Why a Booktrail?
1996, 1980s: A novel ‘exploring true events from one of the most hateful chapters in South African history
Reconciliation for The Dead
What you need to know before your trail
Claymore Straker has fought on every front throughout his life, having survived
events in Yemen and Cyprus in the previous books, and accused of being a terrorist, he now has to face up to his complicated past in the South African military by appearing before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
This is the look back at the time when Clay was a young paratrooper in the South African Army, fighting in Angola against the Communist insurgency that threatened to topple the White Apartheid regime. Something happened, something bad which has left Clay labelled a deserter and accused of high treason
The next journey Clay will take is one into the dark, twisted heart of institutionalised hatred, from which no one will emerge unscathed.
Locations
ResetTravel Guide
South Africa – early 1980s
The country during the 1980s was a country in the process of having its heart and soul ripped out and chopped up. Hatred, greed and power were the weapons of choice. Those in power had the strongest grasp of those weapons and weren’t afraid to use them. They say power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely and this phrase could have been written for this period in time. A country rich in commodities but poor in humanity in the upper echelons.
There were civil wars happening in nearby countries, Angola and Mozambique – South African forces were fighting on one side, foreign enemies on the other. South Africa was trying to free itself from the shackles of apartheid. But what were the leaders doing? Attempting to develop chemical weapons.
The Truth and Reconciliation committee is where the truth starts to emerge – where Dr Grasson, is the real Doctor Death who is a real life character who was tried in 1999 for over 279 counts of murder. Not surprisingly there are some very vivid portrayals of torture and violence throughout the novel. Some of the rest might be fictional but given Paul’s background as an engineer, hydrologist and environmental scientist, not to mention the fact he was one of the last Westerners out of Yemen before the outbreak of the 1994 civil war, means this novel is packed tight with accuracy and devastating detail.
Booktrailer Review
Susan: @thebooktrailer
First things first – the 3rd in the series but the prequel of Clay Straker’s life before he ended up where he did in book two – what made him the man he was in later books…and it’s a fascinating read.
This author fascinates me in many ways – he’s the most down to earth, lovely, unassuming man when you meet him at bookfairs, but really is Indian Jones of the literary world. Living in Australia, originally from Canada and the fact he’s escaped from more near scrapes working in Texas, Africa, Ethiopia and even survived a bomb blast in Sana’a……he’s a walking miracle and that’s even before you get to Clay Straker.
Where he finds the time to write these books, I have no idea but am I glad he does. They have given me such an insight into the workings of governments and regimes in Yemen and Egypt before Africa but what they’ve really shown me is that there is nothing more exciting nor strange and compelling as fact and fiction wrapped up in a huge action heavy package.
This is a gripping and often violent read but it’s a book that needs and demands to be read. So much to learn, so much to think about that you may well feel exhausted by the end. It’s a story that really does wring the emotions out of you, but boy is it worth it. Clay Straker are many events, horrors and history personified. The sense of place is phenomenal and the danger is as blisteringly palpable as the strong African sun.
Booktrail Boarding Pass: Reconciliation For The Dead
Author/Guide: Paul E. Hardisty Destination: Angola, Maputo, Mozambique, South Africa Departure Time: 1996, 1980s
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