Kidnapped on Safari

"In Kidnapped on Safari, Peter Riva offers stiff competition in the thriller/adventure world with hero Pero Baltazar, nature documentary producer, sometimes CIA asset, loving husband, and fierce friend. In this novel, the third of a series on Baltazar’s world-saving exploits, it’s the fate of Tanzania that’s at stake. But first he must rescue beloved friend Mbuno’s nephew from unknown kidnappers and unravel one intrigue after another, peeling back layers of mystery involving drug traffickers, tribal rivalries, terrorists, Russian oligarchs, and the miasma of African politics, all while battling the perils of the bush. . . . Best of all, Riva delivers rat-a-tat action, rarely letting up, building to a nail-biter conclusion. Move over Jason Bourne. Baltazar is here."

—Mary Glickman, bestselling author of Home in the Morning and National Jewish Book Award finalist for One More River

"This captivating story, involving Russian efforts to destabilize East Africa with the help of Boko Haram extremists, is in itself enough to chain you to your seat. Add to this Peter Riva’s soulful rendering of the African spirit, and you have an outstanding reading experience that will linger for a long time."

—Bob van Laerhoven, author of the international bestselling and award-winning Baudelaire’s Revenge and twelve other novels

"A clever and entertaining novel in an exotic setting. . . . Few books set in Africa give such a detailed description of settings and language as this one. . . . With an interesting plot and clearly described (and motivated) characters, this book betrays a writer very well at home in his craft."

—Guido Eekhaut, Hercule Poirot Award-winning author of Absinthe and Purgatory

"Kidnapped on Safari is a richly-detailed Pero Baltazar thriller set in Africa that quickly seduces the reader with authentic touches that could’ve been ripped from today’s headlines. Riva layers in confident authority on every page—whether he’s describing the flora (“…grass that would slice your hand”), fauna (“Lions, once fed, are always hungry”) or complicated geopolitical nightmares (Russia destabilizing the region via Boko Haram), Riva summons an almost cinematic expertise that never calls attention to itself. Likewise, his facility with multiple languages enables him to have characters speak in their native tongue—but always with concise translation—so the reader not only sees the magnificent scenery (and, yes, the squalor) but hears the poetry of the land. This is a whip-smart page-turner nearly impossible to put down once you begin reading."

—Robert Morgan Fisher, winner of the 2018 Chester B. Himes Fiction Prize and finalist for the 2019 John Steinbeck Award

"Crisp clear writing and a quick pace and an authoritative sense of the characters and of a compelling place."

—Sharman Apt Russell, author of Knocking on Heaven's Door and John Burroughs Medal award winner

"Peter Riva’s singular ability to both entertain and inform is captured in this literary tour-de-force; a page-turner in every sense of the term."

—David Ariosto, author of This is Cuba: An American Journalist Under Castro's Shadow and executive producer of GZERO Media

"Peter Riva delivers again with a timely procedural thriller that will keep you up well past your bedtime. Set in East Africa, where the modern world coexists (not always peacefully) with ancient ways and traditions, this story seamlessly blends wonderful detail with relentless pacing in a nonstop adventure that you just can’t put down."

—Jeff Crook, author of The Sleeping and the Dead

"A romp through modern Kenya and beyond, featuring interesting characters and putting Africa on display with vivid scenes and a local's knowledge of place. The story is filled with twists and turns, spiced with the tribal dialects. Added to the mix, an intriguing plot involving the CIA. A rousing adventure that highlights the people of Kenya and a mystery revolving around one of the planet's most horrid crimes. Well written and enlightening, Kidnapped on Safari is highly recommended."

—Ron Lealos, author of Pashtun and Don't Mean Nuthin'

"Peter Riva has skillfully crafted a rousing and topical adventure with the spirit of a blockbuster and the soul of a literary thriller. Riva lets us experience the wonders and dangers of deepest East Africa using all the senses. Pero Baltazar and his trusted guide Mbuno will again stop at nothing to do what’s right, and the world could use more of them.”

—Steve Anderson, bestselling translator and author of The Preserve

"An amazing piece of writing—so exciting. An incredible page turner—and such a convincing and riveting plot that so resonates in today's political climate. . . . [Peter Riva has] an amazing mind to be able to hold so much in it as he creates his story. The plot here is so convoluted and complicated, and yet Riva keeps all the treads moving together. . . . I loved it."

—Mona Houghton, author of Frottage & Even As We Speak