First published 2010
Documentary filmmaker Dara Barr arrives in Djibouti with her cameraman Xavier LeBo to capture modern piracy on film. She has built her reputation covering brutal conflicts and social upheavals, winning awards for her unflinching work. Now she wants to document the pirates who hijack merchant ships off the Horn of Africa. The successful pirate leader drives a Mercedes and seems reasonable enough, but his associate, a refined Saudi diplomat, raises questions. Texas billionaire Billy Wynn operates in the region for unclear reasons while his model girlfriend Helene accompanies him on a world cruise. The most dangerous figure proves to be Jama Raisuli, a Miami-born terrorist aligned with al Qaeda who plans a major attack. As Dara and the towering, experienced Xavier navigate this web of deception, they face a crucial decision. Everyone around them conceals their true identity and agenda. The material they gather could work as the hard-hitting documentary Dara intended, or it might serve better as a Hollywood thriller. Their choice depends on whether they can survive long enough to tell the story at all.
Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: deception, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Djibouti, Horn of Africa, Miami
Period: 21st-century
279 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow
Content warnings: violence