When Josh Hagarty is recruited by the charitable organization NewAfrica to manage a farming project in an underdeveloped African country, he signs on, figuring that he can put his newly acquired graduate degree in engineering to good use. However, when Josh gets situated in Africa, he finds that NewAfrica may not be the philanthropic charity it purports itself to be.
As Josh delves deeper into his work, secrets begin to unravel, throwing him into a world of violence, turmoil, and political corruption. He soon learns that Gideon, the man responsible for heading the local organization, is not only a relative of the African country’s president, but also a strong-arm thug with a tendency towards aggression and dishonesty. In his hunt for both truth and justice, Josh also discovers that his predecessor may have been murdered to cover up something he had discovered about the project, something that should have remained buried. And why has Gideon uprooted the very people that Josh thought he was supposed to be helping? Is NewAfrica merely a scam?
With the help of Annika Gritdal, a beautiful Scandinavian aid worker, and journalist J.B. Flannary, Josh must fight to uncover the truth behind NewAfrica. In doing so, the trio must struggle to survive by evading those who are trying to prevent them from uncovering a dangerous secret—a secret that might just get them killed.
Josh Hagarty, fresh out of graduate school, finds no one will hire him because of a mistake from his past. When he receives a strange recruiting visit from a charity organization called NewAfrica, Hagarty decides he has no other option but to take the position. But after he arrives in Africa to oversee a massive farming and building project, he quickly realizes something is wrong. What he doesn’t know is that his predecessor asked too many questions and was murdered. Soon Hagarty is asking the same questions: What is this underdeveloped country hiding? Is the enigmatic Gideon, the leader of NewAfrica, a charlatan, and is his group dedicated not to good works but to something sinister? Mills creates a great lead character in Hagarty; we root for him as he descends into a quagmire from which there may be no return. Charitable giving meets The Firm in this riveting page-turner. --Jeff Ayers
Description:
When Josh Hagarty is recruited by the charitable organization NewAfrica to manage a farming project in an underdeveloped African country, he signs on, figuring that he can put his newly acquired graduate degree in engineering to good use. However, when Josh gets situated in Africa, he finds that NewAfrica may not be the philanthropic charity it purports itself to be.
As Josh delves deeper into his work, secrets begin to unravel, throwing him into a world of violence, turmoil, and political corruption. He soon learns that Gideon, the man responsible for heading the local organization, is not only a relative of the African country’s president, but also a strong-arm thug with a tendency towards aggression and dishonesty. In his hunt for both truth and justice, Josh also discovers that his predecessor may have been murdered to cover up something he had discovered about the project, something that should have remained buried. And why has Gideon uprooted the very people that Josh thought he was supposed to be helping? Is NewAfrica merely a scam?
With the help of Annika Gritdal, a beautiful Scandinavian aid worker, and journalist J.B. Flannary, Josh must fight to uncover the truth behind NewAfrica. In doing so, the trio must struggle to survive by evading those who are trying to prevent them from uncovering a dangerous secret—a secret that might just get them killed.
From Publishers Weekly
In this lackluster suspense novel from bestseller Mills (Darkness Falls), ex-con Josh Hagarty, who's just earned an M.B.A., but fears his tainted past is a liability, leaps at a job offer from NewAfrica, a charitable organization that operates in Africa, despite his ignorance of the continent. Shortly after his arrival in an unnamed country devastated by civil strife, Hagarty learns his new employer concealed the truth about his predecessor's death. More disturbing revelations quickly follow that place him at odds with NewAfrica and put his life at risk. Assisted by two of the oldest clichés in the genre—the cynical journalist who sees his efforts as a chance for redemption and the attractive, selfless aid worker—Hagarty fights to expose the truth about his employer and the corrupt rulers of the country where he's been assigned. Some readers will groan at the plot contrivances that enable Hagarty to get out of a tight spot. 6-city author tour. (Apr.)
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From Booklist
Josh Hagarty, fresh out of graduate school, finds no one will hire him because of a mistake from his past. When he receives a strange recruiting visit from a charity organization called NewAfrica, Hagarty decides he has no other option but to take the position. But after he arrives in Africa to oversee a massive farming and building project, he quickly realizes something is wrong. What he doesn’t know is that his predecessor asked too many questions and was murdered. Soon Hagarty is asking the same questions: What is this underdeveloped country hiding? Is the enigmatic Gideon, the leader of NewAfrica, a charlatan, and is his group dedicated not to good works but to something sinister? Mills creates a great lead character in Hagarty; we root for him as he descends into a quagmire from which there may be no return. Charitable giving meets The Firm in this riveting page-turner. --Jeff Ayers