Excerpt: ‘Kidnapped On Safari’ by Peter Riva

KIDNAPPED ON SAFARI – CHAPTER 3

Mamba Kisiwa na Simu ya Dharura—Crocodile Island and an Emergency Call

The emergency call came in at breakfast. They could hear Wolfie’s shortwave radio belting out his call sign, repeatedly declaring, “Come in 5Z4WD, most urgent call for Pero Baltazar.” Pero got up and made his way to Wolfie’s office, asking Amal, their waiter, to get Wolfie. “Kwenda kupata bwana Wolfgang haraka, tafadhali, Amal.” (Go get boss Wolfgang quickly, please, Amal.)

Pero knew better than to touch Wolfgang’s sole means of communication with the outside world. Besides, Wolfgang had once allowed him to use the radio transmitter set, commonly called an RT set, to reach out to Pero’s old contacts at the CIA and State Department in Washington. Pero had been a runner for them, collecting papers and making note of fellow passengers at airports when asked, fortunately infrequently—nothing dangerous, nothing remotely exciting. Then two events had caused Pero to get deeper into the world of anti-terrorism than he ever wanted. Unable to cope alone those two times, he had involved his friends, including Heep, Mary, Susanna, and, of course, Mbuno, who were once again on location with him, this time along the shore of Lake Rudolf. Pero desperately hoped this emergency call had nothing to do with his old Washington contacts.

He had quit after the Berlin package incident, after he had nearly died, mainly because he had married for the second time in his life as soon as he had left the hospital and recovered. Susanna was a brilliant sound engineer, as devoted to Pero as he was to her. The name of Pero’s first wife, Addiena, who had died in the Lockerbie disaster, was tattooed on the underside of his right forearm. He used to sleep with it across his heart so he would not forget her after she perished. Her tragic death was the reason he had offered his minor services to the CIA in the first place, wanting to do something to thwart terrorism. It was heartwarming for Pero that his new wife, Susanna, now insisted she drift off to sleep lying to his right, making him put out his arm for her to use Addiena’s name as a pillow. “She loved you and you, her. It is how I can remember her, thank her, for teaching you how to love, you dummer Mann.”

Susanna’s native German expression of “dumb man” had been a scolding term for him originally deployed during the Berlin dangers, which was when she had revealed she cared for Pero deeply. Since then, it had become a term of endearment between them, their bond cemented by past events.

Adrenaline pumping because of the radio call, Pero weaved his way past tightly packed breakfast tables, careful not to allow his large, six-foot frame to disturb fellow guests. He heard Amal calling out to Wolfgang. By the time Pero got to the radio office, he could hear Wolfgang replying, “I am coming, I am coming.” The RT set was almost a living thing to Wolfgang, and Pero was used to hearing the man talk to it as a father would his child. Pero, waiting at the door, opened it for Wolfgang, who entered, sat, and flicked the on switch all in one practiced movement. He keyed the mike, gave his call sign 5Z4WD in answer, and said, “What is the message?”

The voice faded suddenly, coming in faintly, and Wolfgang gently turned the tuning dial. “Okay, Nairobi, I read you now, the sun’s up here so this may break up.” A woman’s voice came on the radio, asked if Baltazar was available, and Wolfie told her he was present and standing by.

“Message from Flamingo Tours, for Pero Baltazar, urgent, Mwana Wambuno, on safari, Moyowosi Game Reserve, missing for over ten hours. Safari clients being flown back to Nairobi. No trace of Ube. Over.” Ube was the nickname of Mbuno’s nephew, Mwana Wambuno. Pero immediately knew Mbuno would take the news of his favorite nephew hard.

Pero asked, “Wolfie, may I speak directly to her?” Wolfgang nodded and indicated the mike button. “Pero here, who’s that? Sheila Ndelle? Over.” Sheila, the backbone of Flamingo Tours, was also the sister of the UN security police chief and totally reliable.

“Ndiyo, over.” Yes, came the reply.

“Hi Sheila, give me all the details you have, and also, where’s Tone? Over.” Anthony Bowman was the owner of Flamingo Tours, known to everyone over the decades as simply Tone. An ex–white hunter, Tone ran the best safari outfitters anywhere—expedition tents, private toilets, dinner with white table linens, client’s wishes always fulfilled.

“Hi Pero, Mr. Anthony is down at the Tanzanian Embassy trying to find out more information, if there is any known terrorist or poaching problems in the area. There wasn’t any when we sent the clients there. All we know is that Ube took three clients out on a walking safari yesterday morning, camera clients”—by which she meant not hunters—“and they took leopard images in the tall grass, a kill of a bushbuck, treeing the carcass, you know the drill.” Pero did. Leopard was one of Africa’s big five—lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and cape buffalo. Originally a hunting list, these animals still presented a challenge for the lens hunter. “On the plane’s HF radio, briefly, the clients have reported that suddenly as they were heading back to camp, Ube told our two bearers to make the clients crawl back to the Land Rover and fly back to Nairobi without stopping or talking to anyone. They said Ube told them to do this quietly if they valued their lives. They did as they were told. They have no idea what Ube did or where he went.” Sheila paused. “But, Pero, they said they heard a shot. Over.”

Pero’s producer instincts kicked in. “You say the clients are en route for Wilson Airport? Over.” Wilson Airport was on the western side of Nairobi and the jumping off small airport for most safaris and the Flying Doctor air services. Wolfgang glanced at Pero, clearly wondering why Pero should be interested in the clients since he knew Ube’s disappearance would be of paramount importance to Mbuno and, therefore, presumably to Pero.

Sheila’s tone also had an edge. “Yes, yes, they are inbound but had to wait for Tanzanian air traffic control for permission to depart. We had a plane waiting, in case, for medical reasons on the client’s instructions. They will be back in about two hours. But it is Ube we are worried about, and we need to tell Mbuno. Over.”

Pero nodded. “Agreed, I’ll take care of that. But Sheila, listen to me, please, I need you to go immediately to the airport, see Sheryl at Mara Airways, arrange for a Cessna 414 for us here immediately, plane and pilots—note, I said pilots—on loan, indefinite period. Over.” Sheila gave her confirmation. “Good, then call the Langata police station and ask for Sergeant Gibson Nabana. He’s the one I shot during that terrorist attack two years ago, remember? Over.” Sheila laughed and said she remembered it well. It had made the front page of the Daily Standard paper. At the time Pero had needed to gain control of a difficult confusion of authority at Wilson Airport and had only slightly wounded the sergeant. They subsequently became good allies and, since then, drinking buddies. “Okay, Sheila, tell Gibson to stop your clients and confiscate every piece of camera equipment they have. Tell him that I will be in Nairobi as soon as possible. Look, we need to review every shot to see if those camera-happy clients caught anything that can help us figure out what has happened to Ube. Once Mbuno and I see what is there, or not, we will reboard the Mara Cessna and proceed to . . . where was the landing strip? Remember that Sheryl at Mara Airways will need to have that information while you are at Wilson Airport, okay? Over.”

Sheila understood the flight would have to leave Kenya and land in Tanzania, an everyday occurrence as long as the paperwork was filled in properly with Customs and Excise on both sides of the border. “The Moyowosi Airport we used for the clients was actually at Mgwesi at the southwestern end of the Lake Nyagamoma, and then there is a three-hour slow drive into the game reserve. Should I lay on transport? Our drivers are still there, packing up the tents. I have not given them instruction to drive back to base. Over.”

“Yes, Sheila, hold your people in place, reestablish the camp, but move it at least a mile or more away. We’ll use it, and we’ll pay the fare. And one more thing, your clients will get back to Wilson before we do, so you have to make sure to tell them, before they land, that if Ube had reason to get your clients out secretly, whatever his reasons were, it is serious and if they value their lives they will not, I repeat, not talk with anyone. And keep them at the airport. Over.” Sheila said she understood and signed off.

Wolfgang looked over at Pero and simply said, “I guess you’ll be leaving then. The pool is full; I was thinking about draining it, but you might as well use it before you go while you wait for transport.” It was as friendly a gesture Pero had ever heard the owner of the Oasis make.
**************************************************
Peter Riva is the author of “Kidnapped on Safari.” He has spent many months over thirty years traveling throughout Africa and Europe. He created the 1995 series Wild Things for Paramount. Passing on the fables, true tales and insider knowledge of the last reserves of true wildlife is his passion. He has been working as a literary agent for the past forty years. In his spare time, Riva writes science fiction and African adventure books, including the Mbuno and Pero Adventures series, “Murder On Safari” and “The Berlin Package.” He lives in Gila, New Mexico.

Guitarist Eric Johnson at the Aztec Theatre

Eric Johnson, the Austin, Texas based prolific guitarist, vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist, will release a new studio offering titled EJ Vol II, on February 28, 2020. To celebrate this 11^th studio album, Johnson has a 55-date tour planned, spanning nearly 3-months. The tour will hit every major city across the U.S. and will also enter into Canada, for one show in Toronto as well. Locally, he will be performing at the Aztec Theatre on Thursday January 30. (Mad Ink PR, 2020)

With EJ Vol II, he presents new repertoire that combines electric and acoustic arrangements and once again represents a collection of originals with a couple of select covers. Among the new songs, there is deep meaning and messaging with each track, sometimes figurative while at times literal. On “Waterwheel,” he captures personal feelings about the gift of the flow of the spirit and synchronicity of all things under the universe in creation, utilizing the water wheel or an old paddle wheel that turns in water as the metaphorical symbolism. The song “Golden Way,” approaches finding the true higher path in life, while the poignant “For the Stars,” captures his introspection surrounding the loss of his mother as he looks up towards the sky at night wondering where she is now. Along with the 11 original songs there are two covers on the album; The Beatles “Hide Your Love Away” and Eric’s arrangement of Bert Jansch’s take on the traditional “Black Waterside.”

The new 2020 tour titled “Classics: Present and Past” will feature EJ Vol. II alongside selections from his prolific career. The EJ touring band will feature Roscoe Beck on bass (Leonard Cohen, Robben Ford, Dixie Chicks), Tom Brechtlein on drums (Kenny Loggins, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Robben Ford), and on keyboards + second guitar, Dave Scher (a rising star from the Austin music scene).

Among Johnson’s many accolades are a Grammy award for “Cliffs of Dover,” a lifetime induction into the Guitar Player Gallery of Greats and his listing among the “100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century” by Musician. In his hometown of Austin, a city full of guitarists, the readers of the Austin Chronicle have voted Eric Johnson the city’s “Best Electric Guitarist” and “Best Acoustic Guitarist” in their yearly poll year after year. They also named him “Electric Guitarist of the Decade” and one of the top five “Musicians of the Decade.”

“Classics – Present and Past” Tour. Complete tour available online.
January 14          Miner Auditorium                      San Francisco, CA
January 15          Crest Theatre                               Sacramento, CA
January 16          Sunset Cultural Center              Carmel, CA
January 17          The Grove of Anaheim              Anaheim, CA
January 18          The Regent Theater                    Los Angeles, CA
January 19          Majestic Ventura Theater         Ventura, CA
January 21          House of Blues                            San Diego, CA
January 22          Rialto Theatre                             Tucson, AZ
January 23          The Crescent Ballroom              Phoenix, AZ
January 24          KiMo Theatre                              Albuquerque, NM
January 25          Paramount Theatre                    Denver, CO
January 26          The Lincoln Center                     Fort Collins, CO
January 29          House of Blues                             Dallas, TX
January 30          The Aztec Theater                      San Antonio, TX
January 31          House of Blues                             Houston, TX
February 1          Paramount Theatre                    Austin, TX
February 18       Cain’s Ballroom                            Tulsa, OK

Book review: ‘Freedom Lessons’ by Eileen Harrison Sanchez

Eileen Harrison Sanchez is an author who retired from a forty-year career in education that started as a teacher and ended as a district administrator. Her debut novel is “Freedom Lessons: A Novel” on which she draws on her own remarkable experience as a young, white teacher in the Jim Crow South during desegregation to write her immersive work of fiction inspired by those events. It is the story of Colleen, a white northern teacher who enters into the unfamiliar culture of a small town and its unwritten rules as the town surrenders to mandated school integration.

“Freedom Lessons” is told alternately through three points of view: by Colleen, an idealistic young white teacher, Frank, a black high school football player and Evelyn, an experienced black teacher. This is the story of how the lives of three very different people intersect in a rural Louisiana town from July 1969 to November 1970. It begins as Colleen and Miguel, newlyweds, are driving to Fort Polk and their vehicle overheats. Miguel is Cuban and has been transferred to the Louisiana army base where he would serve as a drill sergeant for a year. Colleen later gets a job at the local black school until seemingly overnight, the school is ordered shut down and the neighboring white school is forcibly integrated. Frank is determined to protect his mother and siblings after his father’s suspicious death even if it means keeping evidence from the crime scene a secret from everyone around him. Being forced to attend the now integrated white school means he lost his position as a star football player and others lost positions of power, including the president of the student council. Evelyn does not want public schools to be integrated because she believes, as other like her do, that black teachers do a better job with black students and prefer to follow the Freedom of Choice plans, where everyone ‘chooses’ to be with their own.

As the years go by, the era of Brown v. Board of Education, Jim Crow laws and civil rights is in danger of becoming a distant memory. That is why it is vital that the topic gets revisited, especially by authors with first-hand knowledge, which gives their voice authenticity, as is the case with “Freedom Lessons.” Eileen Harrison Sanchez spent a year teaching in rural Louisiana and, as a teacher and an outsider, experienced the effects of segregation and forced integration and how it affected those around her. Far from being a white savior story, Colleen does not come in and “saves the day,” this is a well-researched and balanced novel that successfully gives three different viewpoints of one of America’s darkest periods. The language is easy to understand and simultaneously poetic: “The houses were set behind huge trees with Spanish moss dripping from the trees, like curtains shielding the lives of the tenants.” The characters are well developed and relatable and considering the topic, it is appropriate for all ages and should be required reading in schools. “Freedom Lessons” is a must-read for fans of historical fiction and a gentle reminder of how far we have come as a country and how much we still need to learn.

May 17, 1954: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a landmark US Supreme Court case. The court unanimously declared that state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students was unconstitutional. In 1955, the court ordered states to desegregate “with all deliberate speed.”

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Television adaptation: ‘The Outsider’ by Stephen King

Stephen King is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, science fiction and fantasy. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and many of them have been adapted into feature films, miniseries, television shows and comic books. He is best known for classic novels like “Carrie,” “It,” “The Green Mile” and the Dark Tower series and most recently “The Outsider,” “Sleeping Beauties,” co-written with his son Owen King, and the Bill Hodges trilogy: “Mr. Mercedes,” “Finders Keepers” and “End of Watch.” “The Outsider” follows a seemingly straightforward investigation into the gruesome murder of a young boy. But when an insidious supernatural force edges its way into the case, it leads a seasoned cop and an unorthodox investigator to question everything they believe in. It has been adapted into a 10 part limited series that will premiere on HBO on Sunday January 12 at 9p.m. Cast includes Ben Mendelsohn, Cynthia Erivo, Jason Bateman and Bill Camp.

According to Amazon, “The Outsider” the story centers around an eleven-year old boy’s murder. When his violated corpse is found in a town park, eyewitnesses and fingerprint evidence points to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens. His name is Terry Maitland, and he is a Little League coach, an English teacher, husband and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a very quick and public arrest even though he has an alibi. Anderson and the district attorney add DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and eyewitnesses and assume they have an ironclad case. Typical of King, this is not the ending, for as the investigation expands and horrifying answers begin to emerge, the story kicks into high gear and brings along strong tension and unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he really?

Theater review: ‘Miss Saigon’ at the Majestic Theatre

Now playing at the Majestic Theatre is Cameron Mackintosh’s acclaimed new production of Boublil and Schönberg’s legendary musical ‘Miss Saigon,’ a smash hit in London, Broadway and across the UK. It is based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera ‘Madame Butterfly’ and similarly tells the tragic story of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover. The setting of ‘Miss Saigon’ is relocated to 1970s Saigon during the Vietnam War and ‘Madame Butterfly’s’ story of marriage between an American lieutenant and a geisha is replaced by a romance between a United States Marine and a seventeen-year old South Vietnamese bargirl. This highly anticipated engagement will play for eight performances through Sunday January 12 with upcoming performances on Thursday at 7:30p.m., Friday at 8p.m., Saturday at 2p.m. and 8p.m. and Sunday at 2p.m. and 7:30p.m. Tickets start at $45 and are available online, by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-982-2787, or by visiting the Majestic Box Office.

‘Miss Saigon’ begins in April 1975 at “Dreamland,” a Saigon bar and brothel, shortly before the end of the Vietnam War where it is Kim’s (Emily Bautista) first day working at as a bargirl. She is a teenage peasant lured in by the Engineer (Red Concepción), a hustler who owns the bar and the rest of the workers tease her for her inexperience. U.S. Marines are there to party with the Vietnamese sex workers knowing they will be leaving soon. “The Heat Is On” This is where Chris Scott (Anthony Festa) meets Kim and they spend the night together. “The Transaction” They soon fall in love “Sun and Moon” and Chris promises to take her with him when he leaves Vietnam “Last Night of the World.” They get separated during the fall of Saigon and reconnect years later but Chris is already married. When he finds out that he and Kim had a son (Tam), he promises to take care of them. Not wanting to break her promise to Tam that he would one day meet his father, she makes the ultimate sacrifice to ensure he has the future he deserves. “Little God of My Heart”

This new production is unlike the usual featured at the Majestic Theater. With themes including war, lost loves and suicide, it is darker than most audiences are used to but is well worth experiencing. It includes a sensational cast of 42 performing the soaring score, including Broadway hits like “The Heat is On in Saigon,” “The Movie in My Mind,” “Last Night of the World” and “American Dream.” Even though the Engineer is a money-grubbing hustler, he provides much needed comic relief and quickly becomes an audience favorite, especially during “The American Dream” where he fantasizes about the glamorous life he will have in America. On Wednesday, during one of the most intense scenes, “Kim’s Nightmare (Fall of Saigon 1975)” there was a technical glitch but the expert crew had the show back on track within minutes. Anthony Festa and Emily Bautista have excellent stage chemistry and are believable as the doomed lovers and Anthony’s anguished scream during the final scene is heartbreaking. Show highlights include “Sun and Moon,” when the couple falls in love, “The Morning of the Dragon” during the parade celebrating the anniversary of Vietnam’s unification because of the gorgeous costumes and dancing and “You Will Not Touch Him” when Kim saves Tam’s life. Overall, “Miss Saigon” is an intense and tragic tale of lost love and war but is a must-see production for fans of the genre.

Majestic Theater disclaimer: ‘Miss Saigon’ contains some scenes and language which may not be suitable for younger audience members, including scenes of a sexual nature. The production includes strobe lights, gun shots and pyrotechnic effects. We encourage patrons to consider these factors when making their decision about attending the performance. Recommended for ages 14 and up.

Book review: ‘Firewall’ by Eugenia Lovett West

Eugenia Lovett West is an American author who attended Sarah Lawrence College and worked for Harper’s Bazaar and the American Red Cross. Her first novel was “The Ancestors Cry Out” and was followed by two Emma Streat mysteries: “Without Warning” and “Overkill” and the historical novel “Sarah’s War.” Her latest novel, “Firewall: An Emma Streat Mystery” was released in November and has Emma involved in the dark world of cybercrime when her rich, feisty, socialite godmother is blackmailed and turns to Emma for help.

The Emma Streat Mysteries revolve around Emma, a former opera singer who survived the murder of her husband and the destruction of her beautiful old house. She is now a single mother struggling to move on and make a home for her two sons. Because of her detective skills and her connections, she has become a go-to-person when family and friends are in trouble. “Firewall” begins with Emma’s plans for a Caribbean getaway disrupted when her godmother Caroline calls her and demands she drop everything to help her find her ex-husband Pierre who she believes is behind a blackmail attempt. Caroline mentions that Pierre was last seen in Paris so Emma cancels her plans to go halfway around the world to find him despite the fact that Caroline already paid the ransom demand. This case takes Emma to exclusive European settings where she interacts with top people in the financial and art world . Along the way, she has to rely on a past lover for information, she gets caught up in a kidnapping and is herself kidnapped and nearly killed. It takes all her resilience and wits to get her through it all and bring a ruthless criminal to justice.

Emma Streat is back in top form for another thrill ride of mystery solving. Her character is well developed from past novels: she is smart with admirable detective skills but is easily swayed and does not seem to be in control of her own life. Her newest mystery is an enjoyable and easy read with a story that moves along at a brisk pace written in down to earth language. The first person narration draws the reader into Emma’s life and provides insight into her thought processes. The first part develops the blackmail story but part two has little to do with this storyline and does not circle back to Caroline and her situation. Hopefully it will be addressed in future novels. There are several sub-plots with characters that keep changing and then abruptly dropped and only one briefly deals with cybercrime, as promised by the title. Overall, “Firewall” is a combination of mystery, suspense and romance with enough thrills and plot twists to keep the reader guessing and is recommended for fans of mystery and suspense novels.

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Texas Book Festival announces dates for this year’s festival

2019 Texas Book Festival — This year’s Texas Book Festival is set for November 7 and 8. Photo: Texas Book Festival, used with permission.

After a successful 2019 connecting authors, readers and book lovers, the Texas Book Festival is excited to announce that this year’s festival will be held on Saturday November 7 and Sunday November 8, 2020. The 25th year of the Texas Book Festival, one of the largest and most prestigious book festivals in the country, will once again be held throughout the grounds of the Texas State Capitol and along Congress Avenue in downtown Austin. (Texas Book Festival, 2019)

This year, everything fans know and love about the Festival will return. There will be acclaimed and emerging authors, book signings, cooking demonstrations, author panels, live music, a Saturday night Lit Crawl and more yet-to-be announced events and programming for the Festival’s 25th anniversary. Submissions to participate in the 2020 festival will be opening soon.

The Texas Book Festival connects authors and readers through experiences that celebrate the culture of literacy, ideas and imagination. Founded in 1995 by former First Lady Laura Bush, Mary Margaret Farabee and a group of volunteers, the nonprofit Texas Book Festival promotes the joys of reading and writing through its annual Festival Weekend, the Texas Teen Book Festival, the Reading Rock Stars Title I elementary school program, the Real Reads Title I middle and high school program, grants to Texas libraries and year-round literary programming. The Festival is held on the grounds of the Texas Capitol each fall and features more than 300 renowned authors, panels, book signings, cooking demonstrations and children’s activities.

New release: ‘Scars in Time: A Novel’ by Ryan Gutierrez

Ryan Gutierrez is an American author born and raised in Texas who currently resides in the small South Texas town of Los Fresnos. He graduated from The University of Texas – Brownsville with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and worked as a Child Abuse Investigator with the state of Texas for five years. His debut novel, “Scars in Time: A Novel” is about Brennan Ramirez, a man determined to change his wife’s traumatic past by going back in time. The true question is no longer “What if you could go back to the past?” but rather “What are you willing to sacrifice to change the past?”

According to Amazon, “Scars in Time: A Novel” revolves around family man Brennan Ramirez. What if you could go back and change your life, remove the pain from the past? For Brennan, that question is no longer rhetorical. Brennan wants a break. After quitting his job as a Child Abuse Investigator because of his anxiety and panic disorder, he is feeling useless. What he wants more than anything is to give his loving wife Deidre and his little girl a good life. Brennan is determined that the best and most definitive way to fix their life for the best is to go back and prevent the traumatic abuse his wife suffered as a child at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend. As Brennan test drives The Machine, he begins to experience true power, true control, or so he thinks. With every trip, every choice, Brennan realizes that his newfound control may be an illusion.

Television adaptation: ‘The Bone Collector’ by Jeffery Deaver

Jeffery Deaver is an American mystery and crime writer who has written both stand-alone novels, “Mistress of Justice” and “The October List” and numerous series like the Rune Trilogy, the Location Scout series and the better known Lincoln Rhyme series. His works have appeared on bestseller lists around the world including, among others, The New York Times, The Times, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Los Angeles Times. The first novel in the Lincoln Rhyme series, “The Bone Collector,” which introduces Lincoln Rhyme, a quadriplegic forensic criminalist, was adapted into a movie in 1999. Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector, is a new crime drama series based on the book and will premiere on NBC on Friday January 10, 2020. The series follows NYPD officers Amelia Sachs and Lincoln Rhyme as they solve cases together while attempting to catch the newly resurfaced serial killer known as the Bone Collector. It stars Russell Hornsby as Lincoln, Arielle Kebbel as Amelia and Michael Imperioli as Rick Sellitto, Lincoln’s partner.

According to Amazon, “The Bone Collector” revolves around Lincoln Rhyme, who was once a brilliant criminologist, a genius in the field of forensics until an accident left him physically and emotionally shattered. Now a diabolical killer is challenging Rhyme to a terrifying and ingenious duel of wits. With police detective Amelia Sachs by his side, Rhyme must follow a labyrinth of clues that reaches back to a dark chapter in New York City’s past and reach further into the darkness of the mind of a madman who will not stop until he has stripped life down to the bone.

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Month: January 2020