Prayer Drum

By David Edward

Deep in Panama's deadly Darien Gap, ex Army Ranger Dirk Lasher races against time, hurricanes, and a hundred cannibalistic headhunters to recover an ancient artifact that may hold the power to speak with God or unleash something far more dangerous. When his enigmatic lover Kimberly Sharp's obsession with the mystical Drum of God collides with Soviet revenge and tribal warfare, Lasher must choose between love, loyalty, and survival in a jungle where modern weapons meet primitive magic.

Panama Red

Overview

Dirk Lasher thought he was done with the Panamanian jungle after barely surviving his last mission there. But when Kimberly Sharp, brilliant sociopath, Mexican cartel power player, and the woman he can't help but love, reveals her obsession with finding the legendary Drum of God, Lasher finds himself once again navigating the treacherous Darien Gap. Sharp believes this ancient artifact, supposedly an exact copy of the Ark of the Covenant, will grant her the power to commune directly with the divine. For Lasher, known to the local Wargandi tribe as "Chicken Man" after a humiliating capture the year before, the journey represents a chance to repay old debts and protect new allies.

Their quest takes a deadly turn when they discover the Wargandi village under imminent threat from a war party of Jivaroan headhunters from the south. Led by a terrifying giant who claims to be Buluc Chabtan, the Mayan God of War incarnate, these cannibals seek not just conquest but the complete annihilation of the Wargandi and possession of their sacred artifacts. With only fifty souls remaining of a once proud tribe of five hundred, elderly chief Mateo and his handful of warriors face impossible odds. The approaching Hurricane Joan adds another layer of danger, promising to turn the jungle into a watery grave within days.

As if the situation weren't dire enough, Lasher's team back in Panama City discovers that his nemesis, Soviet Special Forces operative Kamen Mason, has been released from prison by corrupt PDF officials and is tracking them through the jungle using their own satellite phone. With modern firearms delivered by helicopter, hallucinogenic ritual purifications that reveal uncomfortable truths, and ancient defensive strategies that turn overgrown pyramids into killing fields, the battle for the Drum of God becomes a test of everything Lasher believes about duty, love, and the price of power. When Sharp's true nature emerges and alliances shatter like the artifact itself, Lasher must decide whether some treasures are worth any price, especially when that price might be the woman he loves.

Questions this book answers

  • What happens when a modern military mindset collides with ancient tribal warfare and mystical beliefs in the heart of an impenetrable jungle?
  • How does a dwindling tribe of fifty survivors, mostly women and children, stand against a hundred drug fueled cannibalistic warriors seeking their extinction?
  • Can genuine love exist between a principled ex soldier haunted by his failures and a high functioning sociopath who literally believes she prayed him into existence?
  • What drives someone to risk everything including allies, lovers, and their own sanity for an artifact that might be nothing more than a wooden bowl?
  • When modern weapons, ancient poisons, hallucinogenic toads, and apparent divine intervention all converge in sacred ground, which force ultimately determines survival?
  • How do you maintain honor and humanity when your enemies literally want to eat your soul and your allies might betray you for mystical power?
  • What's the real difference between religious faith and dangerous delusion when lightning actually strikes your enemies dead after prayers to forgotten gods?

Selected quotes

"The artifacts we guard, and the sacred lands they are on, these places have the spirits of our ancestors in them. The artifacts do not belong here now; they are too powerful. They were meant for people who respect nature."
"I have to forgive trying and failing. You have to forgive trying and succeeding. The world cycles in rhythm like the beat of a drumhead on the water."
"Your aura turns white also, but only when I'm close by. Better to die now than live a lie. And don't call me Shirley."

Why it matters

This isn't just another military thriller set in an exotic location; it's a visceral exploration of what happens when civilization's veneer strips away in the crucible of survival. David Edward draws from his actual military experience in Panama's Darien Gap to create an authenticity that makes every muddy firefight, every hallucinogenic revelation, and every moral compromise feel earned. Readers who pass on this book miss experiencing how loyalty becomes fluid when ancient mysticism proves more reliable than modern technology, how love can bloom even between damaged souls who know they're probably doomed, and how sometimes the greatest victories require accepting the most devastating losses. In an era of sanitized action heroes, Lasher's journey reminds us that real courage often means choosing between terrible options while covered in mud, blood, and the weight of everyone you've failed to save.

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