The Delta

Australian author Park (Safari) makes his U.S. debut with this ambitious African thriller about plans to bomb an enormous dam in Botswana. Mercenary Sonja Kurtz, an ex-British soldier with a troubled personal past, agrees to carry out the job on behalf of a shadowy assortment of Western tourism operators who make a healthy living from the region’s swamps and waterways. Soon, Kurtz finds herself trapped amid competing personal and professional interests, including those of her boss, the duplicitous Martin Steele; former lover and resort owner Sterling Smith; and the ruggedly handsome Sam Chapman, host of an American TV wildlife show that’s filming in the area. Kurtz’s conflicted feelings about the job complicate matters further, as does her respect for Africa’s traditions and pristine beauty. Park excels at capturing the wilds of the continent, as well as its political and commercial pressures. The arrogant, self-righteous Kurtz is often hard to root for, yet she’s strangely sympathetic. [em]Agent: Isobel Dixon, Blake Friedmann Literary Agency (U.K.). (Oct.) [/em]