I have a general policy against reading political thrillers that don't involve Jack Reacher. If Reacher's in the mix, I can be sure that any government intrigue is brought down to a level I can understand (which, if I may step outside Reacher canon for a moment, is best summed up by the immortal Punisher quote of "We gotta steal a car. I'm going to MEXICO, and I'm gonna SHOOT THAT GUY in the FACE.")

And, to be quite frank, I'm not this novel's target audience. This novel's target audience, if I'm reading it right, probably gets as big a kick out of lines "his hiptop is Batman's utility belt" as I get out of the Punisher's clever plan [above]. But I can tolerate genuine, non-shooting-guys-in-faces intrigue in the right context, and Night of Knives is good with context. It's good at presenting an Africa where horrified colonial fantasies of scary musclebound men with teeth and machetes gleaming in the night collide with a simultaneously more-human and more-hopeless panorama of desperate people who give all they have to maintain some dignity in the face of rampant cruelty and imminent starvation. It's good at setting scenes where the landscape itself overwhelms any human pretensions of control, and it's good at providing object lessons in the failures of colonial control.

I didn't get a lot out of the plot, which is a shame, because I can recognize on an abstract level that it was well-assembled, that the reveals are well-spaced, and that the characters who survive develop well over the hypercompressed time frame of the story. But the strength of the novel, I think, is that you can strip out the story altogether and you're still left with a vivid take on the continent-- not just what it looks , what it sounds , and what it smells (although all of those come through with an exposure than can be overwhelming), but on why, as one character observes, in the Dark Continent, "even the sun here is so much brighter."

Nice one.2 s Jennifer402 10

A good political thriller based in Africaadventure africa kindle ...more1 Linda71

This one lived up to my hopes for a thriller set in a foreign country. The thing is: if a reader picks up a thriller based in a foreign country, they want to learn something about that country, don't they? This point is lost on some writers, whose plots could be set in downtown NY, for all the reference to the foreign country they make. But on this score Jon Evans delivers. He captures the sights, sounds and smells of the raped and brutalised countries in which his thriller is set. The plot itself is beyond the realms of reality, but you need to come to this genre lightly, with the will to suspend belief for a bit. Thrillers this are entertainment; so don't get antsy if the protanganists are uber-human, the coincidences improbable and the escapes impossible.

So, 3 stars for a solid, middle-of-the-road thriller. Take off one star for a protagonist who, despite what I said above about suspending belief, is just too emotionally bullet-proof to be remotely real. That's now two stars. But then add on two full stars for terrific pace, can't-put-downability and great immersion in the time and place.

Four stars. Good one!0-mysteries-thrillers uganda Amy94 5

Challenge: Book with Leaves on the Cover - Autumn Dymocks 2023

Spoiler Alert

This book is set across Congo, Uganda and Zimbabwe and follows Moria Kelly. Not once is the name Moria mentioned in this books, I believe they meant Veronica Kelly? Not sure where Moria is mentioned unless there is a first book that followed her?
She is an absolute liability and you do not want to follow her at any cost, even down to the corner shop. People get killed left right and centre when they follow her misled attempt at justice.
If you are suddenly on a tour with a Veronica/Moria Kelly, run for your life.

I gave this book 3 stars, more so I was just plain annoyed with Veronica, and the book just dragged out for longer then it needed too.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review Alicia Melvin27

REALLY FASCINATING

THIS NOVEL KEEPS TWISTING AND TURNING SO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE TO TURN THE PAGE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT. THE CHARACTERS ARE BELIEVABLE, AFRICA IS FASCINATING, THE STORY IS EXOTIC BUT FEELS REAL. Puddle Jumper142 2

countries 39 and 40 Uganda and Zimbabweecountries-of-the-world Paschalis5,051 Want to read

elibraryelibrary Zora291 2

4,5/5 Cathy1,716 267

"Veronica Kelly came to Africa to start her life over. Still reeling from her divorce, she is grateful when a handsome stranger invites her to join a tour to visit gorillas in Uganda's wild Impenetrable Forest — a trip that goes desperately wrong when their group is captured by brutal gunmen.

This is no random kidnapping: her abduction is only the first move in a deadly strategic game. Now she must embark on a wild journey across Africa, to unveil a malignant conspiracy before it consumes entire nations — and thousands of lives..."

I've been to the Virunga Mountains to visit the gorillas myself. Granted, I did it from Rwanda, but I drove across Uganda in a jeep to get there. So, I had to pick up this story.

I d the story and the ending made up for any misgivings I had about it (getting to those in a bit). There was a lot of action, the characters were well drawn and lively. The plot was wild, but I could believe in something this happening. It was nice to read a story with a strong, female main character, who didn't just sit in a corner a dunce, waiting for the strong, male hero to save the day.

Now to my misgivings:

The story is written in present tense. I can't explain why, but I do not stroies in present tense. This is just my problem, so don't let it deter you. The author slipped into past tense two or three times in the free ebook, which threw me off a bit.

There were also a few words missing every now and then and the odd grammatical error. This is a free ebook though, so I didn't let it get me too upset. I still enjoyed reading it.

Two things that annoyed me--and this is just my own personal weirdness again, it might not bother anybody else--was the frequent mentioning of the hiptop and the Leatherman. Very obscure, I had to google them both to make sure I was understanding correctly what they are.

The book is split in several parts. The first part is told by the POV of Veronica, the next part is told by someone else's POV, then a few chapters in jumps to be told by both of them and then back to Verconica. After that it kept moving between the two characters. I am not sure if this was intentional and if the POV was supposed to be fixed to certain characters. The way it was in the book felt a little accidental and I would have preferred it if the POV had been more definitely structured.

So, as a conclusion, if you don't mind the odd hickup in grammar, this is a good adventure yarn that should keep you entertained.

I got the ebook for free on feedbooks.com:
de.feedbooks.com/userbook/14338/night-of-knives
Thank you! Blood Rose Books625 13

Veronica has nothing left for her in America. She has just gone through a divorce with a man who has taken everything from her, though he always had everything before they married. He had the money and the power. Veronica has decided that she needs a big change and challenge, so she moves to Uganda to help with Aids research. She has only been in Uganda a few weeks before she decides that she does not it their either, she is too used to the luxuries that she had back home. Before she leaves she invited by a Derek, a man she met at an embassy party, to join a tour group to go see gorillas in their natural habitat. A trip that goes extremely wrong when their guides are killed and they are kidnapped by armed and brutal gunmen who make it very clear that they do not need all of them to survive. They are told they were taken to be ransomed back to the American government, but this is not just a random kidnapping and the people in the American government may be involved but not in a good way. The kidnapping turns out to be just one strategic move, in a deadly game. Now Veronica and the other who people were kidnapped and have been survive, have to decide if they are willing to embark on a deadly journey across Africa not only to escape their captures but unveil an malignant conspiracy that could destroy a African country again.

This book was fantastic. It kept you guessing the whole way through. There was no way to know who Veronica could trust outside of the people who were kidnapped with her. It really made me ask the question, would I want to know more if I was put in this situation. Would you just accept what you were told and go home or want to find out more. Evans does a good job of not giving Veronica or any of the other main characters too much know how outside of their normal life or occupations. It really seemed life in the steps they took would be similar to a normal person bumbling through the spy and intelligence process.

I found I really d Evans writing style, though there are parts that do have some gruesome details, they did not go too far, as some authors I have read and they were not a constant within the book. Evans definitely knows how to keep you in suspense and continually guessing about who Veronica should trust and what she should do next. I also enjoyed that Evans did not keep everyone safe, no one was immune from being victimized, hurt, tortured or killed, this is often not seen within many action adventure novels.

Enjoy!! Jenny96 12

Set in African countries, including Uganda and the Congo, the author weaves a thrilling tale of political maneuvers and intrigue. The main character Veronica is strong and believable. The story has twists and turns that kept me guessing and worried until the end. I really enjoyed this novel. I've been to Africa and I appreciated Evans' description of the living conditions and the people. I would have happily given this book four stars but the editing was woeful. I will seek out more work for this author. Mathilda27 8

It is clear that I do not do well with fiction about the subject just after finish reading other books about the genocide in Rwanda and the war in the DRC. It is clear that the author did a lot of research about the different countries he uses in the story and tried to use all of his research in the story, but you do reach a point where you so to yourself, to much, and far fetched.... Maybe I just read to much about Africa and Rwanda and must give it a break for awhile, I don't know. Theron HatchAuthor 1 book3

I enjoy thrillers that teach me about history, politics, geography, and living conditions in places of the world I've never considered. In this case it's wrapped around Uganda and Congo and surrounding locales. Well written with lots of twists. And free at Feedbooks. Andrew Sogomo5

An amazing read. The thrill and suspense was riveting and almost damning. Couldnt keep myself from reading. Jon Evans has a way of making you grow to really care about the characters. I enjoyed it very much Nimira45 2

Adventurous

A novel that's keeps you riveted . The characters are beautifully described, you can picture what they look . The landscape takes you beyond your imagination. Well written. A must read. Danita156 40

The plot is interesting and the descriptions of Africa brilliant and accurate. I read a kindle version of the book and the grammar and syntax mistakes were really irritating. It seems to be the problem with many ebooks - I think I must become a proofreader! Tracy7 2

Nearly finished.... A good, solid run of the mill thriller made even better by its location (Bwindi Forest / Uganda / Congo). Worth reading if you thrillers. Terry239

I was surprised as this was quite a good read. Alison2,417 44 Read

kindle 368 africa Dana Sahm74 2

Very good story...would have scored four stars except for the need of some better editing. Eve Woods38 1 follower

Enjoyed the story. One good strong character. Thom Eckles28

Well done descriptions of endless situations but I did not loose interest Brenda39

One of the most intense books I've read in awhile. Well written and great story. Cindy B. 3,829 211

L-o-n-g & situations somewhat repetitive but overall keeps interest. Language, gore & sex. TTS-enabled eBook ©2013 Eero377 4

Not exactly your typical escapist thriller. This is scary and relentless stuff that has a gritty real-world feel to it. Velvetink3,512 235 Want to read

feedbooks Matt1 review

Good Sue 131 3

Riveting read

This is an edge the seat reading. Very well written , lots of twists and turns. Couldn't put it down. Bharath11 3

Very well written with lot of twists in the story. The climax is bit dull, but overall it's well paced and shows that the author had done his homework. Christine50

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