Shamlal Puri

Axis of Evil: Blood Money, an international thriller on the war against terrorism, is available from the Publishers www.crownbirdpublishers.co.uk. The 450-page novel by Shamlal Puri is published by Crownbird Publishers based in London www.crownbirdpublishers.co.uk. The novel freezes a part of modern history and turns events into fiction. Its theme is how poaching of elephant ivory in East Africa is used to fuel Jihad in the Middle East. The under-lying message is that terrorism knows no boundaries; no culture, no countries and terrorists have no religion, no conscience as long as they achieve their motives. The book’s plot revolves around a group of British fortune hunters led by Michael King whose members are lured into a trip of a lifetime in East Africa with promises of a champagne life-style and big money. They did not know that they had unwittingly become deadly pawns helping fund Jihad in far-away Middle East. They play into the hands of a group of Islamists out to take revenge on the United Kingdom for their interference in the politics of the Middle East. The survivors in the group are kidnapped in the Middle East by elements who want to bring the British Government on its knees. A game of deadly Russian roulette follows. Will they survive to tell the tale? Who was behind this elaborate plot which started from London to seize the British men and women? How did they end up in the Middle East? This international thriller is set in seven countries - UK, Tanzania, Dubai, Jordan, Iraq, India and Kenya. It will keep you glued to your seat as the horrors of global terrorism unfold. This book is a tale of deceit, destruction and death in today’s world. It is an utterly chilling tale.

This is a work of fiction comprising several short stories largely with an African background. It looks at the ills in the African society, the prejudices. tribalism, etc. It deals with the ups and downs in the African society. The book deals with rejection of prostitutes and their failure to adapt to reformed lives; it deals with tribalism that leaves a scar on the African Society.. It deals with the innocence of people from the villages and how the urban society exploits them. It deals with bride price, the bane of the African society and humanity in the face of adversity through the eyes of an African journalist covering the war that led to the birth of Bangladesh, in far off indian sub-continent.

Humour: One day, when God was distributing wealth, Michael Matatu stood patiently in the queue but the Almighty forgot to give him any. He was born a down and out African, condemned to a life of poverty, in a mad, mad world where only the rich and the influential have the money to enjoy life. He dreams of luxuries that he cannot afford. He lives from day to day using ingenious methods to eke out a living. This is the story of an ordinary African fighting for survival in a society where the rich become richer and the poor become poorer. Matatu regales you with his humorous look at life and ways of earning a livelihood. As you laugh reading about his antics, you come across a tale of social injustice and inequality. This book is a collection of columns written over 20 years by journalist SHAMLAL PURI, a former East African resident, now based in London, under the pen names of Michael Matatu, Malimoto and Akili Mingi appearing in Drum, Africa’s leading black affairs magazine and its sister publications, True Love and Trust.