The Shell by Tony Riches

The Shell by Tony Riches

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Firstly the book cover is very striking, the eye looking deeply out at you, connects to the book in several places. You never know just who is watching you. This story is about the kidnapping of Lucy a British tourist on holiday in Mombasa, Kenya with her husband Steve. They ignore the safety warnings about not leaving the hotel beach and sadly are the victims of desperate people who see rich westerners as an easy money source.

Although the British Government policy is not to pay ransoms, I’m sure any family who have a member kidnapped will do anything to get them safely back. This book resonates with many actual kidnapping cases in war-torn and dangerous parts of the world.

Lucy is taken first by boat and then lorry towards to border with Somalia. It is believed she is taken by rebels sympathetic to the local Pokomo tribes. The Pokomo are a settled agricultural people who constantly fight over land and water with the nomadic cattle-herding Orma peoples. Mixed with this the political unrest caused by enforced borders and there is a ticking time-bomb in the whole area.

Lucy’s husband was knocked unconscious in the kidnap attack and wakes on the beach to find Lucy gone. With the help of the hotel staff, the local police and the British Consulate the search for Lucy begins. Lucy is taken on a frightening journey and must rely on her inner strength and common sense to make the most of every opportunity that presents itself to her.

The main kidnapping story is supported by a lot of back story in the form of day dreams, memories and dreams from both Steve and Lucy. I did enjoy reading about the tribal conflicts and how the peoples of Kenya lived and dealt with everyday incidents. So much of the real people’s lives are lost in news reports which focus on the violence and horror. Tourism brings much money to poor countries but it also brings new problems which affect the balance of nature and those who live a simpler life.

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Find a copy of the book here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Tony will join us tomorrow on the blog as our guest author do come back and find out more about him and his writing.