Not Bohjalian at his best, in my humble opinion. The device of telling the story through multiple viewpoints was extremely well done and probably the only thing that kept me reading. The plot was a big "so what?" and the characters cliched and one dimensional. There was no one I really cared about, so the struggles to survive came off as melodramatic. Not what I was hoping for from a usually reliable author.

From the VERY EXTENSIVE blurb you already know so much about the book!

The novel takes place in 1960’s Africa, the Serengeti. Katie Bastrow, a Hollywood star, decides to celebrate her wedding by taking an entourage of guests on an African safari. This will be a “photo” safari for most of them. They are settled into their home base and spend an enjoyable few days watching the wildlife and taking photos.

On the morning of the planned Safari, they are being settled into their Land Rovers by the guides when the following happens:

“A kidnapping gone wrong, their guides bleeding out in the dirt, and a team of Russian mercenaries herding them into Land Rovers, guns to their heads. As the powerful sun gives way to night, the gunmen shove them into abandoned huts and Katie Barstow, Hollywood royalty, prays for a simple thing: To see the sun rise one more” This is NOT A SPOILER, ALL OF THIS IS IN THE BLURB.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE BOOK:

The premise sounded interesting and exciting!

The location of Tanzania was described along with many animals including, giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, exotic birds.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK:

The number of POV’s and characters is just crazy!! There are 10 people in Katie’s entourage plus another 5 in the crew leading the safari!! That is 15 people whose viewpoints we will read!! Add to that the Russian mercenaries and I wasn’t able to connect to any of them!! CHARACTER OVERLOAD!!

The story could have been so good and exciting if not for the fact that as soon as something of interest or excitement occurs – WE STOP.

Yes we stop and a new chapter is begun along with articles from the newspaper about either the Hollywood stars or the trip. We then switch to another POV. Any excitement that I felt was quickly flattened by the continuous stops in the story.

It seems as though Mr. Bohjalian tried to address too many topics here. The novel touches on fame, race, cultural differences and Russian and American politics, everything is thrown into this story.

For me this book was a chore to read. The exciting part came at 90% on my Kindle when we finally find out what this kidnapping is all about!!

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.

Will post to Amazon upon publication

Wow! What a ride this was. Chris Bohjalian never disappoints, and with this thrilling ride, I wasn't sure whether this book would be a favorite. I should never have doubted. Katie Barlow is a early 60s Hollywood star at the height of her popularity, in a time of all the glamour. Katie marries a childhood friend, and she decided it would be fun to take her brother, his wife, and some close friends to Africa on safari on the final leg of the honeymoon. Top level accommodations in Africa are still 1960s Africa, and it's somewhat primitive. Just as the trip begins, violence breaks out, and their lives are on the line. No one knows what could be happening, but it's clear they are in a battle for their lives. It takes a master storyteller to craft a tale where some characters will die, and still somehow get you to care about them. The author did a crazy good job with this. He weaves the story in and out, between characters, relationships between the characters, and the heart-stopping action. Every single time I think Chris Bohjalian has written his best, another one comes along and raises the bar. This book will be talked about, and I would bet it will make it to the silver screen. Absolutely spectacular. It's early in the year, but I am certain this will be among my top five (possibly my #1) for 2022. Thank you so very much to NetGalley, Doubleday Books, and Chris Bohjalian for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. (If you sense I'm jumping up and down...you're right!)







Thank you to NetGalley, Doubleday Books and Chris Bohjalian for this ARC.

This was one of the most gripping novels I have EVER read. I had to stop myself from going to the last page, the suspense was overwhelming. I am certain that this will be not only a best seller, but also on all the BEST OF 2022 lists.

When a group of Hollywood elites goes on a safari, many years before they became fashionable, they encounter a journey of unexpected terror. In the beauty and excitement of this trip to Africa, the become the prey. The writing is so exciting that I felt that I was with them, heart poundingly with them!

The characters are well-drawn and their backstories unwind and give the reader a strong sense of the participants and their connections. The author sprinkles clues, but the reader will be astounded by the climax of the novel.

Without a doubt, Bohjalian has written a novel of great power that will engage and appeal to many readers. His use of symbolism and his descriptions have created a remarkable novel which I highly recommend.

Thank you Netgalley for this opportunity to read and review this ARC.

A suspenseful novel with lots of killing set in the Serengeti. Easy to read and lots interesting facts about the wildlife and history of East Africa.

I always look forward to a new novel from Mr. Bohjalian, as he always writes a truly entertaining and involving story, and transports the reader completely into another, absorbing world.

The Lioness is tremendous. As someone who has had the pleasure of going on safari, he brings a lives the sights, smells, and magic of the savannah, until it turns into the kidnapping nightmare, at which point the pages fly.

I certainly will chat it up, and I suspect that it’s another slam dunk of a best-seller! Hurrah as always

What a treasure for readers Chris Bohjalian is! In THE LIONESS, he once again displays his mastery of character, of history, and of suspense, in a whiplash-paced novel crackling with tension and surprises. Highly recommended--altho it will give any readers with wanderlust second thoughts about undertaking an African safari....

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of THE LIONESS by Chris Bohjalian in exchange for my honest review.***

In 1964 Academy Award winning actress Katie Barstow and her new husband take seven friends and family on their extended honeymoon, a African safari where they will encounter man and beast in epic battles. The mighty will fall. Trust will be tested. Heroes will emerge. Not everyone will survive.

Although I’m not a literary fiction reader, I’ve been a Chris Bohjalian fan since his early work so I was excited to receive an ARC of THE LIONESS. An Audrey Hepburn quote to start this exceptional novel made me smile as I quickly became immersed in the story.

Bohjalian’s meticulous attention to research detail reminds me of another favorite, Jodi Picoult another favorite of mine. Told from the points of view of the safari adventurers and blurbs from Hollywood magazine articles the stories of the travelers’ pasts and presents unfold.

On a personal note, I don’t believe in animals used for human entertainment and I don’t approve of anything they disturbs the natural habitats of animals in the wild. Reading THE LIONESS at times I worried more about the animals than people, not because I didn’t root for the characters, but because they chose their adventure and the animals were just trying to live their lives.

Five huge stars for THE LIONESS, which will keep you thinking well after you’ve finished reading.

Five stars! I have never read anything by Chris Bohjalian before, but if his other books are even close to this good, he’s got a new reader! This was unputdownable. I was fully immersed within the first couple of pages. I did not want it to end.

Wow….this one kept me on the edge of my seat…such suspense to find out which character would be killed next by plotting humans or eaten by animal predators! I enjoyed the way the chapters were written and organized, told from multiple perspectives and short glimpses of present in the wild and past living in Hollywood, I wish I had felt slightly more connected to the characters and that I understood more about the political unrest underlying the story. It seemed well-researched, and was a unique read. I know that I will not be going on any African safaris after excitedly and anxiously devouring this book!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the advanced reader’s copy of this book.

The Lioness: A Novel by Chris Bohjalian is a wonderful historical fiction that has it all: suspense, mystery, history, a unique plot, threads of thriller, and a stunning conclusion.

This book is just beyond anything from my wildest dreams. I definitely went into this thinking it would be one thing, and quickly learned that this was a whole different animal entirely (and in a good way).

The author takes us back in time to 1964 on an African safari in Tanzania that starts out as a vacation and honeymoon trip for Katie Barstow, her husband, family, and friends, and it turns into something out of a movie or horror flick with a kidnapping gone awry.

Through flashbacks, news articles, and alternating points of view between 10 different characters present on the trip, we see this hot mess of a trip and kidnapping unfold. Not for the faint of heart, there is action, risk, death, despair, but yet one cannot help but turn the page to find out more.

My heart raced several times as the plot unfolded…one would think the multiple points of view could be confusing, but the author did a wonderful job weaving all the threads together to give us an obvious image of the events unfolding. His ability to dive into the human consciousness and display our most fundamental fears, flaws, and fight or flight responses from the sympathetic nervous system, was beyond impressive.

The landscapes, the native animals, the human unrest and battles waging in the background were all perfect additions. The parallels drawn between what was witnessed between different species and the human behavior was intricately drawn out. The realization that human behavior, while expected to be superior and moral compared to the animal instincts of the lands, in so many cases ends up being more ruthless, ugly, and in most cases unacceptable. I could go on forever, but let me just say that the concepts presented have several layers of depth that will leave the reader thinking long after the book is finished.

I cannot recommend this gem enough. One of my favorites in a long, long time.

5/5 stars enthusiastically

Thank you NG and Doubleday Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 5/10/22.

I’m a huge fan of Bohjalian’s work. His attention to detail, and the time he devotes to the historical research he puts into each of his novels is amazing. The Lioness is no exception, this is probably one of my favorite reads of his.

It’s 1964, and Katie Barstow, Hollywood’s latest darling, decides to take her new husband, her brother and his wife, and several of her closest friends on what she envisions will be a luxurious safari into the Serengeti, being pampered, taking photos of the wildlife, and sipping their gin and tonics around a roaring campfire at night discussing the day's events, memories to last a lifetime.

What Katie and her glittering entourage do not expect is this: a kidnapping gone wrong, their guides bleeding out in the dirt, and a team of Russian mercenaries herding their hostages into Land Rovers, guns to their heads. Katie Barstow, Hollywood royalty, her husband, and her friends are in for the fight of their lives, and not just from humans. They are in the bush, thousands of miles from any human contact, surrounded by deadly predators, both large and small. No one is coming to help them, and they will need to use all of their wits to try to survive.

This is a fantastic adventure into first Old Hollywood with all the glitz and glamour of the 60’s, and then into the Serengeti. The vivid descriptions of both are amazing and I could not put this one down! 6

Another great read from Bohjalian. His plots are always surprising, but the writing is the same - excellent. For fans of Hollywood historical fiction with bloody plot twists, The Lioness, is a novel you can’t put down until it’s done. Think The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo with Joyce Carol Oates morbid excursions.

Holy Cow. You know you're going to get a great story from Chris Bohjalian. His ability to keep you on the edge of your seat with the well crafted tension he's known for, to keep you enthralled and totally immersed with his descriptive phrasing and pacing, and to have you caring for his perfectly drawn and developed characters, are all at top form in The Lioness. Bravo!

When Hollywood starlet, Katie Barstow, gathers her closet friends and family on a post-Honeymoon safari, festivities abruptly turn into a living nightmare, with gore worthy of a Hollywood thriller, as the body count keeps stacking up. What should have been a luxurious, exotic vacation, soon has guests facing their own
survivalist instincts. Kill or be killed? Fight or flight? Will Man or beast be what tears this group apart?

Readers may initially be apprehensive that the large cast of characters and frequent switching of viewpoints will become overwhelming, but Bohjalian excels at character exploration, and gives each character their own unique voice, and intertwines the main plot with vignettes of guests’ lives before the safari, as told through flashbacks, and news articles such as the Hollywood Reporter.

This novel of a safari trip gone horribly wrong is an immersive and thought provoking tale that poses the universal question, “Who are the world’s real animals, man or beast?”, and will certainly be among 2022’s lists of Best Historical Fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for providing me the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my honest review.

When rising star Katie Barstow organizes a honeymoon/safari for her closest friends, she doesn’t realize that it won’t be like a movie set and that the most dangerous animals are not all the four legged kind.

It is 1964. The world is changing. The nascent Civil Rights movement is changing mores in the United States while in Africa, Civil War is changing the continent. Katie and her new husband, childhood friend David Hill, are joined by her brother and his wife, ingenue actress Carmen Tedesco and her husband Felix, actor Terence Dutton and others. East Africa is exotic and beautiful. The wild animals are awe-inspiring. And the danger strikes as kidnappers attack the compound. The safari guests and guides are separated and their lives are reduced to basics: live, die or be eaten.

The Lioness is a superb thriller, ready for the best seller list. Chris Bohjalian has a rare gift. He brings characters, both men and women, alive by letting the reader understand their innermost thoughts. Africa, with its complicated and tragic history, plays an important part in the action. Bohjalian also has encylopedic knowledge of the behavior of the many wild animals of the Serengeti. This is a compelling 5 star read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Doubleday Books and Chris Bohjalian for this ARC.

Chris Bohjalian is a master! Every book hooks you from start to finish. The Lioness is thrilling, richly detailed, and full of suspense.

WHAT A RIDE!! From the very first page to the last, The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian keeps you on the edge of your seat. In 1964 a Hollywood starlet takes a group of friends on Safari as part of her extended honeymoon. The tale that follows is a surprise that both the guests and the reader could not have anticipated. Not only is the story well written but the author brings each character to life. The reader gets to know each character intimately. Just like in the real world we find that no one is either all good or all bad. We know people just like the ones in this book. Their strengths, their weaknesses, their fears, and their souls are splayed wide open on the pages. Page after page we ask ourselves what we would do if facing these circumstances. It’s a masterpiece in writing! I will not be at all surprised when studios are clamoring to be the ones to put this on film. What is so compelling is that situations like these happen everyday somewhere on the globe. Scary indeed. Don’t miss out. Due out May 10, 2022. Preorder now. You will not be disappointed! Note: when your book arrives, clear your calendar. You will not be able to put it down.

What to do for excitement when you’re a jet setting movie star in 1964? Katie Barstow decides to bring a group of her Hollywood pals on a safari in Tanzania. The stars and their sycophant friends observe wild animals and snap photos, all the while expecting the local guides to meet their demanding first world “needs”. But things go sideways when a kidnapping attempt leaves a guide mortally wounded and the a-listers at the mercy of Russian thugs. All of a sudden, Hollywood’s golden girl, the woman who could have everything she wanted, now wishes only yo live to see another day. While I loved the setting for this book and seethed at the injustices heaped upon the local Tanzanians, I could not warm up to Katie and thus I had difficulty in caring about what happened to her.

Does Chris Bohjalian ever write a book that doesn't capture me immediately and send me on an emotional journey? Nope! The Lioness is, truly, another masterpiece. The majestic Serengeti setting quickly turns into a horrifying nightmare, told through each character's eyes, while flashbacks expertly build layer upon layer of the plot, up to its conclusion. You get the Hollywood glamour, as well as the unrest and violence of the times in this thrilling, dramatic read. It's only January, but I know this will be one of my top reads of 2022!

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for access to this arc.