Dr. John Hagen is no ordinary novelist. Before putting pen to paper, he spent decades as a highly respected laparoscopic surgeon in Toronto, serving as chief of surgery and later chief of staff at a major community teaching hospital. His medical career was marked by precision, leadership, and dedication\u2014qualities that now translate into his writing.<\/p>\n
When not in the operating room, Hagen indulged his passion for sailing, spending winters exploring the Bahamas and the Caribbean and summers cruising Lake Ontario from his home port of Port Credit. This adventurous spirit and firsthand experience in high-stakes environments lend authenticity to his debut novel,\u00a0The Mission<\/em><\/a>\u2014a gripping tale inspired by real-life medical missions in Guatemala.<\/p>\n Set against the backdrop of Guatemala\u2019s brutal civil war (1960s\u20131990s),\u00a0The Mission<\/em>\u00a0plunges readers into a world where danger lurks behind every decision. In remote mountain villages, Indigenous Maya people line up at makeshift clinics, desperate for life-saving medical care. The only hope they have comes from foreign volunteers\u2014doctors, medical students, and humanitarian workers\u2014who risk their lives to provide treatment in a country torn apart by drug cartels, rebel forces, and government corruption.<\/p>\n The novel weaves together two timelines. In the past, medical teams navigate kidnappings, disappearances, and massacres while forming deep bonds with local Guatemalans. Decades later, a new generation of volunteers arrives, including Canadian surgeon Jeremy and his psychotherapist wife, Iona, both of whom have prior ties to the country. What begins as a humanitarian mission soon spirals into a deadly conspiracy, forcing them to question who they can trust\u2014government officials, shadowy Mossad agents, or even their own colleagues.<\/p>\n