THE WONGA COUP A Tale of Guns, Germs and the Steely Determination to Create Mayhem in an Oil-Rich Corner of Africa

Roberts chronicles a true-life plot to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea. The story is the stuff of novels--indeed, the plotters' inspiration was THE DOGS OF WAR by Frederick Forsyth. The attempted coup ends up involving the son of a British prime minister and an old-school English mercenary. The motivation for the plot is simple: oil. The story is convoluted, but Roberts and narrator Simon Vance play it out slowly, so it's fairly easy to follow. Vance is solid as narrator, varying his pace to fit the mood of events in the story. He modulates his voice effectively, adding just the right note of incredulity to some of the outrageous actions by the plotters. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 07]