The Lioness

A Hollywood diva and her entourage's opulent African safari turns deadly in this gripping historical thriller written by the New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant.

Africa, 1964. A-list actress Katie Barstow and her new husband, David Hill, envision giraffes gently nibbling leaves from tall acacia trees, vast herds of wildebeests crossing the Mara River, and herds of zebra storming the sandy plains when they decide to take their friends from Hollywood to the Serengeti for their honeymoon. Back at camp, their glamorous guests—which include Carmen Tedesco, Katie's best friend, and Terrance Dutton, the renowned Black actor who co-stars with Katie in the hotly contested movie "Tender Madness"—will spend their days shooting pictures and their evenings sipping chilled gin and tonics while the local Tanzanian guide heats up water for their baths. A feast of cooked gazelle flesh, fresh ice from the kerosene-powered ice machine, and plenty of tales to share over lunch back on Rodeo Drive are everything the affluent Americans expect from a civilized vacation.

A failed abduction, their guides bleeding out in the mud, and a group of Russian mercenaries herding them into Land Rovers with guns to their heads are what Katie and her glitzy entourage do not anticipate. Hollywood star Katie Barstow begs for the basic right to see the sun rise one more time as the gunmen force them into deserted huts as the strong sun gives way to darkness. A vivid masterwork from one of our best storytellers, The Safari is a riveting tale of celebrity, race, love, and death set in a society on the verge of momentous upheaval.