Rescuing the son of an Angolan official turns convoluted and deadly in Krzak’s latest thriller, Mission: Angola.
Peter Mwanga, the son of Angolan cabinet minister Colonel Mwanga, is a doctor at the Christian Aid Mission DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo). While he converses with foreign missionaries at a village hospital, a raid nearly overtakes the area, and Congolese Marxist Jonah Alimasi and his rebels kidnap Peter.
Almost four thousand miles north in Lisbon, Portugal, government official João Regaleira calls Xavier Sear—an American ex-CIA operative and the best man in his wedding—inviting him to celebrate their twentieth anniversary. Soon afterward, he receives word from an old friend that Theo Mwanga, Peter’s father, is asking for assistance in negotiating his son’s release. Hours later, the first sign of danger surfaces when João and his wife are accosted by a pair of thugs.
The attackers are apprehended, but the threat is clear. Further conversation with Theo convinces João that he should go to Angola only with Sear by his side.
João heads out first to meet with Theo, and Sear leaves a day later. Each experiences dangerous situations en route to their rendezvous point. Regrouped, the troupe encounters a heinous scene—a sign of more involvement from perilous political factions, including Russians and a diamond mine.
Sear has no choice but to devise an alternative strategy to locate Peter, one that comes with significant risks. He readies the group, outnumbered by their enemies, their chances of survival from the rescue mission slim at best.
Award-winning author Randall Krzak introduces a new thriller series featuring a spunky yet brusque ex-CIA operative.
Mission: Angola opens with sharp contrast as scenes morph from the horrific massacre of a poor village to the serenity of João and his wife discussing plans for their upcoming 20th anniversary in posh surroundings.
Sear’s entrance comes at the invitation of João, and the remaining cast follows. Krzak envelopes his characters by carefully accentuating nuances of culture, food, and political strife. Using appropriate terminology, Krzak captures the sights, sounds, and smells befitting both Portugal’s beauty and Angola’s rough and hot terrain.
Krzak’s writing style is nothing less than sure.
With a cast covering an array of personas—from well-developed to highly elusive characters, Krzak’s storytelling naturally flows to create short, concise, cliffhanging chapters. Chapters identify locations, such as Fortaleza de São Miguel, Luanda, Angola; Lisbon, Portugal; and the rebel camp in the DRC, to name only a few. Those sites provide readers with behind-the-scene segments between the various factions and Sear’s rescue plan, which build unrelenting tension up to the story’s apex and beyond.
Mission: Angola has enough twists, turns, and suspense to satisfy thriller fans and feed their expectations for the next in the Xavier Sear series.
We are now accepting submissions into the 2021 GLOBAL THRILLER Book Awards writing competition. The deadline for submissions is October 21st, 2021. 
