Merciless Truth

by Suzanne Perazzini

Cara, an English journalist, flies into Katanga, the Congo in December, 1962 on a mission. In an effort to escape from the shattering news that her mother has early-onset Alzheimer’s, a hereditary disease, she is determined to bury herself in research for the article she has been commissioned to write – to find out the truth about the role of the mercenaries in the Katangan war of secession from the Congo.
She stays with Dan, a mercenary pilot whose wife, a friend of Cara’s, was killed during the ill-fated Operation Morthor, the United Nations’ first attempt to bring the Katangese leader, Tshombe, back into control. He is morose, self-absorbed and determined to find the truth surrounding his wife’s death.
At Cara’s request, he sets her up with a team of ground force mercenaries who are off on a mission to rescue missionaries from a village in the north of Katanga which has been attacked by the savage Baluba tribe.
Cara chooses Jed, the leader of the team going north and Dan’s enemy, as her protector after she is almost raped by one of the men. During the nightmare journey, he teaches her how to handle weapons and becomes her bedmate. She sees more horror and learns more painful truths about the brutality of jungle warfare than she has ever dreamed existed and determines to live her life day by day undaunted by the possibility of losing her sanity as did her mother.
In the end, Dan finds the truth about his wife in an explosion of violence and Cara makes her choice.

Kindle Edition

First published May 24, 2013

About the author

My name is Suzanne Perazzini. I am a nutritional therapist specializing in irritable bowel syndrome and the low Fodmap diet (certified by the Monash University on the low Fodmap diet), qualified teacher, award-winning author and fulltime low Fodmap diet coach. My website, www.strandsofmylife.com features low Fodmap recipes, videos and articles on IBS and the diet. I have been featured on numerous podcasts, I have articles on several large health websites and have had many of my recipes published in hard copy magazines. I have suffered from IBS all my life and after having my life transformed by the low Fodmap diet, I now dedicate my days to coaching others on how to eliminate their IBS symptoms once and for all.

Reviews

[Louisa George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Merciless Truth is a fast-paced war thriller set in 1960s Congo at a time of major political unrest and civil chaos. Running away from her own demons Cara Hunter, a journalist for the London Observer, arrives in Elizabethville trying to submerge herself in a story- debunking the myths behind the mercenary soldiers who are fighting in the Congo for monetary gain. In order to get to the heart of these men she meets up with Dan, a mercenary pilot and husband of her school friend who died during Congolese conflict a year ago. Dan is a brooding uncommunicative man who reluctantly introduces her to a group of mercenaries leaving for a mission deep in the jungle.

Cara is immediately drawn in to a fight for her own survival and turns to Jed, the mercenaries' leader, for protection- but, like everything in this place, it comes at a cost. Dealing with the realities of war, a jungle that is almost impenetrable and the horrors that she witnesses are difficult enough- but dealing with the humans that inflict such suffering drives her close to despair. Throughout her week with the mercenaries Cara is challenged to her limits physically and emotionally but digs deep to find an inner strength, forced time and again into making impossible decisions from impossible choices. In the jungle, it really is a case of only the strong survive.

Back in Elizabethville the war has escalated. Chaos has turned into an outright bloodbath with factions supporting/opposing the government, mercenaries, tribesmen and the United Nations fighting literally to the death to secure a small slice of power. But for Cara, humanity is the loser- once again she is forced to make an impossible decision that costs her dearly.

Merciless Truth is extremely engaging and well-written, with acute attention to detail that throws the reader deep into the story. Descriptions of the jungle and the panic are vivid and visceral- the author takes us to a place of carnage, but somehow makes us treasure the land and its inhabitants- with glimpses of beauty that you pray will become normality for the unwitting victims. The characters are multi-dimensional and well drawn with surprising depth and complexity.

Ms Perazzini has created a page-turner that keeps the reader on the edge of her seat - clever twists and unexpected plot points add to a well-rounded story that grips you from the first word and holds you captive until the very end.

[Toni Kenyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cara's trip to the Congo is not for the faint-hearted. I knew next to nothing about the Katangan war or the unrest in the Congo during the 1960's but that's proved to be no deterrent to my enjoyment of this fast-paced, thrilling read.
I've always been impressed by Ms Perazzini's writing and she does not fail to deliver with Merciless Truth.
From the lush descriptions of the jungle and the villages within, to the touching moments of humanity which mean so much more because they are interspersed in the midst of an inhumane war, this story has it all.
Thoroughly recommended reading.