Assegai (Courtney publication, #13; Courtney chronological, #13)

From Publishers Weekly Smith continues the saga of the Courtney family of Africa begun in 1964 with When the Lion Feeds . In this installment, Leon Courtney, ladies' man and former lieutenant in the King's African Rifles, becomes a professional big game hunter and safari guide in the years leading up to WWI. Among his clients are Kermit Roosevelt, son of President Teddy Roosevelt, and a spoiled German princess who is fond of the whip. The story really doesn't kick into gear until halfway through, on the eve of war, when Courtney's uncle, Brig. Gen. Penrod Ballantyne, commander of the British forces in East Africa, asks him to spy on his newest client, Count Otto von Meerbach, a German industrialist with a secret agenda. Courtney also begins an affair with Otto's mistress, Eva, who has a secret life of her own. Will Courtney defeat Otto's dastardly scheme and rescue Eva? Though the outcome is never in doubt, Smith manages to serve up adventure, history and melodrama in one thrilling package that will be eagerly devoured by series fans. (May) Copyright В© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From The highly popular historical novelist returns with another guaranteed best-seller. In the early 1900s,В Second Lieutenant Leon Courtney decides to hang up his military career after a near-fatal mission in British East Africa (and a subsequent court-martial proceeding instigated by a vindictive superior office). He takes up big-game hunting, but thatвЂTMs only his cover: in reality, he is working as a spy, gathering intelligence for his uncle Penrod Ballantyne. LeonвЂTMs target is Count Otto Von Meerbach, a German weapons manufacturer (the novel is set only a handful of years before World War I), but Leon doesnвЂTMt count on falling in love with the targetвЂTMs seductive mistress, Eva. Can Leon foil Von MeerbachвЂTMsВ plot to foment an African rebellion and, at the same time, protect the beautiful Eva? There is a reason Smith is a hugely popular writer of historical novels: his remarkable talent for re-creating historical periods and crafting characters we care about isВ virtually unmatched in the genre. SmithвЂTMs novels of the Courtney and Ballantyne families (in 2005, he brought the two sagas together in The Triumph of the Sun) have been entertaining readers for nearly five decades, and if this novel is any indication, he is showing no signs of slowing down. --David Pitt Wilbur Smith has won acclaim worldwide as the master of the historical novel. Now, in "Assegai" he takes readers on an unforgettable African adventure set against the gathering clouds of war. It is 1913 and Leon Courtney, an ex-soldier turned professional hunter in British East Africa, guides the rich and powerful from America and Europe on big-game safaris. Leon had never sought fame, but an expedition alongside U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt has made him one of the most sought-after hunters on the continent. Soon, he finds that with celebrity comes not just wealth--but also danger. Leon is recruited by his uncle Penrod Ballantyne, commander of the British forces in East Africa, to gather information on one of his clients: Count Otto von Meerbach, a German industrialist whose company builds aircraft and vehicles for the Kaiser's burgeoning army. While spying, Leon falls desperately in love with von Meerbach's beautiful and enigmatic mistress, Eva von Wellberg. On the eve of the World War, Leon stumbles on a plot by Count von Meerbach that could wipe out the British forces in Africa. He finds himself left alone to frustrate von Meerbach's plan, and in grave peril as he learns more about the enigmatic Eva. Set amidst the tensions that will spark a war across continents, "Assegai" delivers the fast-paced action and vivid history that has made Wilbur Smith an internationally bestselling author. It is 1913 and Leon Courtney, an ex-soldier turned professional hunter in British East Africa, guides the rich and powerful from America and Europe on big-game safaris. Leon had never sought fame, but an expedition alongside U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt has made him one of the most sought-after hunters on the continent. Soon, he finds that with celebrity comes not just wealth, but also danger. Leon is recruited by his uncle Penrod Ballantyne, commander of the British forces in East Africa, to gather information on one of his clients: Count Otto von Meerbach, a German industrialist whose company builds aircraft and vehicles for the Kaiserś burgeoning army. While spying, Leon falls desperately in love with von Meerbachś beautiful and enigmatic mistress, Eva von Wellberg. On the eve of the World War, Leon stumbles on a plot by Count von Meerbach that could wipe out the British forces in Africa. He finds himself left alone to frustrate von Meerbachś plan, and in grave peril as he learns more about the enigmatic Eva On The Eve Of The World War I, Ex-soldier Turned Professional Hunter Leon Courtney Is Recruited By His Uncle Penrod Ballantyne, Commander Of The British Forces In East Africa, To Gather Information On One Of His Clients, Count Otto Von Meerbach, And Soon Finds Himself Left Alone To Frustrate Von Meerbach's Plan To Wipe Out The British Forces In Africa. By 1913, Leon Courtney has become a big game hunter in British East Africa. One of his clients is a German industrialist and military weapons manufacturer. From Von Meerbach's mistress, Leon learns about a conspiracy that would unite part of the Kaiser's army with the survivors of the Boer War against British forces in Africa