Action & Adventure
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The Lioness: A Novel
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • A luxurious African safari turns deadly for a Hollywood starlet and her entourage in this riveting historical thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant.
"The best possible combination of Hemingway and Agatha Christie - a gorgeously written story about the landscape and risks of Africa, whose edge-of-your-seat plot makes it impossible to put down."
-Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wish You Were Here
Tanzania, 1964. When Katie Barstow, A-list actress, and her new husband, David Hill, decide to bring their Hollywood friends to the Serengeti for their honeymoon, they envision giraffes gently eating leaves from the tall acacia trees, great swarms of wildebeests crossing the Mara River, and herds of zebras storming the sandy plains. Their glamorous guests-including Katie's best friend, Carmen Tedesco, and Terrance Dutton, the celebrated Black actor who stars alongside Katie in the highly controversial film Tender Madness-will spend their days taking photos, and their evenings drinking chilled gin and tonics back at camp, as the local Tanzanian guides warm water for their baths. The wealthy Americans expect civilized adventure: fresh ice from the kerosene-powered ice maker, dinners of cooked gazelle meat, and plenty of stories to tell over lunch back on Rodeo Drive.
What Katie and her glittering entourage do not expect is this: a kidnapping gone wrong, their guides bleeding out in the dirt, and a team of Russian mercenaries herding their hostages into Land Rovers, guns to their heads. As the powerful sun gives way to night, the gunmen shove them into abandoned huts and Katie Barstow, Hollywood royalty, prays for a simple thing: to see the sun rise one more time. A blistering story of fame, race, love, and death set in a world on the cusp of great change, The Lioness is a vibrant masterpiece from one of our finest storytellers.
"The best possible combination of Hemingway and Agatha Christie - a gorgeously written story about the landscape and risks of Africa, whose edge-of-your-seat plot makes it impossible to put down."
-Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wish You Were Here
Tanzania, 1964. When Katie Barstow, A-list actress, and her new husband, David Hill, decide to bring their Hollywood friends to the Serengeti for their honeymoon, they envision giraffes gently eating leaves from the tall acacia trees, great swarms of wildebeests crossing the Mara River, and herds of zebras storming the sandy plains. Their glamorous guests-including Katie's best friend, Carmen Tedesco, and Terrance Dutton, the celebrated Black actor who stars alongside Katie in the highly controversial film Tender Madness-will spend their days taking photos, and their evenings drinking chilled gin and tonics back at camp, as the local Tanzanian guides warm water for their baths. The wealthy Americans expect civilized adventure: fresh ice from the kerosene-powered ice maker, dinners of cooked gazelle meat, and plenty of stories to tell over lunch back on Rodeo Drive.
What Katie and her glittering entourage do not expect is this: a kidnapping gone wrong, their guides bleeding out in the dirt, and a team of Russian mercenaries herding their hostages into Land Rovers, guns to their heads. As the powerful sun gives way to night, the gunmen shove them into abandoned huts and Katie Barstow, Hollywood royalty, prays for a simple thing: to see the sun rise one more time. A blistering story of fame, race, love, and death set in a world on the cusp of great change, The Lioness is a vibrant masterpiece from one of our finest storytellers.
Editorial Reviews
One of the Los Angeles Times' 10 Most-Anticipated Books of May
"Throughout his bloody, often shocking jumble of twists and turns, [Bohjalian] weaves life stories with such deftness, it's impossible not to care how they end…There I was, breathlessly following these people like the hyenas who stalked -. No, no. Let's not spoil that one for you. . .We are also likely to see at least parts of ourselves. This is the other danger lurking in the pages, and from this we cannot look away. The questions are as haunting as they are inevitable: What might I do in these circumstances? How far would I be willing to go? In our answers, we are bound to feel unease. If we're honest with ourselves, that is."
-Connie Schultz, The New York Times
"Once all the puzzle pieces. . .are in place, the result is an adventure story of satisfying unity, with enough surprises to still qualify as a mystery. Recurring allusions to Hemingway. . .add additional literary flair."
-Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal
"A bloody sprint of a read. . . Lesser writers could not tackle 10 narrators, the complexities of racism in America, African politics, violence both foreign and domestic (as in inside a New York apartment) and make the pieces fit seamlessly together. But [Bohjalian] has shown time and again that with him, you don't know what you're going to get, but you know that the getting is good. With The Lioness, the getting is violently good. Pulled in by the promise of thrills or the guarantee of glamour, readers will stay for the game of survivor(s), and finish the book as satisfied as a fat cat in the Serengeti."
-Karen Tanabe, The Washington Post
"Bohjalian is at heart a thriller writer, eager to upend charming scenes of wildlife-spotting with a deadly twist...Where Bohjalian one-ups Christie (with apologies to the grande dame) is in his character development...Bohjalian tracks his players as keenly as a leopard does its prey, matching psychology to fate with an almost pathological precision...'The Lioness' provides a meaty look at what makes us animals in what we call civilization - and what makes us human when we're out in the wild."
-Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times
"Bohjalian, one of our finest storytellers, weaves his spellbinding magic... Extraordinarily engaging…Ultimately, the deadly-serious real-world tale that Bohjalian taps into - t...
"Throughout his bloody, often shocking jumble of twists and turns, [Bohjalian] weaves life stories with such deftness, it's impossible not to care how they end…There I was, breathlessly following these people like the hyenas who stalked -. No, no. Let's not spoil that one for you. . .We are also likely to see at least parts of ourselves. This is the other danger lurking in the pages, and from this we cannot look away. The questions are as haunting as they are inevitable: What might I do in these circumstances? How far would I be willing to go? In our answers, we are bound to feel unease. If we're honest with ourselves, that is."
-Connie Schultz, The New York Times
"Once all the puzzle pieces. . .are in place, the result is an adventure story of satisfying unity, with enough surprises to still qualify as a mystery. Recurring allusions to Hemingway. . .add additional literary flair."
-Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal
"A bloody sprint of a read. . . Lesser writers could not tackle 10 narrators, the complexities of racism in America, African politics, violence both foreign and domestic (as in inside a New York apartment) and make the pieces fit seamlessly together. But [Bohjalian] has shown time and again that with him, you don't know what you're going to get, but you know that the getting is good. With The Lioness, the getting is violently good. Pulled in by the promise of thrills or the guarantee of glamour, readers will stay for the game of survivor(s), and finish the book as satisfied as a fat cat in the Serengeti."
-Karen Tanabe, The Washington Post
"Bohjalian is at heart a thriller writer, eager to upend charming scenes of wildlife-spotting with a deadly twist...Where Bohjalian one-ups Christie (with apologies to the grande dame) is in his character development...Bohjalian tracks his players as keenly as a leopard does its prey, matching psychology to fate with an almost pathological precision...'The Lioness' provides a meaty look at what makes us animals in what we call civilization - and what makes us human when we're out in the wild."
-Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times
"Bohjalian, one of our finest storytellers, weaves his spellbinding magic... Extraordinarily engaging…Ultimately, the deadly-serious real-world tale that Bohjalian taps into - t...
Readers Top Reviews
Donna J. Murphy
I didn’t want it to end. Usually I read a Bohjalian novel with one eye shut and an “ oh lord make it stop” attitude. This was definitely him writing but when I got to the end I was hoping for 50 more pages. ( although we were getting short on characters!) Just for fun. My favorite Bohjalian novel yet.
Rebecca CopelandD
I read constantly, so much so that I have a hard time finding great books. It seems they don’t come out fast enough! This book was beautifully written, had great character development, a great story, and though I was completely satisfied at the end, I wanted to weep that it was over. The details about what was happening in Africa and the US during the sixties was really accurate (and maddening), but needed to be said.
Kindle Rebecca C
One of Bohjalian’s best! Very interesting setting in the Serengeti and the characters are fascinating. Chris has done his usual fine job of research and the reader is immersed in this time and place.
Marilyn LeslieKin
Fast paced story with lots of action and twists and turns. I just returned from a month in Tanzania and Kenya so it was exciting to read about the animals, safaris and camps. It was realism based on political and geographical facts that made the story even more interesting.
CeleneMark TownAs
Ughhhh. I am so disappointed. I wanted to love this book so much. But guys, I just couldn't do it. When I read the description of this book: Hollywood starlets in the 1960's on an African safari, where they are fighting for their life and they all start dying off, I was in! Sign me up! But it was so hard for me to get through certain sections of this book. We flip back and forth from the past to present. Honestly, the present sections of the book, where they have been kidnapped and are fighting for their life in the safari, is what saved it from being lower than a 3 star rating for me. The flashbacks to build our understanding of each character was often times too boring to hold my attention. And that leads me to my next major issue with this book! Too many characters! We have the nine main Hollywood characters, who have joined this photo safari in Africa. Plus the five supporting characters, who are their safari guides, and I couldn't keep some of them straight leading me to be too distracted to focus on the story. I even flipped back to the guide at the beginning of the book often to help remind me. If we had stayed in the present time and not flipped intermittently in every chapter, which is a different character's POV, the pacing would have stayed high enough for me to enjoy this book, because I really did enjoy the intensity of the current situations of each one trying to survive! It was well written and kept my interest. But then we would just stop abruptly and flashback losing all the momentum. It was so frustrating. And don't get me wrong! I love alternating timelines, but the frequency and placement in this book was off-putting for me. I think as a movie or TV series, this book would be great. However, I wouldn't recommend this book. **Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Chapter One
Katie Barstow
Hollywood royalty gathered Saturday night at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, where Katie Barstow wed Rodeo Drive gallerist David Hill. The two of them left afterward for Paris and then the wilds of Africa on a "safari." Rumor has it that the actress is bringing along an entourage into the jungle that will include her brother and sister-in-law, Billy and Margie Stepanov; her agent, Peter Merrick; her publicist, Reggie Stout; actress Carmen Tedesco and her husband, Felix Demeter; and Katie's friend and co-star in the still controversial Tender Madness, Terrance Dutton. The little group has nicknamed themselves the Lions of Hollywood--though anyone who knows Katie Barstow or has seen her on the screen understands that she is the lioness in charge of this pride.
--The Hollywood Reporter, November 9, 1964
She was watching the giraffes at the watering hole after breakfast, no longer as awed by their presence as she'd been even four days ago, when she'd first seen a great herd of them eating leaves from a copse of tall umbrella acacia, their heads occasionally bobbing up to stare back, unfazed and not especially alarmed by the humans. Their eyes were sweet. Their horns were the antennae on a child's extraterrestrial Halloween mask. The inscrutable creatures were wary of these humans, but they felt no need to flee.
They'd just finished breakfast and were still at their camp. Her husband, David, was on her left, and her brother, Billy, was on her right. Both had their cameras out. Terrance was sitting nearby with his notebook on his knees, sketching the creatures. Katie had known that Terrance was as talented a visual artist as he was an actor--her husband loved his paintings--but she was still stunned by how quickly and how remarkably he was drawing the animals they saw. The eyes of his elephant had broken her heart. Earlier that autumn, when they were still in L.A., David had said it was only a matter of time before he could risk giving the man a show. ("He's a movie star," she told David when she heard the hesitation in his voice. "He's a Black movie star," David had reminded her, and while he was only acknowledging the backlash he might face from some quarters, she had still felt the need to remind him it was 1964, not 1864. His gallery's fiscal foundation couldn't possibly be so weak that it couldn't withstand blowback from racist critics and so-called connoisseurs.)
The group, all nine of them and their guides, were about to climb into the Land Rovers and start the drive to the next camp, a journey through the savanna that would take three hours if they didn't stop, but would, in fact, take seven or eight because they expected to pause often for the Serengeti's great menagerie of animals. You just never knew what you would see and where you might detour. Yesterday, they had been particularly lucky. They had witnessed the great wildebeest crossing at the Mara River: thousands of wildebeest and zebras storming down the sandy banks into the water and attempting to reach the grass on the other side.
There were five giraffes this morning, three with their legs splayed awkwardly as they stretched their long necks down to the water to drink. She felt a small pang of guilt that she was taking for granted her witness to their presence, animals over fifteen feet tall--their legs alone were taller than she was--with their cream-colored coats and those iconic tawny spots. She wondered at the way her mind was wandering instead to the differences between coincidence and synchronicity. Her brother, Billy, a psychologist, had been expounding on the two words over breakfast in the meal tent.
A coincidence, he had said, was the fact that there were nine Americans on this photo safari, and last month two had been caught in the same end-of-the-world traffic jam that brought freeway traffic to a standstill before the Beatles' appearance at the Hollywood Bowl: Katie's husband and Katie's agent. Though David Hill was nearly thirty years younger than Peter Merrick, the idea that they had turned off their engines and stood smoking Lucky Strikes on the highway beside their cars at almost exactly the same moment near almost exactly the same exit had still been fascinating enough that it had broken the ice their first night in the Serengeti, and led David and Peter to bond in ways that transcended the generation and a half that separated them. (It also gave them something less awkward to discuss than the reality that Katie Barstow, their more obvious commonality, made dramatically more money than either of them, or that they were two big, strapping men who depended upon the earning power of a one-hundred-...
Katie Barstow
Hollywood royalty gathered Saturday night at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, where Katie Barstow wed Rodeo Drive gallerist David Hill. The two of them left afterward for Paris and then the wilds of Africa on a "safari." Rumor has it that the actress is bringing along an entourage into the jungle that will include her brother and sister-in-law, Billy and Margie Stepanov; her agent, Peter Merrick; her publicist, Reggie Stout; actress Carmen Tedesco and her husband, Felix Demeter; and Katie's friend and co-star in the still controversial Tender Madness, Terrance Dutton. The little group has nicknamed themselves the Lions of Hollywood--though anyone who knows Katie Barstow or has seen her on the screen understands that she is the lioness in charge of this pride.
--The Hollywood Reporter, November 9, 1964
She was watching the giraffes at the watering hole after breakfast, no longer as awed by their presence as she'd been even four days ago, when she'd first seen a great herd of them eating leaves from a copse of tall umbrella acacia, their heads occasionally bobbing up to stare back, unfazed and not especially alarmed by the humans. Their eyes were sweet. Their horns were the antennae on a child's extraterrestrial Halloween mask. The inscrutable creatures were wary of these humans, but they felt no need to flee.
They'd just finished breakfast and were still at their camp. Her husband, David, was on her left, and her brother, Billy, was on her right. Both had their cameras out. Terrance was sitting nearby with his notebook on his knees, sketching the creatures. Katie had known that Terrance was as talented a visual artist as he was an actor--her husband loved his paintings--but she was still stunned by how quickly and how remarkably he was drawing the animals they saw. The eyes of his elephant had broken her heart. Earlier that autumn, when they were still in L.A., David had said it was only a matter of time before he could risk giving the man a show. ("He's a movie star," she told David when she heard the hesitation in his voice. "He's a Black movie star," David had reminded her, and while he was only acknowledging the backlash he might face from some quarters, she had still felt the need to remind him it was 1964, not 1864. His gallery's fiscal foundation couldn't possibly be so weak that it couldn't withstand blowback from racist critics and so-called connoisseurs.)
The group, all nine of them and their guides, were about to climb into the Land Rovers and start the drive to the next camp, a journey through the savanna that would take three hours if they didn't stop, but would, in fact, take seven or eight because they expected to pause often for the Serengeti's great menagerie of animals. You just never knew what you would see and where you might detour. Yesterday, they had been particularly lucky. They had witnessed the great wildebeest crossing at the Mara River: thousands of wildebeest and zebras storming down the sandy banks into the water and attempting to reach the grass on the other side.
There were five giraffes this morning, three with their legs splayed awkwardly as they stretched their long necks down to the water to drink. She felt a small pang of guilt that she was taking for granted her witness to their presence, animals over fifteen feet tall--their legs alone were taller than she was--with their cream-colored coats and those iconic tawny spots. She wondered at the way her mind was wandering instead to the differences between coincidence and synchronicity. Her brother, Billy, a psychologist, had been expounding on the two words over breakfast in the meal tent.
A coincidence, he had said, was the fact that there were nine Americans on this photo safari, and last month two had been caught in the same end-of-the-world traffic jam that brought freeway traffic to a standstill before the Beatles' appearance at the Hollywood Bowl: Katie's husband and Katie's agent. Though David Hill was nearly thirty years younger than Peter Merrick, the idea that they had turned off their engines and stood smoking Lucky Strikes on the highway beside their cars at almost exactly the same moment near almost exactly the same exit had still been fascinating enough that it had broken the ice their first night in the Serengeti, and led David and Peter to bond in ways that transcended the generation and a half that separated them. (It also gave them something less awkward to discuss than the reality that Katie Barstow, their more obvious commonality, made dramatically more money than either of them, or that they were two big, strapping men who depended upon the earning power of a one-hundred-...
