BOOK REVIEW: Rare Earth by Davis Bunn

Marc Royce, a former CIA agent who is unofficially reactivated, takes a job with Lodestone, a civilian government contractor, and is stationed in Kenya. Something suspicious is happening there and the U.S. government is not sure what or who is responsible. Royce is sent to find out. After training in Nairobi where the Kenyan Lodestone headquarters is located, Royce is sent to a French aid station which is being overrun with displaced people due to the eruption of a volcano on Mount Elgon between Kenya and Uganda.

When Royce arrives with food and medical supplies he learns the camp leaders were hoping for soldiers to help keep order. However, as soon as Royce learns more about the situation he is able to restore peace by working through the displaced tribe elders.

He meets Kitra at the medical station in the camp. She lets him know right away that she doesn't like him because he works for Lodestone and she suspects the company was involved in the kidnapping of her brother. Serge, a medical technician at the camp, had been missing for eight days. What Kitra doesn't know and Royce can't tell her, is that her missing brother is part of the reason he was sent to Kenya. Royce, a widower, is instantly attracted to Kitra and is thankful to have such feelings again.

Royce is so effective in managing the camp that the UN district administrator, Frederick Uhura, takes an interest in him and provides more contracts for Lodestone. This makes Royce look better to his bosses. However, Royce was also there to investigate Lodestone personnel and he doesn't know who he can trust.

This is one of those stories where the reviewer needs to be careful not to say too much. However, I will tell you the suspense is powerful and the momentum of the story grows from start to finish. The characters are vivid as well as the descriptions, especially the African locations. The volcano adds a since of urgency and is used to help Royce at one point in the story. There is a trip to Israel where Royce meets Kitra's parents. Then there is the love story between Royce and Kitra and the hope of how it might end. 

I first met Marc Royce in Davis Bunn's Lion of Babylon. Rare Earth stands alone, however, and you can read the two books in any order. I loved them both.

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The publisher has provided us the opportunity to give away one copy of the paperback edition of Rare Earth by Davis Bunn. 


Here are the rules:


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The contest will close August 14, 2012 and a winner will be selected randomly from those who entered.
2. To enter the contest, leave a comment below, answering this question: If you could serve as a missionary in another country, where would you go?

Rare Earth by Davis Bunn Sample Chapters 1-3

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255. The book was then donated to a church library.