REVIEW - Tony Park’s books are thrillers set in Africa, with a romantic element, and always featuring a strong message about conservation of endangered animals and the fight against poaching.
In The Protector, Tony focuses on the plight of pangolins, a species of beautiful anteaters which are unique to Africa. Pangolin scales, while having no possible application in medicine or any other benefit to humans, are highly prized in some countries. It would seem that their rarity gives them value as a status symbol, much like rhino horn, and there are always unscrupulous people looking to make a buck (make that lots of bucks), no matter how evil the proposition.
This is where the thrilling part of The Protector comes in. Professor Denise (Doc) Rado is a researcher into pangolins who has been involved in many dangerous ‘sting’ operations, trapping criminals engaged in the insidious pangolin trade, until one shocking day when a sting goes horribly wrong and Doc’s life is shattered. She goes back to teaching graduate students specialising in the care and preservation of pangolins, leading field trips through sections of the African bush where pangolins are harboured.
Enter Ian Laidlaw, an Australian businessman who has bid at auction and won a trip to Southern Africa, trailing Doc and her students in their research. Ian is struck by the beauty of the African bush and the stunning, previously unimagined wonder of the animal life. Ian gets more than he bargained for as the story hurtles towards a heart stopping conclusion.
There is action aplenty, fabulous scene setting and, as always, lots of interesting, varied characters to keep the story going at Tony’s usual pace. If you have been to Africa this book will evoke your memories in glorious technicolor, and if you haven’t, and you’ve got a pulse, it will have you wondering what you’ve missed.
Published by Pan Macmillan
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