By Karen McCarraher
The Organ Grinder Factor, Book Two of The Trouble with Miracles trilogy by Stephen Steele begins as Alex Farmer, M. D. and Cydney Seeley quietly leave California on Alex’s boat in order to avoid federal agents. They are considered fugitives because they grow Cannastar, a plant whose leaves can cure any illness—from viruses to cancer. The large pharmaceutical companies have convinced the government that Cannastar was highly addictive and had it declared illegal.
Their voyage starts quietly. Because their boat is small they have to go through the Panama Canal lashed to a large cargo ship; but eventually they make it to the Caribbean.
They sail the Caribbean for a year but can’t find an area remote enough to plant the Cannastar seeds they’ve brought with them. They decide to go to Africa to look for somewhere they can establish a Cannastar Grow and not be troubled by police.
The journey starts quietly but as they approach Africa, they encounter a freak storm. They are both washed overboard and the boat is destroyed on the rocks. They are on the beach in civil war torn Guinea-Bissau, a country on the coast of Africa; Bissau, the capital city, was little more than a slum for the masses and great Spanish haciendas for the drug lords. They are found by two Israeli engineers who direct them to a missionary hospital where Cyd is treated for her wounds while Alex helps to treat a group of insurgents. Cyd is worried about the Cannastar seeds and the two engineers and Alex go back to the beach to save what seeds they can from the shipwreck.
Alex and Cyd are taken in by Fat Man and Little Boy—the Israeli engineers who were hired by the drug cartel to desalinize water to the area so they could grow their coca plants. The engineers drew up plans but did not begin building the plant when they realized the drug lords would not be sharing the water with the impoverished citizens. They plan to leave by an Israeli plane coming at midnight to get them out of the country. As the plane approaches, there’s an explosion and the plane is shattered. A tank comes out of the jungle and the fugitives take off in their Cadillac SUV.
They manage to make it to Darfur in Senegal. The country is preparing for a presidential election. They meet Juliette, a wealthy European woman, who is campaigning for Slade who tells the people he will build a desalinization plant to get water to this drought plagued area and that he will end the child slavery trade. He gives Alex and Cyd a large area to plant Cannastar but there is not enough water for the plants. Slade is elected and immediately reneges on his promises. Cyd tells him that the Cannastar plants are stunted and the leaves would not contain the life-saving nutrients. Slade has the plants harvested and plans to sell them to the drug lords all over Africa anyway. Cyd and the Israeli engineers sneak out to where the harvested leaves are piled up, ready for shipment, and they start a fire and burn all the leaves. Cyd, Little Boy and Fat Man are captured and condemned to death by hanging. The group also finds out that Slade is the head of the child slavery ring. As he is spouting yet more lies to the people at the hanging, Juliette shoots him and the government is turned over to an educated man who will rule correctly.
Alex, Cyd, Juliette, and the engineers manage to get a plane to Jerusalem. There they meet with Dr. Stein who has invented a machine that works almost like a 3D printer. It can replace damaged organs without surgery and without removing the damaged organs. It is still experimental and has not been used in humans. They see it replace a defective heart in a chimpanzee and realize the potential for this in the future in medicine. While they are waiting to meet with the Israeli government to request an area to establish their Cannastar Grow, Cyd and Alex decide to do some sight-seeing. On their way to Bethlehem, there is an explosion on the road in front of them. Alex is thrown clear but Cyd is badly injured. Her lungs, spleen and liver have been damaged. She asks Alex to go to Bethlehem to the Church of the Manger to pray for her. He does as she asks but while there, the church is invaded by Palestinian terrorists.
So now we must ponder: does Alex manage to get back to Cyd in Jerusalem? Is Cyd still alive? Does Dr. Stein try to use the Organ Grinder to heal Cyd‘s injured organs? What about The Grow. Does the Israeli government allow them to establish one? Is it successful? Is Cannastar ever legalized? The answers await you in the book.
As the second book in the trilogy entitled “The Trouble with Miracles” it is another exciting read. It begins with Alex and Cyd, characters from the first book, The Cannastar Factor, but adds new characters and episodes of adventure. The descriptions of the African savannah, the poverty of the people, the drought, the acts of the drug lords, and the enslavement of children are very well written and realistic. With its varied and engaging plots, I am sure it will not disappoint.
Stephen Steele (aka Steven G. Mitchell) is a graduate of the University of North Texas with degrees in English literature and marketing. He is a current resident of Montana and lives in an 1800’s Victorian home with his lifelong partner and ruthless editor, Beverly, a dog, a cat, and an undetermined number of deer, bear and squirrels.
The Organ Grinder Factor is published by Speaking Volumes LLC and available from Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.