Black Ghost

Rise Early. Work Hard. Strike Oil. And pray the Black Ghost doesn't find you first. Set against the explosive backdrop of the 1930s Chaco War between Paraguay and Bolivia, Black Ghost is a gripping tale of war, oil, and a legendary predator haunting the wild frontier. As global oil giants manipulate two impoverished nations into a bloody proxy war over "black gold," another deadly force prowls the Gran Chaco: a monstrous jaguar known as the Black Ghost. When livestock start vanishing and fear grips local Mennonite settlers, their leader, Menno Pannabacker, joins forces with Guaraní tracker Tumpa González to hunt the beast. But tensions simmer—between natives and settlers, corporations and governments, predators and prey. Meanwhile, across the border, an American expedition led by Standard Oil geologists enters Paraguayan territory, lured by promises of untapped oil fields. Their ambition sets them on a collision course with war, nature, and the raw chaos of the jungle. Part historical epic, part survival thriller, part political allegory, Black Ghost is a pulse-pounding, atmospheric novel that weaves indigenous myth, geopolitical greed, and human resilience into a story as untamed as the land it's set in. Perfect for fans of Wilbur Smith, Robert Stone, and Graham Greene, and readers who crave adventure soaked in history, tension, and moral ambiguity.