Lioness

September 4, 2000
With its taut plot, Brien's African thriller makes a suspenseful follow-up to her previous book, A Veiled Journey. Only weeks after the death of Joel, her twin brother and business partner, a cryptic note warns Los Angeles architect Cat Stanton that "nothing's what it seems to be." Cat immediately jets off to Kenya under the guise of completing Joel's work on a major hotel project there; actually, she intends to get some concrete answers about his final days from the safari company that led his expedition into the bush, where he was supposedly trampled to death by a herd of buffalo. Brien complements the solid cast of characters Cat encounters during her investigation (a brutal German poacher, flirtatious Australian hunters, natives armed with AK-47s and a suspicious priest) with mesmerizing action scenes and vivid descriptions of Africa's natural beauty and wildlife. Eventually, Cat's unwelcome questions uncover a world of political corruption, terrorist activity and greed that puts her own life in jeopardy. Cat's pursuit seems single-minded, but Brien adds depth to Cat by incorporating flashbacks to her childhood and memories of an abusive father.