Black Leopard

Political thrillers about small African countries are not uncommon, but those that combine politics and wildlife study are rarer creatures; and in the case of Voien's second novel (his first was In a High and Lonely Place), the animals are decidedly more interesting than the people. David Trowbridge, an American field biologist whose specialty is leopards, comes to a research station in a rain forest preserve in a small West African country called Terre Diamantee to study their habits in the wild. The station is run by a prickly Belgian primatologist who, soon after David's arrival, is mysteriously murdered, along with two assistants, and David himself only narrowly escapes an ambush. Soon, he finds himself deeply embroiled in the devious politics of the little nation, and despite his efforts to stay out of trouble and complete his leopard research, he and winsome fellow biologist Claire end up running for their lives. The windup is violent and rather perfunctory, as a mixture of magic and diplomatic intervention forestalls an intended coup, and David flies home a crippled and chastened man. The story and characters (including some smoothly sinister African officials) may be rather routine, but what lifts the book above similar efforts is the fascinating and suspenseful material on pursuing leopards and chimps in the wild with all the latest technological resources: solar-powered computer tracking via tiny transmitters implanted in animal collars, night-vision scopes and the like. The atmosphere of Terre Diamantee, too, with its mix of modern corruption and ancient sorcery, is beautifully caught. Voien's imagination seems much more involved in the true adventure of contemporary field biology than in his fictional shenanigans, and the reader's attention is likely to follow the same course. (Feb.)