Charles Donelan

The final hours of work on this week’s “High-Seas Smugglers” cover story were put in at altitude, as The Indy’s Charles Donelan wrote his introduction to the Thai Stick excerpt while vacationing in the alpine village of Zermatt, Switzerland. Seen here close by the Matterhorn and about to cross into Cervinia, Italy, Donelan praised the work of authors Peter Maguire and Mike Ritter, saying, “My favorite television show right now is Boardwalk Empire, and Thai Stick is like a new version of that cautionary Prohibition tale, but this time set on the Pacific Rim and featuring Santa Barbara as a 1970s version of Atlantic City.”