Reviewed by Tammy Ruggles for Readers' Favorite

Confluence by Neville Menn is an action-packed novel you won't soon forget. This story begins in Canada and leads you to Africa as the main character, Marc, needs to get away and collect himself after a family tragedy. Africa brings together Marc and several others, but this trip turns out to be more than they bargained for. Things heat up in Ethiopia when his new love interest and her son are captured, and he is left dealing with how to find them. Frustrated that he doesn't get the help he needs from the authorities, and realizing that his friends' lives hang in the balance, he takes matters into his own hands. An innocent trip to Africa turns into a nightmare, and Marc realizes he is the one who has to save his friends.

This novel is perfect for the traveling soul who loves to read about adventures in different places around the world. Menn knows his subject and characters well, and it shows in the details of his settings and characterizations. But this novel isn't a travelogue. The plot is intriguing enough to set in any locale, but setting it in Africa, amidst its turmoil and strife, raises the stakes and makes it a gritty tale worthy of a film adaptation. I like a lot of things about this book and the author's writing, but I especially appreciate how he makes Africa, the different places, the people, and the culture come alive. You feel as if you're there with Marc as he rides his motorcycle around, meets new people, finds a little romance, and then tries to help his friends. Another thing I admire about this story is Marc's character. Before the trip, he was a husband struggling to hold himself together. He had issues. But once in Africa and confronted with the kidnapping of his friends, he finds the will and the character to become more. They say adversity illuminates character, and this novel is a good example. Confluence by Neville Menn is a novel high on adventure, action, and character.