When a young woman is abducted in Kenya, Nick Sullivan and his boss Mark Anson are employed by her frantic parents to conduct negotiations with the kidnappers. Anson is a careful man and leaves nothing to chance but despite his caution, things go catastrophically wrong and he is left fighting for his life in a Nairobi hospital. Nick finds himself working alone in a hostile environment, not knowing who he can trust. Everyone around him seems to have something to hide and when his investigations reveal a secret that someone is desperate to keep hidden, his own life is in danger.
I think this may be the best so far - but as I have enjoyed all of Karla's Nick Sullivan books it is quite hard to say! The characters are so well described - I have become fond, not only of Nick and Annie, but also I have a very soft spot for Mark Anson, Nick's boss. Karla has again taken a very emotive subject (the killing of wild animals for their skins, tusks, horns) and used it to write a gripping story that is an absolute page turner. I am constantly amazed at how Nick gets himself out of seemingly impossible situations, but it is always told convincingly. Karla writes beautiful descriptions, whether it is of a Kenyan sunset, or someones brains splattered on the wall. I like the way the characters in this story grow, apart from Nick, of course, who is as charming and stubborn as always. Already started the 7th book. I hope Karla is writing an 8th!