RED SUN OVER AFRICA

A business executive reexamines her priorities and her life in attorney Merriman’s business thriller.

The author’s eighth novel is an enticing tale of international intrigue starring Sarah Taylor-Jones, the 40-year-old long-standing chief financial officer of Park Avenue’s Consolidated Diamonds, a global precious gem wholesaler and the lead rival to jewel-industry behemoth De Beers. Her boss, company owner Luc Johannes, is hoping to soon retire at 68 with “four decades of corporate warfare behind him, along with three ex-wives and three estranged children.” But Consolidated is in serious trouble upon discovering that the Australian mine they draw from will be depleted of gemstones in five years. Life has been difficult for Sarah—she grew up an orphan on Chicago’s South Side—but after graduating from Duke University and the Wharton Business School, she’s had a distinguished career. She’s hoping to tap into Botswana’s prized Debswana Diamond Company, “the most valuable diamond mine in the world,” and purchase their 50% stake to bolster Consolidated’s inventory and rescue the business from financial ruin. But to accomplish this, she needs to outwit De Beers, who owns the other half of the mine and is eager to own the Debswana empire for themselves. Complicating matters further is the involvement of Wang Jin, the hard-partying son of the Chinese Communist Party leader, who also has his sights set on acquiring the Debswana location but needs ready cash to do so. Wang appeals to his ruthless father for capital to finance his bid and continues a reckless campaign to achieve his goal at any cost. As all parties arrive in Africa for an epic showdown, Sarah will have to match wits with her intimidating opponents.  

Over the course of the novel, Sarah emerges as a well-developed character—a resourceful businesswoman who’s determined to defend and restore her company to its former lucrative glory. This challenge, in fact, forms the primary action of the novel, which offers a refreshing change of pace for fans of the thriller genre. Woven into Merriman’s corporate drama are themes of race politics—Sarah is biracial—and discussions of the uphill struggle that female executives face in a competitive, male-dominated, and often misogynistic workplace. The story also takes on a new level of interest and intrigue when the action relocates to such locales as Mumbai and South Africa; this has the effect of taking the struggle over the mine’s ownership into deadly territory as the nuances of cutthroat corporate competition play out. The book also delves into the nefarious lengths that the wealthy executives will go to reign supreme, which effectively underscores the sense of melodrama. Merriman’s plot development and story construction prove to be masterful, and he keeps the energy high throughout the narrative. Its short, clipped chapters and frenetic pacing make for a read that’s brisk and enjoyable. Overall, this book is an ideal choice for readers who enjoy riveting suspense tales that are anchored by tough protagonists.

A fiery, engrossing, and unpredictable financial novel.