Scatterlings of Africa by Peter Davies
MWSA Review
Compelling Novel that reads like Non-fiction! Former Rhodesia citizen and part-time soldier turned author Peter Davis brings his knowledge of that terrible period of war and rebellion into focus with his novel “Scatterlings of Africa”. It is a gripping suspense filled story with everything from war, and carnage to love and romance.
The writing is absolutely top notch. Davies captures the reader with a well-constructed plot, great characters and with just enough dialogs to add to the great narrative. The book is riveting and shows all the hatred and anger of that time and place. The book may not be politically correct at times but it fits well with what the author is trying to convey to his readers.
The book will keep you reading late into the night until you finish it. It is highly charged with lots of action but the issues about relationships and other personal things bring us a stronger and a more profound look at the people in his book. The story is easy to read physically but emotionally it may stay with you long after putting down this book.
A must read for those who love adventure and suspense novels.
Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2007)
Author's Synopsis
A "compelling, high-octane novel of racial, tribal and ideological conflict that will almost certainly draw criticism from the politically correct brigade", Scatterlings of Africa is a fast paced thriller, set in Rhodesia's war against terror. Rhodesia became Zimbabwe in 1980. It's December 1972 and Lieutenant Ron Cartwright is obsessed with defending his country against insurgents in a vicious civil war. Comrade 'Gumbarishumba' Gadziwa is equally determined to win the fight for Zimbabwe to be restored to his people. While abduction, intimidation, torture and worse are going on in the war zone, the cities, towns and many farms remain safe, idyllic havens where Ron's wife Angela and their young children live in relative comfort. But the stress of their separate lives is taking its toll, and the arrival of Angie's cousin Mark, who she hasn't seen since she was a child, adds fuel to an already tense situation. The tentacles of war spread, plots cross, and life will never be the same again.