Title Kidnapped on Safari
Author Peter Riva
- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Skyhorse (January 21, 2020)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1510749004
- ISBN-13: 978-1510749009
Expert safari guide Mbuno and wildlife television producer Pero Baltazar are filming on Lake Rudolf in Northern Kenya, East Africa, when they receive news that Mbuno’s son, himself an expert guide, has been kidnapped while on a safari five hundred miles away in Tanzania. After gathering the clues and resources needed to trek through the wilderness, they trace the kidnappers back to an illegal logging operation clear-cutting national park forests, manned by sinister Boko Haram mercenaries. There, they find not only Mbuno's son but also a shocking revelation that has terrifying and far-reaching consequences.
Relying on Mbuno’s legendary bush skills, the pair must overcome the danger both from inside and outside the camp to bring Mbuno’s son out alive. In doing so, Mbuno and Pero discover that kidnapping and deforestation are only the beginning of the terrorist group's aspirations, and they realize a threat that would herald an even more dangerous outcome for Tanzania—a coup. A rescue might just risk the entire stability of the region.
Exciting and expertly plotted using facts ripped from news’ headlines, Kidnapped on Safari is a gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller set in deepest, darkest, Machiavellian, East Africa.
My Thoughts
People select a book for a variety of reasons, mine being, I was aware Peter Riva's done documentaries and soon learned this book was the third book in the Mbuno/Pero series.
What I love most about this read is the Riva gives us a map and uses his gift of prose to recreate a situation.
This is is an impressive thriller! I'm transported to a mysterious place that feels authentic and I lose myself in the scene and language.
A group including protagonist Mbuno and Pero are along the shore of Lake Rudolf in northern Kenya on a filming project involving spearfishing and I soon learn Mbuno's adopted son/nephew, Ube, who is a guide, disappears while on Safari in a wildlife park in Tanzania.
Mbuno and Pero improvise and create a search and rescue mission which is a feat in itself.
I found my heart pounding in anticipation of their quest and appreciate how they use digital images to figure out why Ube was kidnapped.
Their mission was not without troubles. And, in an area filled with wildlife and known for hunting, we learn of honor.
I received this advance reading copy from FSB Associates.
About the Author
Peter Riva is an American literary agent and producer. He managed Voyager's "Round the World Flight Program" in 1985. He also produced the United Nations' event "Only One Earth", for which he won a Telly Award