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Formats
Ebook Details
  • 11/2023
  • 978-1-63777-5134 BOCNNZNTM2
  • 140 pages
  • $9.49
Vanished! A Valuable African Statue Stolen in Southwest France
A mysterious, nail-studded African statuette from a local art exhibition in rural France at the same time that a young Senegalese migrant sets out on his hazardous journey to Europe through Al-Qaeda infested Mali and Niger. Can Barbara and Sam, an American couple vacationing in France, help him to gain legal residency there and also aid the beleaguered Ogoni tribe to benefit from a rich oil deposit discovered on their territory in the Niger River Delta? Based on factual events and historical data, ‘Vanished! A Valuable African Statue Stolen in Southwest France’ takes the reader on a hair-raising odyssey from West Africa to Europe AND a a delightful holiday in France. These two very different trajectories are connected by a N’Kisi Kongo figure endowed with magical powers of divination by its people.
Reviews
Samuels (author of French Lessons) leads readers on a thrilling and eye-opening journey with her latest tale, the first of her Vanished! mystery series. Florida-based couple Sam and Barbara summer in the charming town of Caussade, in the Normandy area of France. They’re having a relaxed dinner at La Table d’Alice, a local eatery, when a man tries to kidnap the young son of the restaurant owners, Alice and Édouard Blancpain. Meanwhile, in Senegal, Abdoulaye Diop is preparing to make a journey north to Europe in hopes of a better life, after years of encroachment by other countries has made making a living as a fisherman untenable.

Samuels keeps readers engaged as idealistic Abdoulaye travels north to help change the fortunes of his countrymen—and readers will root for the well-meaning Sam and Barbara, who get embroiled in a complex tangle of colonial controversy. The kidnapping drama is tied to an African historical figurine on display at La Table d’Alice restaurant, an artifact holding a valuable secret that some would kill for. During his journey north, Abdoulaye navigates dangerous Al Qaeda-related extremists and nearly loses his own life—but finally safely reaches his cousin’s home in northern Africa. There, Abdoulaye is entrusted with a key part of the secret which may transform the future of his countrymen, charged with delivering it to his half-sister and her husband, who hold the final piece of the puzzle.

Samuels shines a bright light on contemporary and historic African politics, raising awareness on the dynamics that send immigrants in search of a new life. Samuels does a fine job with plotting, creating intriguing characters and captivating situations, though at times, including some quick-moving scenes and when the narrative leaps over months, some additional context would allow readers to engage more fully with the significance of events. Still, readers who enjoy lively mysteries with a humane, international bent will devour Samuels’s tale.

Takeaway: This humane thriller will appeal to readers who love mysteries with a global scope.

Comparable Titles: Walter Dean Myers’s Monster, Megan Abbott’s The Fever.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-

Formats
Ebook Details
  • 11/2023
  • 978-1-63777-5134 BOCNNZNTM2
  • 140 pages
  • $9.49
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