Failed States

by Adam Mayle, Allison Meierding (Illustrator)

Sub-Saharan Africa is a hell of a place for a spy to be left out in the cold. After a botched mission, Olson has been professionally exiled to Mbanza, a hardship posting in a war-torn country. By day he runs guns to a corrupt government. At night he nurses cheap rum and schemes about getting out of Africa. But when a one-legged goatherd and a group of circus performers arrive in town by chance, Olson’s fortunes start to change. After a covert operation runs into trouble, Olson recruits these unlikely accomplices to help him complete the objective – and escape Africa forever. As the plan unfolds, events spin wildly out of control, threatening not only the mission, but the lives of every man, woman, and one-legged goatherd in Mbanza.

184 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 16, 2019

About the author

Adam Mayle has published numerous articles and essays. He has also sung “Love Shack” with a member of the B-52s, been given a box of cigars by Fidel Castro, and was nearly eaten by vampires in Poland. "Mother Land" is his first novel.