Thriller set in Egypt and East Africa

29th May 2018

Absolution by Paul Hardisty – thriller set in Egypt and East Africa.

Absolution is the fourth in the Claymore Straker thriller series by Paul Hardisty. I enjoyed the first three immensely, and was really looking forward to the fourth. I was not in any way disappointed…

The book opens with Clay hiding in plain sight in Zanzibar. He fled there after his traumatic appearance at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa (the subject matter of Reconciliation for the Dead). Two mercenaries come to attack him, but he escapes with his life. At the same time his erstwhile girlfriend, Raina, gets a message to him. She is now married and living in Paris with her husband – a civil rights lawyer – and her son. They have been kidnapped and presumably murdered. She asks Clay to help track down the perpetrators. Raina’s and Clay’s stories proceed in parallel, in alternate chapters, throughout much of the book. Raina heads to Cairo where her husband was working on a high profile case before his disappearance. She fears for her life, and melts into the underbelly of the city’s slums. Clay makes an arduous and dangerous journey across Africa, closely pursued by those who wish to kill him. He eventually makes it to Cairo and meets up with Raina. The story moves towards a frightening and bloody climax involving the highest echelons of Egyptian political and military society.

Absolution is a great thriller but, as ever with Paul’s books, it is a great deal more. Paul is an environmental scientist and campaigner. He cares about the world in which we live, and what we do to it. The quality of air in Cairo, and the slums in which so many exist, are a cause of major concern. Thousands (if not millions) are headed for disease and early death. All this is well woven into the narrative, and we certainly don’t feel we are being preached at – but we are made aware of concerns that might not otherwise come to our attention. It is great way for a passionate man to educate us at the same time as he is entertaining us.

I absolutely recommend Absolution.

Tony for the TripFiction team

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