A suburban London book club seems innocent enough, except when it is used as cover and rendezvous for spies. Four apparently dull individuals, living mundane, ordinary lives, meet together to read books – and to receive their brief and plan the adventure to which they have been recruited by the icy Chameleon.
There’s a mine, hidden deep in the African bush, invisible from the air. Or so the client says. If it exists, it could destroy his business. He’ll spend a fortune to find it. But is commercial espionage mission all that it appears to be?
A simple trek of discovery, a safari across Botswana and Namibia, quickly becomes a dangerous game, with deception and mortal risk at every turn. Crocodiles, lions, and cheetahs are the least of the dangers the party meets along the way.
Free of their former employer, the elusive and fraudulent Mr Smith, the team of Chameleon, Latviana and Pilot are again in action, doing the things they each know best – deception, strategic planning, and flying planes into hostile territories. And there is another surprise return – Ronald Jones is back from the dead, very much alive and ready to do some revengeful kicking.
‘Spies on Safari’ spins a web of intrigue and interconnected plots which build to a heart-pounding climax. Prepare to be transported, thrilled, and utterly captivated by this exciting adventure.
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Author Oliver Dowson’s firsthand experiences of world travel and adventure give his writing a signature style and a realism unique in this genre. This is the second in his ‘Spy’ series, and while fans of his first book, “The Repurposed Spy”, will revel in tying up loose ends, “Spies on Safari” can be enjoyed equally well as a standalone novel.
After a career in teaching, what Ronald Jones wants to do most with his retirement is travel. To get himself away from it all, relieve his chronic anxiety, calm his deep distrust of other people. Relax.
As a young man, with everything still in front of him, he had spent time in Brazil. Now, with it all behind him, he decides to go back. He has money, no ties, and nothing to stay at home for. It seems a simple plan, easily fulfilled. Arrange an itinerary, book a one-way ticket, lock up the house, get to the airport.
Then the enigmatic Mr Smith pays a call.
Catapulted into a new and very different existence, and with no apparent experience of this new world, Jones is way out of his depth, and in mortal danger. Moody men in suits, shape-shifting female agents, spooks and robotic controllers are suddenly his daily companions. Just how far do these people expect him to take things? And if he cooperates, will they ever bring him back from the edge?
Ronald Jones wanted to travel. He got far more than he had bargained for.
My first book was published in March 2022 by Matador.
It’s a light-hearted and largely true story of two long business trips I made in the early 2000s.
Part One is a whirlwind business trip around half the countries in South America in just a fortnight, faceing near-death experiences in planes and cars, meeting civil insurrection face-to-face, risking kidnap and having to overcome mindless bureaucracy that could derail the itinerary on a daily basis.
Then, in Part Two, a three week trip around the Far East in the company of a obstreperous, can’t-do-without but can’t-do-with female colleague, learning new cultures fast.
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