Excerpt from Three Weeks in December by Audrey Schulman, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Max didn't worry about this part. She was good at finding plants. She had what might be called a single-minded focus. "Look," said Stevens. "We're doing this right. Taking care of the gorillas, working with the government. This could be the role model for the future, the case that reopens ethnobotany for the 21st century."

Fuck the gorillas, she thought. It was the vine she wanted. Those beta-blockers.

So this was the point when she leaned forward in her chair, ready to bargain.

And at her movement, the men smiled, for the first time sincerely. They settled back, relaxing into their new position. The chairs squeaking, the audible shift of power.

She'd never studied matters of negotiation, never learned how to bargain. Perhaps like Rwanda and the primatologist, she didn't end up striking the best deal.

To her, it didn't matter. She was going to Africa.

Excerpted from Three Weeks in December by Audrey Schulman. Copyright © 2012 by Audrey Schulman. Excerpted by permission of Europa Editions. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.