Author G. Pascal Zachary has just published a fascinating collection of short stories about the life in Africa of a world that tourists and most journalists don’t understand. There is a long story on the mentality and dynamics of a professional kidnapping gang, with a leader who decides whether to kill the captive, release him for money or just release him as a free gift to the family.
Kidnapping is big business in African countries, and only someone with intimate knowledge of African society can delve into the hidden underworld. Mr. Zachary has not only been a journalist covering Africa for years for the Wall Street Journal, but also the author of “Married to Africa, a personal autobiography of his marriage to Connie, his wife of 10 years and a native of Nigeria.