Kidnapping, pirates, politics, murder, oil and revenge, with a love story thrown in for good measure, is with what Wilbur Smith has constructed his latest bestseller Those in Peril.
The grand sum of $20 billion is the kidnap ransom for the release of oil heiress Hazel Bannock's 19-year-old daughter Cayla, after she is seized aboard her mother's own yacht.
Seeing her young daughter subjected to horrendous torture by the kidnappers, Bannock is determined to set her free by taking the law into her own hands; with the help of her security consultant Hector Cross.
Publishing every two years, the South African author has been writing since 1964, formulating three series: the Courtney, the Ballantyne; and the Egyptian series.
The Courtney and the Ballantyne families eventually congregate in Smith's 2005 work The Triumph of the Sun. Smith has also taken the step of — very kindly — providing his many fans with a family tree for each series.
Described as "epic African adventures", Smith's novels traverse Egypt, Rhodesia and eastern Africa just before the outbreak of the First World War.
Standalone novel Those in Peril takes its name from the hymn Eternal Father, Strong to Save, which is traditionally associated with various naval forces and is also known as the Navy Hymn. "Eternal Father, Strong to save, Whose arm hath bound the restless wave, Who bid'st the mighty Ocean deep, Its own appointed limits keep; O hear us when we cry to thee, for those in peril on the sea."
Growing up in what is now Zambia, Smith became a chartered accountant to pay the bills, alimony and support his children, but has now published 33 successful novels.
Hector Cross is a mercenary James Bond — sweeping in on a situation, controlling helicopters and organising military operations. Smith — with no military background — has evidently done his research well, when it comes to the finer points of munitions, tactics, ops and other security-related details.
Cross is not a likeable character but is believable nonetheless, while Hazel Bannock as the ex-tennis star-turned-oil baroness is a little far-fetched.
A love affair midway through is perhaps a necessary reader distraction to lighten a heavily armoured and sometimes gory novel.
The rich, spoilt child Cayla's characterisation is perfect for a victim of kidnapping: naïve, easily upset and unsuspecting — much to the amusement of her kidnappers.
"She dialled her mother's private line. Hazel's recorded voice instructed her to leave a message. She rang off and immediately dialled again with the same result.
"‘Oh, Mummy! Mummy! Please help me.' She whimpered and began to compose a text message on her mobile phone, her thumbs flying over the keys as she typed.
"Terrible things happening. Strange men with guns ...
"She stopped in mid-sentence. There was somebody at the door of her cabin. Somebody was opening the lock with a pass key. She punched the send button on her mobile phone and threw the device into the drawer of her bedside table and slammed it shut. In almost the same movement she sprang from the bed. She rushed to the door and threw her weight against it as it began to open."
It is said that revenge is sweet: something Smith's characters also believe. Will the revenge be sweet? Perhaps for the characters but maybe not for those reading about it.
Those in PerilBy Wilbur Smith,Macmillan, 656 pages, £18.99
