Tony Park’s new novel Scent of Fear releases in South Africa in December and draws on the real life war on poaching for inspiration.

The premise of this book is that poachers target tracker dogs and their handlers with improvised explosive devices. In a horrifying twist this became a reality after Tony had finished writing Scent of Fear, when a pipe bomb was discovered on the 12th October in the Kruger Park.

‘I was shocked to see the news that poachers had escalated their tactics to include IEDs just like those used in my novel,’ Tony said.

Scent of Fear opens on a routine anti-poaching patrol, when Afghanistan veteran Sean Bourke, and his tracker dog Benny, watch in horror as over-eager rookie Tumi Mabasa is almost killed and her dog is gravely injured, when an IED detonates in Sabi Sand Game Reserve.

What follows is a story of twists and turns as Sean, his best friend and unit commander Craig, Tumi, and Sean’s ex-wife – now Craig’s lover – try to find out who is setting the bombs.

In his research for this book, Tony Park has drawn on his experience as a military officer in Afghanistan.

He was also helped with his research by the international NGO Canines for Africa (www.K94a.org), which raises money to train dogs and handlers for game reserves under threat from poaching, and members of a real life anti-poaching canine unit.

‘Man’s four-legged friend has turned out to be a poacher’s worst nightmare and a real-life game changer in the fight to save South Africa’s rhino and I wanted to write about the fantastic work dogs and their handlers are doing every day,’ Tony said.

Tony Park and his wife, Nicola, divide their time equally between Australia and southern Africa. He is the author of 15 other African novels.

Categories Fiction International South Africa South African Current Affairs

Tags New books New releases Pan Macmillan SA Scent of Fear Tony Park