Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published May 2014
400 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
Zoe Fleming, an accomplished young human rights attorney, has made a life for herself in Zambia, far from her estranged father - an American business mogul with presidential aspirations - and from the devastating betrayals of her past.
When a young girl with Down syndrome is sexually assaulted in a Lusaka slum, Zoe joins Zambian police officer Joseph Kabuta in investigating the rape. Piecing together clues from the victim's past, they discover an unsettling connection between the girl - Kuyeya - and a powerful Zambian family who will stop at nothing to bury the truth.
As they are drawn deeper into the complex web of characters behind this appalling crime, Zoe and Joseph forge a bond of trust and friendship that slowly transforms into love. Opposed on all sides, they find themselves caught in a dangerous clash between the forces of justice and power. To successfully prosecute Kuyeya's attacker and build a future with Joseph, Zoe must risk her life and her heart - and confront the dark past she thought she had left behind.
"Though certain plot points would have benefited from some restraint, the result is satisfying." - Publishers Weekly
"Addison's human rights agenda tends to overwhelm his story, but in dealing bluntly with crucial issues such as rape, AIDS, superstition, and poverty, he effectively touches the consciousness of his readers." - Booklist
"A sense of urgency will keep readers engrossed, and, despite the tragedy depicted, they will also find comforting themes connected to love and family." - Library Journal
"Addison's second novel (A Walk Across the Sun, 2013) is both an affecting tale of a tragically abused girl and a convincing plea for humanitarian support in Africa." - Kirkus
This information about The Garden of Burning Sand was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: © Mark Meranta
Corban Addison is the internationally bestselling author of four novels, A Walk Across the Sun, The Garden of Burning Sand, The Tears of Dark Water (winner of the inaugural Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize), and A Harvest of Thorns, all of which address some of today's most pressing human rights issues. An attorney, activist, and world traveler, he lives with his wife and children in Virginia.
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