Dive into the thrilling world of botanical espionage in Travels to Oaxaca. Set in the year 1776, follow the audacious French botanist Nicolas-Joseph Thiery de Menonville as he hatches a daring plot to steal cochineal insects and their cactus hosts from Spanish Mexico to cultivate them in the French Caribbean. With his charming wit and quick thinking, Thiery deceives his way from Port-au-Prince to Havana and then to the Mexican mainland under the guise of searching for a cure for gout. However, when his passport is seized and the Viceroy orders him to leave, he seizes the moment. With a clever ruse about visiting a captivating widow, he sneaks out of Vera Cruz at night, determined to reach Oaxaca and its valuable cochineal plantations. Guided by monks who believe in his fabricated vow, Thiery embarks on a perilous journey filled with adventure, intrigue, and the relentless pursuit of botanical treasure. - Summary by Sue Anderson