Deaken s War / Brian Freemantle

A lawyer gets caught in the crossfire of a deadly civil war in Africa. Richard Deaken has lost his nerve. Once a globally renowned trial lawyer, he has suffered a string of bad results that have sapped his confidence and dulled the edge necessary for success in the high-stakes world of international law. Resigned to life in obscurity, he has retreated to an unimpressive office in Geneva, where the trickle of low-paying clients doesn’t come close to supporting the lifestyle that he—and his wife—are used to. But a big case is right around the corner. Deaken’s new employers are soldiers in a vicious African civil war on the brink of erupting into unprecedented bloodshed. An order of $50 million worth of arms is on its way to his client’s opponents, and to stop it they have kidnapped the arms dealer’s son. They ask Deaken to negotiate the ransom—the guns in exchange for the child—and he cannot say no, because the guerillas have also kidnapped his wife.