The Congo Affair. Norman Shakespeare

A fascinating nail-biting and romantic exodus from civil war in the heart of the equatorial jungle.<br><br>It takes compelling reasons to leave rewarding jobs and comfortable urban lifestyles, and move to an isolated aero-space project in an equatorial jungle. The facility, constructed during a brief lull in the country&#39;s tumultuous history, is located on the equator; a good place to launch large rockets. Nearly three thousand westerners live and work behind a fence separating them from the jungle and the darkness. Few take an interest in the primeval ecosystem outside.<br><br>As happens frequently in the Congo, things start to go downhill. Civil-war spreads and the base, fifteen-hundred miles up the river, is slowly cut-off. Regular re-supply flights are suspended after a near miss with a surface-to-air missile fired from the bush. The alternate route; ten days by dilapidated ferry to Kinshasa, becomes less reliable by the week. Head-office personnel in Europe are out of touch with things on the ground, and reluctant to &#39;upset&#39; local politicians by suggesting curtailing operations prematurely. The situation reaches a point where the inhabitants are forced to prepare for the worst, and to seriously consider their desperate evacuation plans.<br><br>While the mighty river flows endlessly by, camp security guards assume power from the academic admin staff, and &#39;martial law&#39; is imposed. James Kent, a very private divorcee with I.T. and military experience engages the help of friendly natives to gather intelligence and questions the head-guard&#39;s escape plan. The community starts to polarize. Some make it to the coast by ferry but the situation deteriorates further, with repeated attacks by rebels causing more tensions.<br><br>The stage is set; darkest Africa, suspense and passionate romance take control.