A tale of violence and beauty.. There is a lot to recommend in Noble's writing-she draws readers in and ably limns terrain and wildlife. Skilful prose. Kirkus Media LLC From the wilds of central Africa to its strife-torn coastline, through its garish cities and across to an Indian Ocean island, the madness intensifies. Vicious blows, dealt with the cunning and unpredictability of a cornered leopard, take their toll. A cowardly and macabre killing, depraved sex, illicit drug use, blackmail and murder, the daring rescue of a fugitive from a hostile African state and the hunt at night for a marauding lion; these events, nevertheless, pale in comparison with the shocking discovery of the identities of the people responsible for the crimes, their reason for committing them and their ultimate fate.