A couple battles poachers, ivory traffickers, and corrupt government officials to protect Africa's most beloved species, the elephant. The first page grabs the reader and won't let go, and the love story is just the gravy.
Excerpt
On a trampled grassy field, stained red with bood, lay the carcasses of thirteen elephants. Evidently the members of a family group, they included adult females and adolescents and calves of bothe sexes. An overwhelming sadness constricted his throat. He more than most knew the devastation of losing an entire family. He pulled out his digital camera, adjusted the focus, and began pressing the shutter.
Piet's anguish quickly turned into an intense anger as he watched men wielding power saws, slashing the faces of these once-proud majestic creatures to cut away their tusks. Evidently tusk size was immaterial to these barbarians. One man had butchered a youngster, probably no more than three years old, and his plundered booty likely measured less than four inches in length. Piet shook with uncontrollable grief and rage, powerless to to do anything but continue to shoot images of the carnage.
Professional Reviews
Zimbabwe (In ruins)
This book is hard to put down! The author brilliantly portrays Zimbabwe as it is today. Her knowledge of the Zambezi Valley, the wildlife and the people of Zimbabwe is commendable. The story itself is fast paced and very believable. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a good read and a bit of nostalgia.
Dynamic, Terrifying and Brutal
In Zimbabwe, Africa, when environmentalist and anti-poaching enforcer Piet van Rooyen, and wildlife biologist Jessica Brennan discover the freshly mutilated corpses of an entire elephant herd, they realize they are dealing with a group of professional poachers.
In a country where greed, corruption, savagery and lawlessness extend to the highest authorities, they know they are in for the fight of their lives if they are to save other herds in the Zambezi Valley. Along the way they discover love. Although the characters in the book are fictional, most of the appalling and shocking events depicted actually have taken place and are still happening today in Zimbabwe.
Author Diana Hawkins shows her extensive knowledge and love of elephants and the illicit poaching operations that may yet wipe them all out.
Dynamic, terririfying and brutal, the book will draw you in with its poignant romance, the almost human bonds the elephants have for their herd members, and the stunning scenic desriptions, and you'll find it almost impossible to put it down.
Gripping, intriguing story of love and passion in Africa
This is a story of a man tortured by his past, and driven to protect Zimbabwe's wildlife from poachers and corrupt government officials, while rediscovering love and and trust. I highly recommend this book to all who love animals and those who protect them.
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