This was the first book I'd read by Gordon Wallis and, despite it featuring the same character as his previous novel, I didn't feel disadvantaged by not knowing the main character, Jason Green, prior to this story. If I were to sum this book up in one sentence, I'd say it was "exciting, fast-paced and hugely addictive, set against a stunning backdrop."
The settings were so vividly drawn, I felt totally immersed in Jason's world right from the tense investigation of the camp back in 1979; the putrid sewer he and Kriel were confined to in order not to get caught had me holding my nose and my breath.
When Kriel's wife passed over the hard drive which inevitably cost her husband his life, then the anticipation of a fantastic - and horrific - adventure drew me in completely. Stunning wildlife settings painted a beautiful world, but one marred by the hunters and crooks who sought to kill elephants for their ivory tusks, or to massacre rhinos for their horns just to feed the demand from unscrupulous companies exporting their 'wares' to China.
It was clear from the start that Jason would pick up where Kriel had left off, not only delivering that report to Switzerland but by closing down the hunters and businesses by whatever means possible. So, you can see what I mean by exciting and fast-paced.
There were a few inconsistencies that caught my eye - I'm a bit of a geek when it comes to detail, it's the editor in me :(
The main one being that when Hannes Kriel died in the present day (by which I assume 2019), he was 51, yet he and Jason - whose age is not disclosed - were on a mission together back in 1979, forty years earlier. That slight glitch jumped out at me, but says more about me as a reader than anything because I just had to do the sums.
For me, the story was written in such a style that is not so common these days, with more telling than showing. That said, it didn't spoil the story in any way. In fact, it was more gripping than many stories that 'show' too much at the expense of the story.
I often wondered - as did Jason - now and then, why he didn't just take the hard drive home - or at least email / post it right at the beginning. He didn't have to take on the battles he did, he could have let justice do its job - or was he saying he didn't trust the system - in which case why bother with exposing the corruption at all? Although, I'm glad he didn't do that, it would have been a very short, and dull, story had he done so. And, besides, I'd have missed the great drone experiences, where Jason captured so much of the evidence he added to Kriel's report.
In all, this was a story of total adventure where real danger lies in exposing the utter greed of the few. There's a very real message within these pages. If only there were more real-life Jason Greens to end this exploitation of Africa, which is driving so many great creatures into extinction.
Definitely an author whose books I'll will seek out in the future.