The Path of the Tapir

by Michael Jarvis

The Path of the Tapir follows an investigation into the deaths of two young American women and the subsequent manhunt for an expat, seen by some as an eco-radical, who befriended them.

Philip Millege, in the employ of a multi-national palm oil company, shows up on Costa Rica's southern Pacific coast to investigate the deaths of the free-spirited tourists, Chloe Summers and Peyton Paddington-who perished in a fire on the company's property-and to locate the missing male expat, Ellis Hayden, who was with them on the night of the incident.

Millege enlists the aid of several locals: Gustavo Segura, a bartender and kayaking guide, Victor Leiba, a solitary Boruca Indian, and Liz Zuniga, a reclusive house tender in the riverside village of Sierpe, where the fire occurred.

Complicating the search, another man, unknown and unregulated, enters the picture and joins the hunt, raising the stakes for both local and foreign characters in a lush and dangerous setting as the novel explores the price of environmental despoliation and the communion of grief and blame and its deadly consequences.

362 pages, Paperback

Published December 10, 2020

About the author

Michael Jarvis was born on an air force base and traveled regularly, living as a child in Alabama, Texas, Ohio, Guam, Georgia, and England. He graduated from Florida International University with degrees in Fine Arts and English. He lives in Miami, and scouted locations for various film projects for many years.

His latest novel, The Location Scout, dives into the film business (a television commercial followed by a movie) from the viewpoint of a freelance location scout, generally the first crew member to embark on the transformation of a film shoot from concept to reality.

Reviews

[Kathleen McAuliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Jarvis’ terrific new book, The Path of the Tapir, is a fast-paced, gripping tale that explores timely ecological themes. The story is set in Costa Rica, and its most enchanting passages are devoted to the country’s famous natural beauty, especially its lush rainforests. Jarvis is brilliant at capturing the dreamlike vibrancy of the jungle, its sounds, colors, shifting light and shadows, and the dangers that lurk within it—both animal and human. The drama that unfolds against this gorgeous backdrop is set in motion by nature lovers who resemble the nature destroyers they abhor in their shortsightedness, and shallow understanding of the consequences of their actions. While having sex, getting high and “discovering” themselves in a tropical beach paradise, a carefree group of young adults hatches a plan to burn down a building owned by Progressive Palm Oil International, a major employer in the region, to protest its poor treatment of workers. Conceived almost as a lark, and carried out with little forethought, the scheme ends tragically, with two women incinerated and a man, possibly one of the arsonists, missing since the day of the event. An investigation into the crime ensues, drawing parties with different interests, who stalk each other as they crisscross the country in pursuit of the missing man. As the rivals close in on their quarry, there’s a kidnapping, bursts of violence and amusing escapades (one investigator takes a brief interlude from the chase to check into a New Age-style center of enlightenment).

All these building tensions and antics, coupled with the quest to understand what really happened on the day of the fire, make for furious page turning, but what’s ultimately most compelling about the book is Jarvis’ exploration of the human penchant for committing careless acts of cruelty and destruction and the powerful motivating forces of grief and revenge that such reckless indifference unleashes. The ‘tapir’ of the title refers to a mother and baby whom become the target of hunters clueless to the ways of the jungle—or the behavior of the animal, an endangered species and a symbol of the creative magic of the rainforest. Their botched efforts at trapping the pair predictably ends badly for all parties. In another scene, a mercenary shoots an indigenous man whose greatest offense is simply being in the path of the gunman’s target. And throughout the novel, we are reminded that one of the richest ecosystems on earth is being plundered for short term gain at the expense of all the planet’s inhabitants. The Path of the Tapir won’t lift your spirits, but it is a deep, engrossing read that addresses some of the biggest environmental challenges of our age.

[Kristiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Path of the Tapir by Michael Jarvis is a novel of suspense exploring grief and the fatal consequences of the wrong paths crossing.

The majority of the narrative follows Phil Millege, a private investigator, hired by a Palm Oil company to settle the issue of the mysterious deaths of two American tourists on their property in Costa Rica. From Millege’s perspective we are introduced to the Sierpe area of Costa Rica thrown into secrecy after two young women died and an expat, well known to the area, vanished. All interested parties are quick to draw a link between the disastrous fire and the missing expat and this is where Jarvis begins to interweave and interplay multiple narratives encompassing the past and present.

And so, we enter a game played across a vast area in which Millege and the colleagues he finds in the locals, a rogue third party agent and the expat all fight for both the truth and a result. For one, this is an eye for an eye, for another it is the truth and for the last, it is the hope to live with some semblance of freedom again. Unlike many contemporary thrillers, Jarvis is not afraid to centre human complexity. The Path of the Tapir is not about the action, senseless death and the swift serving of justice but, as paralleled in the tale of a ‘danta’ (a tapir and her baby), Jarvis’ novel focuses on our wish to save the world and yet destroy it simultaneously through our wants, actions and regrets.

Even with suspense and action at its forefront, this novel is really about grief and our desire for answers - seen in both a father’s cut-throat decision to find the person he believes responsible for his daughter’s death and Millege’s visit to the Circle of Light, a new-age institution promising its visitors the chance to reach peace with their inner demons. Therefore, although I approached this novel as one of mystery and action, by the end, I revelled in Jarvis’ exploration of humanity and how it prompts both death and new beginnings.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m unhappy that my first book of the year was a disappointment. Most of the reviewers were much more enthusiastic, so I suppose I picked the wrong book for me.

The Path of the Tapir is called an eco thriller, takes place in the Pacific Coast area of Costa Rica and has multiple characters—a private investigator, a nasty mercenary hit man, noble native people, partying expats and eco warriors, etc. It was too long for the story involved. Thrills do not start until 3/4 of the way through, the eco kids are boringly naive or useless and most characters are one dimensional. Of course, at the center of it all is an evil palm oil company from North Carolina, handled too heavily.

The author actually does write pretty well but his people aren’t entirely believable to me. Eliminating 100 pages and limiting the eco kids to small parts would have made the story much better.

[Joanne Savio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've followed this author for a while, always remaining curious about his next tale.
This novel grabbed me with the kind of experience that made me run back to the characters every day, till I was finished. Felt like I owed it to them. Jarvis is an author that is able to create sensual, emotional scenes with the same intuitive eye that shows us the action, suspense, and human failings in his work. The story has stayed with me, long after the last page.
Beautiful balance between description, dialog, and a cast of unlikely complex characters that collide, and maybe meet again. The love of the natural world that I find in his other stories, is present here, can't be avoided. Read it carefully, and enjoy. The Path of the Tapir tends to keep all our emotions alive and engaged.

[Beverly Visitacion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warning -- You will be hooked on the first page. You will want to fly through this novel just to find out what happened to these young girls who died in a fire in Costa Rica.
That's what I did. It's a bonafide page-turner that will keep you in suspense.

But now I'm reading it again -- slowly -- to savor the language, to enjoy the characters and see how this tragedy involved, affected, and changed them, to examine how the pieces of the story fit together. To step into Costa Rica and get lost in this beautiful country on a journey through the twists and turns of an environmental adventure.

[Catherine C · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story grabs your attention from the very first page as a crime unfolds with characters and scenes that you feel have to be real. The descriptive writing immerses the reader into the Costa Rican environment where every road/coastline feels traveled and every creature and character comes to life. A page-turner and a must for book clubs that enjoy a rich and thought-provoking discussion. The book captures the contrast between lovers and preservers of nature's beauty and big business that abuses the land for greed and profit. Suspenseful and full of twists that make for an excellent read.

[Laura Visitacion-Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This intricate and intriguing mystery weaves the deaths of two young American women into an ecological investigation of a Costa Rican palm oil company. The writing is threaded throughout with detailed and rich descriptions that are at once touching and revealing, e.g.,
"Tears ran down his face.... He pulled his wife into his thin wiry embrace, one arm around her
back and the other holding her head, pressing her face to his. He whispered in her ear, 'Thank you
for being on this planet with me."

[James Savio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Path of the Tapir - the third work of fiction from author Michael Jarvis - is a rare gem among his two other jewels. As a work of literary fiction it pays poetic tribute to the natural world and to each of his characters. It is imaginative and deeply emotional; at the same time it's a page-turner. A work of art should provoke us, and this book had me laughing, on the edge of tears, and repeatedly and without warning, it took this old heart of mine on a race against time.

[Kimball Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Jarvis, once again, takes us on an adventure in his favorite milieux, the tropics. His ability to paint vivid pictures with his words is extraordinary. Not only are you there, but you are breaking a sweat in that dense tropical atmosphere. His characters are well developed and interact in interesting and believable plot twists that keep you involved and anxious to follow along to the inevitable conclusion. And, he paints his own cover art! Enjoy the read!

[Beth Shultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read.