Africa, 1935. Mussolini's army attacks the barefoot Ethiopians. Can Emperor Haile Selassie thwart Il Duce? Can FDR's agent, David Nathan, save the African leader?
Africa, 1935. Every square inch of the Dark Continent is a European colony—except for the legendary kingdom of Ethiopia, ruled by its tiny, fearless and highly civilized Emperor, Haile Selassie. But he won’t rule it for much longer, if the Italian megalomaniac Benito Mussolini has his way. Mussolini has sent his modern, mechanized army over the Mediterranean to conquer the land of King Solomon’s Mine and the Queen of Sheba, and revive Roman’s ancient glories.
Selassie mobilizes more than 300,000 gallant, barefoot, spear-carrying warriors to repell the Italians. They’re led by a group of ambitious Feudal lords, all of whom—but for their skin color—could have sat at Arthur’s Round Table. But these warriors are no match for Italy’s tanks, bombers and poison gas.
As Mussolini’s forces roll over Ethiopia, Haile Selassie becomes a worldwide symbol of resistance. Fearing he might not survive, and that his death would embolden Hitler, FDR dispatches to Africa his private agent, the young NYC police detective David Nathan. “Save Selassie, if you can,” FDR orders. What follows is a harrowing flight through exotic terrain, complete with improbable assassins, unlikely heroes, dazzling women and startling plot twists.