‘The Adventurer’s Son’ tells story of hiker’s disappearance in Costa Rica

A memoir by Roman Dial details the scientist and National Geographic Explorer’s journey following his son’s disappearance in Costa Rica.

“The Adventurer’s Son: A Memoir,” released Tuesday, is already among the best-selling travel books on Amazon.

Cody Roman Dial disappeared in July 2014 while hiking in Corcovado National Park. The 27-year-old, an experienced outdoorsman, had entered Corcovado alone despite the park’s requirements to bring a guide.

A criminal investigation into Dial’s disappearance lasted several months before Judicial Investigation Police found Dial’s remains and ruled out foul play.

“The Adventurer’s Son” chronicles how Roman Dial “was forced to confront the deepest questions about himself and his own role in the events.”

Below is the book’s description from the publisher:

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In the tradition of Into the Wild comes an instant classic of outdoor literature, a riveting work of uncommon depth: The Adventurer’s Son is Roman Dial’s extraordinary account of his two-year quest to unravel the mystery of his son’s fate.

In the predawn hours of July 10, 2014, the twenty-seven-year-old son of preeminent Alaskan scientist and National Geographic Explorer Roman Dial, walked alone into Corcovado National Park, an untracked rainforest along Costa Rica’s remote Pacific Coast that shelters miners, poachers, and drug smugglers. He carried a light backpack and machete. Before he left, Cody Roman Dial emailed his father: “I am not sure how long it will take me, but I’m planning on doing 4 days in the jungle and a day to walk out. I’ll be bounded by a trail to the west and the coast everywhere else, so it should be difficult to get lost forever.”

They were the last words Dial received from his son.

As soon as he realized Cody Roman’s return date had passed, Dial set off for Costa Rica. As he trekked through the dense jungle, interviewing locals and searching for clues—the authorities suspected murder—the desperate father was forced to confront the deepest questions about himself and his own role in the events. Roman had raised his son to be fearless, to be at home in earth’s wildest places, travelling together through rugged Alaska to remote Borneo and Bhutan. Was he responsible for his son’s fate? Or, as he hoped, was Cody Roman safe and using his wilderness skills on a solo adventure from which he would emerge at any moment?

Part detective story set in the most beautiful yet dangerous reaches of the planet, The Adventurer’s Son emerges as a far deeper tale of discovery—a journey to understand the truth about those we love the most.

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“The Adventurer’s Son: A Memoir” is published by William Morrow (HarperCollins) and retails for $28.99 (Link to purchase.)