Venoms

Mike Francis took a weekend bike ride in Topanga Canyon and never returned.

In 1971, Max King is the new president of the Intern-Resident Association at LA County Hospital. A nurse there, Mary Francis, asks for his help following the mysterious disappearance of her husband, Mike, an infectious disease fellow and protégé of Franklin Delano Rousseau (FDR), a famous faculty member at USC who specializes in venomous snakes. Max agrees to help.

Mike had previously accompanied FDR on trips to Southeast Asia to collect snake venom for manufacturing antivenom. Now he is missing.

When asked to supervise the drug overdose service at his hospital, Max learns about heroin production in Thailand's Golden Triangle. Wondering if this could be related to Mike's disappearance, Max contacts his former mentor on a summer project that researched heroin rehab.

This leads Max to believe that Mike's fate has something to do with the drug business in Southeast Asia. He takes a photo of Mike to the VA hospital, where he encounters a vet who saw Mike working in a heroin distribution network in Vietnam.

Who would be powerful enough to arrange for Mike's disappearance?

The idea for Venoms is loosely based on a surgery resident who disappeared in Topanga Canyon.

(About the Author)

Henry Rex Greene grew up in the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys of Southern California. The semi-retired physician specializes in hematology, oncology, and hospice/palliative care. He was strongly involved "in shaping the hospice movement and medical ethics." Dr. Greene is the author of numerous books, and resides with his wife in Henderson, Nevada. He credits his far-flung interests to great teachers who knew how to nurture their students.