The Venom Business - Michael Crichton

From the creator of Jurassic Park and ER
Charles Raynaud has found the perfect cover for his smuggling operation running out of Mexico, because how many custom agents are going to want to inspect a carton of venomous snakes? When Raynaud runs into his old Yale buddy Richard Pierce, a chance to play bodyguard feels like even easier money.
Pierce has a large inheritance coming, but a series of thwarted attempts on his buddy's life makes Charles begin to smell a rat. Who's really trying to kill whom? And why is Charles starting to believe that he's the real target?
With a new introduction by Sherri Crichton