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Dawn Peake merely wants to get to Gambia to pursue a business opportunity. Instead, her plane has diverted to Sierra Leone for an interminable layover. Shortly after landing, she is rudely welcomed with a barrage of bullets as the country is in the midst of a civil war. However, Dawn is unafraid when confronting a trigger-happy soldier, and the benevolent General Benji notes this courage. Despite her annoyance at being dropped in a war zone, Dawn is somewhat comforted when she meets General Benji’s compatriot Omar. Omar is a connected man who is treated with reverence by the local citizens. However, Omar is a marked man by former associates who have arrived in Sierra Leone looking to loot the country’s resources, particularly their diamonds.
With its history of brutal civil war, Sierra Leone is a natural fit as the location for this action-infused drama. Dawn is a brilliant and strikingly beautiful woman who is capable of entrancing any man, yet the narrative shows that she isn’t a pushover. Her strength and forthrightness make her a formidable presence throughout the story. The author paints Omar as a man weary of the constant bloodshed and instability in the country. Yet he possesses more than a few ideas that could alter the country’s fortunes. However, his past as a hired hand involved in gun-running and the diamond trade has left him with more than a few enemies, and this conflict amplifies the tension in the novel as Omar attempts to keep Dawn safe in an increasingly dangerous place. This is an unputdownable read from start to strong finish.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review