Nightfall in Mogadishu

By Veronica Li

Book Overview

We remember images of the dead body of an American marine dragged around the streets of Mogadishu. We remember the firefight with a Somali warlord that claimed the lives of eighteen Americans. But do... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1588202518
• ISBN13: 9781588202512
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: 1st Book Library
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A fast moving thriller with a serious content

The best part of this book is its description of Somalia and how the country rapidly descends into chaos as a result of corruption, aid dependence and warring clan factions. Veronica Li skillfully evokes the factors behind the collapse of the country and the reader is drawn into the increasingly frightening mood. A former World Bank loan officer for Somalia, her depiction of the foreign community of aid workers who - some idealistically, others for cynical power politics - attempt to support the failing state is an insider's account. All this serious political content is seamlessly built into a highly readable and fast moving thriller with characters that the reader starts to care about.

"Nightfall" brings Somalia to life

"Nightfall in Mogadishu" is a real page-turner that puts the reader behind the scenes of third world politics and the international aid game at a time of crisis and chaos. Those who knew Somalia in the 90's will recognize it; those who don't are in for an eye-opener. Either way you will feel like you are there, with undercover CIA operative Susan Chen, trying to stay alive and make sense of it all as the country collapses around you. Veronica Li brings a unique perspective to this story of a troubled country at a troubled time. Only someone who lived it could write it so well.

Desperate People in a Desperate Place

I just finished "Nightfall in Mogadishu," and I can't say enough about its realistic portrayal of a corrupt, third-world country and it's plunge into desperate anarchy. Set in the early 1990s, the book is based on real events that set the stage for later involvement by the U.S. military and a UN peacekeeping force. As Somalia descends into riots and banditry, you can smell the death in the decaying streets. Amid the danger, CIA agent Susan Chen hunts for a terrorist killer who is systematically assassinating international aid officials in this blighted, sun-blasted city, where the rule of ancient clans provides the subtext for business, law and love. The tension builds as the thin veneer of civilization begins to slip away from the city, and as the inevitable coup is prepared by a scheming general and greedy minister of finance against the brutal dictatorship of Said Barre. Author Veronica Li, who as a former World Bank representative was stationed in Modadishu, takes you into a world of international finance and intrigue that is little known to most Americans. Beautiful CIA agent Susan Chen moves through Mogodishu like a predator through a jungle. I kept turning pages, and I bet you will too.

The Suspense Will Keep You Turning Pages!

You're going to love this novel. This is an thriller that grabs you and will not let you go, with page-turners that will surprise and greatly entertain you. You will become so engaged with the truthfully portrayed main characters that you will feel a personal stake in their welfare. You will know what Somalia was like in it's last days -- the corruption and greed that took it to the point of no return -- that made the collapsed of Somalia inevitable. Don't miss this one!

Nightfall in Mogadishu

Buy this book!! Nightfall in Mogadishu transports you to that war torn country with an authentic feel for the place and time. The characters are well drawn and the story draws you in. The suspense builds and the ending does not disappoint! You will be reading far past your bed time to get to the end!! It is an excellant story, and well written. I can't wait for Ms. Li's next book.