The Burning Land – the exhilarating debut political thriller from BBC broadcaster George Alagiah – is out now from Penguin Random House.

‘It was never meant to be like this. Sabotage, yes. Propaganda, yes. All of that and more – but not this. Not murder.’

South Africa has become a powder keg. Its precious land is being sold off to the highest bidders while the country’s corrupt elite pocket the profits. As the dreams and hopes of its people are threatened, frustration turns to violence. With the shocking murder of one of the country’s bright young hopes, the fuse is well and truly lit.

When conflict mediator Lindi returns home to the country of her birth she is reunited with her childhood friend Kagiso. Suddenly the professional becomes deeply personal and they find themselves at the heart of the chaos. They have just days to save themselves and the country they love, even as events are set in motion that no one, least of all they, can control.

South Africa is ablaze, but who started the fire?

About the author

Alagiah is presenter of BBC News at Six, Britain’s most watched news programme. That role followed 10 years as a foreign correspondent, covering the 9/11 attacks on New York, the genocide in Rwanda, civil wars in Liberia, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone, and Nelson Mandela’s presidency. He’s won numerous awards, including The Royal Television Society and Amnesty International among others. Before the BBC he worked in print journalism. In 2008 he was awarded an OBE for services to journalism.

Alagiah has written two books previously, A Passage to Africa and Home from Home.

Praise for The Burning Land:

‘A gripping tale of events spinning out of control in a country struggling to redefine itself.’ – Guardian

‘Daring, jolting, prescient.’ – Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh

‘George Alagiah manages to give us the best of both worlds: an absorbing, pacy thriller with great political depth.’ – Tahmima Anam

‘A suspenseful and enlightening novel that portrays the extreme violence in the new South Africa with authority, precision of detail, and the kind of insight that makes the different factions and characters caught in the midst of the drama come vividly to life.’ – Sheila Kohler

‘Pacy and stylish; immensely gripping – what a read.’ – Jeremy Vine

 

Categories Fiction International South Africa

Tags George Alagiah New books New releases Penguin Random House SA The Burning Land