First Contact - Patrick Woodrow - 18/12/09
He went in search of the bird of paradise ... and all Mark Bridges found was the road to hell
And if you want to join the young doctor on his high octane adventure in Papua New Guinea then head for the nearest book shop for a copy of First Contact!
Because Woodrow has woven a superb thriller ... exotic locations, a breakneck pace and a mystery to keep the pages turning long into the night.
Newly qualified medic Mark and his feisty younger sister Melanie are holidaying in Papua ... Mark is hunting for that elusive bird of paradise and Mel is recovering from a disastrously brief marriage.
When their native guides are murdered by members of a hostile tribe, the daring duo find themselves lost in one of the world's most hostile forests.
They have no food, no water, no proper clothing, no antimalarial tablets ... and the mosquitoes are starting to swarm.
When they stumble across the wreckage of a crashed helicopter, the discovery could save them from certain death as inside they find some vital supplies.
The pilot and his one passenger are no more than skeletons but one of the men, wearing camouflage, has a locked briefcase still chained to what is left of his arm.
Papua has a shocking reputation for crime so what was he carrying ... cash, drugs, secret documents ... the possibilities are endless.
Melanie is intrigued to find out but Mark, ever the pragmatist, is too concerned with the battle for survival to care.
Little do they know that the briefcase is the key to a mystery that will pose more danger to them than the jungle and its deadly wildlife.
Soon nowhere is safe for the brother and sister team and as the clues unfold, so begin the lies, the blackmail, the kidnapping and the murder.
Because the secret they have unearthed is far bigger than they could ever have imagined ... bigger than the jungle that hides it and the ruthless killers who pursue it.
It is a secret that commands the power of life and death, and which could change the world forever...
Mark and Mel are a wonderful double act ... thrown together under extreme circumstances, the siblings who have never been close start to get to know each other.
Melanie, young and impetuous, questions everything and lives life for the moment. And that's something that the more circumspect Mark secretly wishes he could do. How they both cope with the dilemmas that face them is almost as entertaining as the rollercoaster plot.
First Contact is top drawer adventure ... and you wouldn't want to miss the excitement!
(Arrow, paperback, 7.99)
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