Danger Woman

by Frederick Ramsay

In Botswana, people of the north live in harmony with the wildlife, yet predators and poachers freely roam. The lions may be kings, but hyenas will steal their prey. A Chobe Game Park pack led by the alpha female is especially fearless. The locals call her Kotsi Mosadi, Setswana for Danger Woman. Following a recent rash of deaths and dismembered body parts appearing in the park, District Superintendent Sanderson is alerted to the discovery of a ravaged human skull, believed to be the work of the Russian Bratva. Fresh from St. Petersburg, led by Oleg Lenka, these mafiosi think it will be a cinch to take over the region s high-end tourist trade and in particular the casino/hotel operation that is the fiercely held, final dream of American billionaire Leo Painter. Sanderson s friend and, it must be said, her lover, Inspector Kgabo Modise of the Botswana Police Service, is tasked to remove them. Arriving from Gabarone, deploying limited staff undercover, Modise is quickly swept into a complex set of moves orchestrated to outwit not so much Lenka, a traditional kind of thug, but his mistress Irena Davidova, the Bratva s own Danger Woman. She s the alpha of the Russian pack but for how long? Aided by Sanderson, who has some clever moves of her own, Modise and his team gradually undermine the Bratva s assumption that the intimidation tactics that worked in St. Petersburg will work in Botswana, a country where the police are unarmed. And Leo has a ruthless Russian of his own in play, plus resources from Chicago. In parallel, a very pregnant Kotsi Mosadi is fully engaged keeping control of her pack and outwitting relentless lions. Within the majestic park, the interplay of predator and prey, the unpredictability of conflicting interests, and the heartlessness of the Bratva culture finally collide to upend an otherwise ordinary night on the Chobe River."

Hardcover

First published June 7, 2016

About the author

Dr. Frederick Ramsay was born in Baltimore, the son of a respected teacher researcher and scientist. He graduated from Washington and Lee University in Virginia and received his doctorate from the University of Illinois. After a stint in the Army, he joined the faculty of the University of Maryland, School of Medicine, where he taught Anatomy, Embryology and Histology; engaged in research and served as an Associate Dean. During this time he also pursued studies in theology and in 1971 was ordained an Episcopal priest.

Leaving academia, he tried his hand at a variety of vocations. At one time or another, he served as a Vice President for Public Affairs, worked as an insurance salesman, a tow man and line supervisor at Baltimore’s BWI airport, a community college instructor, and substitute. Finally, he accepted a full time position as a clergyman.

He is now retired from full-time ministry and writes fiction.

Dr. Ramsay is the author of several scientific and general articles, tracts, theses, and co-author of The Baltimore Declaration. He is an iconographer, an accomplished public speaker and once hosted a television spot, Prognosis, on the evening news for WMAR-TV, Baltimore. He currently lives in Surprise, Arizona with his wife and partner, Susan.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This mystery takes place in Botswana, a country I have been interested in since I read the Alexander McCall Smith stories. Danger Woman had much violence and showed a seemingly different place. A parallel is drawn between the animals in the park and the people we meet, in fact Danger Woman is Kotsi Mosadi, the alpha hyena and I found myself rooting for her There is a helpful glossary at the end of the book and some other useful information, well worth reading first. This was the third book in the series but easily read independently.

[Karla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just couldn't get into it. It was a hard genre to follow, and some of the language held me up. Not my typical read, so perhaps that's why I didn't find it as enjoyable as I'd hoped I would.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been trying to write this review for nearly an hour. Nothing real positive comes out but it didn't read like a bad book. So I'm very neutral about Danger Woman. What I liked is negated by what I didn't like. I believe this is due to this being the 3rd book in the series. Had I read the previous two installments it could well have made this a better book.

The characters are flat. There are plenty of opportunities to add depth but these opportunities are swept away by action that lacks tension. Every time the action appears to be ramping up it is quickly diffused. What should have been a well organized criminal element came across more like the Keystone Kops. Inept, undermanned, unfocused.

The upside is the comparison of the hyena vs lion antagonism to the police vs Russian Bratva. I was more interested in the hyena Danger Woman and her survival than in what was happening in the human world. Finding myself rooting for a hyena over any human character was interesting. Frederick Ramsay's description of Danger Woman, the hyena, gave me a new respect for these vilified predators.

I wish to thank NetGalley for my copy of Danger Woman in exchange for this honest review.

[Vontel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is supposed to be the third in a Botswana trilogy featuring Park District Superintendent Sanderson and Inspector Kgabo Modise of the Botswana Police Service. This time they are tasked to remove some Russian Bratva mafioso, headed by Oleg Lenka and his mistress, Irena Davidova. Parallels between the behaviours of the head of a successful hyena pack, called Danger Woman, and Davidova are just part of the plot. I finished the book, found it was a good read, enjoyed the yarn, and the "brains over brawn" approach. I recommend the book, and suggest starting at the beginning of the series, but it's not essential.

I think I have read at least one of the previous books, but am not sure that I have read both. Worth catching up, and I will be sorry that this series ends as a trilogy. I looked at the first two book reviews, and I'm not sure that I read them, or pre-GR, if I did.

[Eileen Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story involving hyenas, Russian mafiosi and the tourist trade in Botswana.
I wonder what Mma Ramotswe, also based in the same town would make of it!
Very highly recommended.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.

[Margo Tanenbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific mystery set in Botswana's Chobe National Park. Part of a trilogy, but can be read independently. This follows the story of several predators in the park, both human--possibly murderous Russian mafia agents--and animal, an alpha hyena whose life is described in fascinating detail as she is followed by a biologist. In this mix is District Superintendent Sanderson, a female game warden in a male world, and her friend and lover Inspector Modise of the Botswana police. Recommended for fans of First Ladies Detective Agency who are looking for a more gritty look at Botswana, also for fans of Michael Stanley's Inspector Kubo mysteries.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: A Botswana Mystery