Not a whole lot happens in Arlington, Virginia during the month of August, so when two Fish and Wildlife law enforcement agents get assigned a case to track down the cause of Thailand's disappearing king cobra population, they're not in much of a hurry, nor are they excited about what they are certain is a wild goose chase. With a rookie sidekick, they figure it's the same old story: poachers running wild in the wild. Still, the U.S. Secretary of State is due to visit Thailand in two weeks, and she'd prefer that the case of the missing cobras were closed. When their rookie's busywork pans into something larger, it becomes clear that there's a lot more at stake than a few missing snakes. Based on true events from the 1950s, The Case of the Missing Cobras is a smart, edgy thriller that offers readers an ecological whodunit about man's dominion over nature, and the consequences of cornering the market on the world's exotic species.