Tom Klay, the hero of Bryan Christy’s new series, is a journalist who investigates crimes against endangered species for a NatGeo-like magazine, The Sovereign. He has written several stories about poachers in Kenya, where rhinos are killed for their horns. While on a trip there, he is attacked, and one of his sources who has become a close friend is killed. Klay suspects that Ras Botha, a former South African cop, is behind a poaching operation that is responsible for his death.

"Although much is resolved by the end of this twisty novel, what makes the journey noteworthy are the locales and locals to which we are introduced through the eyes of the world-weary Tom Klay."

Shortly after the attack, the magazine’s publisher, Vance Eady, persuades Klay to join the CIA, using his work as a cover in order to find out more about Botha’s network, and potentially its connection to an international ring. Meanwhile, Eady agrees to sell The Sovereign to the Perseus Group, a security company that provides international paramilitary support to governments and private organizations. Are these two events connected? If so, who is Klay really working for? The revelation that Perseus’ owner, Terry Krieger, grew up in South Africa provokes suspicion.

Complicating Klay’s actions is his failed relationship with a South African prosecutor, Hungry Khoza, who is also investigating Botha. When he arrives in Pretoria with his colleague, David Trenchant, Klay rekindles their affair, only to find that she is engaged to one of the people whom his investigation is targeting. Then Trenchant himself comes under suspicion. Klay --- and the reader --- can’t decipher which side to root for, or indeed if there are any good guys at all.

Adding to the confusion are a number of plotlines and flashbacks that seem insignificant at one point, only to reappear later. Are the politicos who meet Krieger in the South China Sea working with the Africans, against the Americans, or both? Was the American operative who was murdered in Kenya working for the US, or for himself? Is Eady looking out for Klay, or using him?

Although much is resolved by the end of this twisty novel, what makes the journey noteworthy are the locales and locals to which we are introduced through the eyes of the world-weary Tom Klay. It will be interesting to see how he, and Christy, evolve throughout the course of the series.