The Ring of Fire: An Epicurean Adventure

SOME LIKE IT HOT. OTHERS LIKE IT TO HURT. Max Little is a traveling gourmand in worn boots and a Bob Marley T-shirt. It's 1999, and Max is a certified heat freak, a chile-head whose love of spice has taken him across the globe. His hot sauce emporium in Laguna Beach, Little's House of Fire, stocks sauces and spicy goods from around the world, and he and the other chile-heads with whom he does business comprise an underground network called the 'Ring of Fire.' After Max is approached by Nickolai Gasanov, a mysterious officer from the Kyrgyzstan Ministry of Agriculture, his world is turned upside down when word of a new variety of chile pepper is revealed - a relic of the ancient Silk Road hidden in the valleys of the Tien Shan mountains of Central Asia. A chile with reputedly euphoric properties, it ignites the lively and offbeat characters in the Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire follows Max across continents in search of the mythical Fire of the Valley chile. From Santa Fe to Louisiana, Chicago, and across India, China, and Kyrgyzstan, his journey becomes a piquant global odyssey. Along the way, he encounters a tapestry of colorful characters linked to his quest: Jesus Jones, a legendary Louisiana pepper farmer; Lilah DeVillier, a beguiling creole doctoral student who's an expert in chiles; voodoo Priestess Delphine Anjou; Jahnu Angami of the headhunting Angami tribe in Northeast India; and massive Nazaat Buntun, fierce guardian of the Kyrgyz pepper myth. All the while, he's being pursued by two menacing former Russian commandos in the employ of Kyrgyzstan's notorious gangster Ruslan Bakiyev, who craves the pepper profits for himself. The Ring of Fire entertainingly explores the history of chile peppers, their spread across the world, and their impact upon the cultures of which they have indelibly become a part. Enlisted early on in his journey by New Mexico State University, Max is also on a quest to be the first to verify the existence of the scorching Naga Jolokia, or Ghost Pepper, an authentic chile discovered in remote Northeastern India in the late nineties. A chile so potent its Scoville heat rating is reportedly triple that of any other known variety. The race is on as Max encounters unforgettable people, incredible meals, exotic locations, and extraordinary experiences pursuing his passion. If you relish the irreverent foodie fiction of Peter Mayle and Anthony Bourdain, then this story is for you. The Ring of Fire is a gustatory delight for food lovers, history buffs, armchair travelers, and romantics.