From his own near murder in rio at the hands of an intruder twenty years ago and continuing through the recent slaying of a Former President's bagman who looted the country of more than a billion dollars, violent death p...From his own near murder in rio at the hands of an intruder twenty years ago and continuing through the recent slaying of a Former President's bagman who looted the country of more than a billion dollars, violent death poses a steady threat in Peter Robb's brilliant travelogue through modern-day brazil. It's not death, however, that leaves a lasting impression but the exuberant life force that emanates from the country and its people.