Pilot Ken "Spike" Verrier returns with his beautiful wife, Samantha, to Monrovia, Liberia, to purchase rough diamonds. The diamonds could help get his airline business up and running again. Ken's initial working man's dilemma collides with CIA operatives who are secretly inspiring a revolution. This is a West African country where tribal rivalries entangle with class conflicts. Mobs demand rice. With Americo-Liberians growing opulent, the Chinese, Russians, and Americans play political chess with a country whose women seek empowerment and poverty-stricken country people barely survive.

This novel shoots at many targets and lands dead center on insights into the mysteries of human nature. Though Ken is down on his finances, he's got luck. His circumstances reveal his character to be wise and resourceful in an escalating crisis. Undercover agents Darius and Craig reveal how weaknesses in human nature impact a CIA mission. The character Boa adds light and humor to the rising stakes.

This book covers expansive territory historically, politically, and personally. With the right amounts of vivid details, action flies off the page. The narrative voice seamlessly alternates between the hero and a third-person omniscient point of view. It reads like receiving insider intelligence on how to be influential in Liberia.

Meier's tale has exotic settings that titillate the imagination. Meanwhile, the use of code language and humor enrich the dialogue. Plus, readers sense what it's like to be a pilot. On top of that, every violent death comes across to the reader as gut-wrenching. The author's novel delivers a powerful conclusion but is equally satisfying from beginning to end. In essence, with writing this fine, who needs to go to the movies?

RECOMMENDED by the US Review

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