Jake from Isla Hermosa. He flees through the back door and the chase is on. The bad guy is pursued on foot through the neighboring part of the city. Soon thereafter, the culprit is apprehended and arrested. After spending a night in the city, Jake and Francis split ways... Mission Accomplished. Francis heads for South America, but Jake journeys to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, where he is expecting a letter from Lele. The letter is there, but it bears bad tidings, because Lele is back in Montreal and doesn't want anything to do with Jake after he left so suddenly without even saying good-bye.