Silent Predator

Silent Predator is the fifth novel by Australian author, Tony Park. Special Ops Protection Officer, Detective Sergeant Tom Furey is in a whole heap of trouble. British MP and Minister for Defence Procurement, Robert Greeves (the man in his charge) has been abducted. To complicate matters, they are in the wilds of Africa, at a luxury private lodge in the Kruger National Park. Tom knows he is to blame, and is determined to do what he can to find Greeves and his policy advisor, Bernard Joyce, before the inevitable happens. Despite being thoroughly disgusted by the events that led up to the kidnapping, South African Inspector Sannie van Rensburg, minder for her country’s Defence Minister, can see the urgency to act, so she supports Tom’s pursuit of the offenders. The non-stop action moves from South Africa, through Mozambique, on to London and back to the African continent; it involves US F18s, choppers, inflatable rafts and quad bikes. Park gives the reader complex characters who are often not what they first appear. His plot is original with a few twists and a dramatic climax (or two), and he deftly builds the tension to create a compelling read. In this novel, Park explores several topical themes: kidnapping, hostages and terrorist demands; sex slave trade; tabloid exposure of political scandals; and the ever-increasing need for security. Park’s own Army background, his extensive research and his first-hand knowledge of Africa are evident in every line of text and his love of the African landscape and many of her people is very obvious. This is, once again, a real page-turner.