A journey up the river in the Belgian Congo is also a journey into the darkest part of a man's soul.

This collection of five stories set in various African countries reveals the harsh consequences for children of life in Africa.

"Persomi is young, white, and poor, born the middle child of illiterate sharecroppers on the prosperous Fourie farm. Persomi's world is extraordinarily small ... Her older brother Gerbrand is her lifeline and her connection to the outside world. When he leaves the farm to seek work in Johannesburg, Persomi's isolated world is blown wide open. But as her very small world falls apart, bigger dreams become open to her-- dreams of an education, a profession,...

"Auben Mutze has more vices than he can deal with--six to be exact--each branded down his arm for all the world to see. They mark him as a lesser twin in society, as inferior, but there's no way he'll let that define him. Intelligent and outgoing, Auben's spirited antics make him popular among the other students at his underprivileged high school. So what if he's envious of his twin Kasim, whose single vice brand is a ticket to a better life, one...

Ivan has been happily living in a wildlife sanctuary, with his friend Ruby next door in the elephant enclosure, frequent visits from his canine friend Bob, and his mate Kinyani by his side. And in the happiest turn of all, Ivan and Kinyani have welcomed a set of twins to their family!

For generations, the animals of the African plains have followed a single rule: only kill to survive. But when an unthinkable act of betrayal shatters the peace, the fragile balance between predators and prey will rest in the paws of three unlikely heroes.

Zinzi has a talent for finding lost things. Being hired by famously reclusive music producer Odi Huron to find a teenybop pop star should be her ticket out of Zoo City, the festering slum of the criminal underclass. Set in a re-imagined Johannesburg, the author mixes refugees, crime, the music industry, African magic and the nature of sin together.

"A new Great Father now rules over the animals of Bravelands, but he is not what he seems, and unless the elephant Sky, the baboon Thorn, and the lion Fearless can fight his lies and unite the animals of the plains, the balance of Bravelands may be destroyed forever"-- Provided by publisher.

Dick Francis, Edgar Award—winning master of mystery and suspense, takes you into the thrilling world of horse racing. Edward Lincoln may be an international film star who plays daring detectives on the big screen, but in reality he's just an ordinary man. Unfortunately, his ailing friend doesn't seem to think so, and now he's come to South Africa to investigate who's been tampering with her racehorses. But it isn't long before he realizes he must...

"[A]t a guest house in the beautiful Franschhoek wine valley, a famous English mathematician is kidnapped and his two bodyguards are killed. It's clearly a professional hit, and the spent shell cases offer a chilling clue: each is engraved with the head of a spitting cobra. Meanwhile, in Cape Town, a skilled young thief is using his talents to put his sister through college. Then one day he picks the wrong pocket, grabbing the wallet of a young American...