First published 2009
Damon Pierce receives a desperate email from Marissa Brand Okari, a woman from his past. Her husband Bobby leads a freedom movement in Luandia, a west African nation rich in oil. Bobby opposes PetroGlobal, an American oil company that exploits his country with support from General Savior Karama's brutal regime. After Bobby organizes a protest during a solar eclipse, government troops slaughter everyone in his village. Authorities arrest Bobby and charge him with murdering three PetroGlobal employees. Pierce travels to Luandia to defend Bobby in what becomes a show trial. The California lawyer must navigate deadly political currents while trying to save both Bobby and Marissa from execution. His legal skills face their ultimate test in a corrupt system where justice serves only the powerful.
Genres: american-fiction, action, political-thriller, africa, legal-thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Luandia, California
Period: 21st-century
364 pages · Hardcover · Henry Holt and Co.
Content warnings: violence