Mark of the Lion

American Jade del Cameron served as an ambulance driver in France in the Great War and saw her love, pilot David Worthy, get shot down. She vowed to fulfill his dying wish that she find his unknown half-brother. That vow takes her to Nairobi in 1919, where David 19s father died years earlier when he was attacked by a hyena in his hotel. She takes a job as a journalist for The Traveler magazine and infiltrates the Happy Valley set, where she makes friends and organizes a safari.

As Jade makes her way through African society, an American made uncomfortable by the strictures of class and race, she learns Swahili, moves to a coffee plantation, and navigates the rutted roads of Africa in an unreliable car. There have been some suspicious show more deaths and not just that of David Worthy's father. The natives believe that a laibon is at work, an evil spirit who has the ability to assume the form of a beast, in this case a hyena. Or a lion. Or are there two laibons at work? Jade isn't sure she believes this, but isn't as quick to rule out the possibility as some of her compatriots.

Jade is a forthright, blunt-spoken, action-oriented heroine who knows more about guns than fashion. Clips from her travel articles head up each chapter and the action moves swiftly through bush and ballroom until it culminates in a sufficiently atmospheric and danger-riddled safari. I was intrigued enough with this first book to pick up the second one. I thought Jade was lots of fun, even if she may be too good to be true. show less

American Jade del Cameron served as an ambulance driver in France in the Great War and saw her love, pilot David Worthy, get shot down. She vowed to fulfill his dying wish that she find his unknown half-brother. That vow takes her to Nairobi in 1919, where David’s father died years earlier when he was attacked by a hyena in his hotel. She takes a job as a journalist for The Traveler magazine and infiltrates the Happy Valley set, where she makes friends and organizes a safari.

As Jade makes her way through African society, an American made uncomfortable by the strictures of class and race, she learns Swahili, moves to a coffee plantation, and navigates the rutted roads of Africa in an unreliable car. There have been some suspicious show more deaths and not just that of David Worthy's father. The natives believe that a laibon is at work, an evil spirit who has the ability to assume the form of a beast, in this case a hyena. Or a lion. Or are there two laibons at work? Jade isn't sure she believes this, but isn't as quick to rule out the possibility as some of her compatriots.

Jade is a forthright, blunt-spoken, action-oriented heroine who knows more about guns than fashion. Clips from her travel articles head up each chapter and the action moves swiftly through bush and ballroom until it culminates in a sufficiently atmospheric and danger-riddled safari. I was intrigued enough with this first book to pick up the second one. I thought Jade was lots of fun, even if she may be too good to be true. show less

I'm not sure what Agatha Christie would be writing if she were alive today, but as I read this book, I thought that this was the kind of mystery she would be reading if she were alive today. There's a strong plot, there's recognizable characters, there's a motive, and there's a well-developed setting. It moves along at a good pace, none of this sitting and introspecting for seven or eight chapters. Yes, it does set the scene, but hey, stuff is happening, like getting attacked by a hyena. That's pretty exciting stuff. And while Jade del Cameron doesn't seem to have much in common with Miss Jane Marple, she did remind me quite a bit of those plucky heroine of Miss Christie's other novels, the ones who set off for Africa or Mesopotamia, or show more wherever adventure takes them, and then get caught up in Exciting Events.

I liked this a lot and I'm looking forward to more in this series. show less

I’m a sucker for novels set in 1920s and 30s British East Africa, and this book doesn’t disappoint. The setting and writing quality are high. Jade the protagonist is interesting but not incredibly believable with her uncanny resiliency and ability to flout social conventions.

The mystery is fairly transparent and slow to develop. I’m hoping subsequent books in this series have a better mystery included or they won’t be worth reading.

A well-constructed mystery with slight fantasy overtones (the shamans). Jade del Cameron is an appealing character. The ending is a bit less tight than in many mysteries but still satisfying.

I was browsing at Harvard Bookstore and I ran across this. It was almost an impulse buy and then I put it back and recalled it later when I was browsing online at Powell's. After looking at a few reviews, I dediceded to get it from the library instead and I'm glad I did. It was badly written, in the way that romances are, but without the enjoyment of badly written. Hackneyed, over metaphored, one-dimensional characters with set expressions (pish-tosh, I mean really.), a heroine of flashing green eyes and curly black hair, a crack shot and a great mechanic. It was dippy and not in a fun way and I'm very glad I didn't spend money on it, nor the rest of the series. I could complain about more; the strained plot line, the over explanation show more of clothes and food, the clueless detective/heroine. But really, I'll just move on to a book I'll enjoy and return this one to the library. show less

Great promise for this series. Loved the setting, enjoyed Jade's independence and ability with cars, guns and people. I didn't like when animals were killed but that was de rigeur at that time in Africa.