The Ghost of Africa

If you want a book you can easily pick up, read a little, walk away from, and come back to later, The Ghost of Africa is not for you. I took it to work and read on my lunch breaks, and I had a hard time putting it down at the end of my lunch break! The story is about Dr. Paul Branson's return to South Sudan to do medical work after the death of his wife. He's particularly interested in going back to work with Leza, a young girl with leukemia who he's been helping. He has an unusual encounter with armed men on the way back to the villages where he's worked before, and when he encounters a black panther, the villagers tell him he is the Chosen. Chosen? For what? And that is the story - Dr. Branson's taking on the challenges and situations he encounters as he goes up against Jason Quinn, leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, who has found something he wants in South Sudan and who is determined to have it at all costs.

The story is not blatantly Christian, although it's clear while reading that that is Paul's belief is in God, not in the spirits that the Sudanese believe in. The story has action, nail-biting suspense, a very likable main character, and a storyline that took me to a part of the world with which I'm not familiar. It's nice to see a fast-paced, well-written book that's heavy on action written clean. I'd be okay with my 13-year-old son reading this.

Well done, Mr. Brobst.

I received a copy for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I don't say nice things about books I don't like.