Lion at Bay

Africa, 1935. Every square inch of the Dark Continent is a European colony—except for the legendary kingdom of Ethiopia, which is ruled by its tiny, fearless andhighly civilized Emperor, Haile Selassie. But he won’t rule it for much longer, if the Italian megalomaniac Benito Mussolini has his way. Mussolini is planning to order his modern, mechanized army across 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 fight off the Italians. They’re led by a group of ambitious Feudal lords, all ofwhom—but for their skin color—could have sat at Arthur’s Round Table. But, as LION AT BAY unfolds, with stunning historical accuracy, it becomes clear that the 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 to dictatorial conquest. Fearing that Selassie might not survive, and that his death would embolden Hitler and doom the League of Nations, FDR dispatches his private agent, the young New York City police detective David Nathan, to Africa. “Save the Emperor, if you can,” FDR tells him. What follows is a harrowing flight through exotic terrain, complete with improbable assassins, unlikely heroes, dazzling women and startling plot twists.