Between the jumps in time and perspective and the layer upon layer of intrigue, this was entirely too complicated for me to keep up with entirely, but I like the writing style. There are some really (darkly) amusing pieces in here. I might buy a copy for my dad. ( )

Tom Klay is an investigative journalist for a magazine called The Sovereign, which seems like a fictional version of National Geographic. However, Tom has been living a double life, also working as a CIA asset. On assignment in South Africa where elephants are still being poached for their ivory, Tom and his group come under the gun of a sniper. Tom's friend Bernard is killed and Tom is shot in the shoulder. Tom vows revenge against a terrorist named Botha who he believes is responsible for Bernard's death, but things are not as they seem. The deeper Tom gets into the politics of both his magazine and South Africa, the more he realizes that he knows nothing at all.

In the Company of Killers had a great deal of potential as a revenge tale or story of the little guy defeating the big guy, but instead it devolves into a plot filled with corruption where nobody ever really wins and the world as we know it is doomed. The book jumps from flashback to flash forward to foreshadowing so much that it is tough to identify the key players and the main story line. None of the characters are well developed, and at the same time, are unlikable. Overall, In the Company of Killers could have been an excellent romance, political thriller or action adventure, but ends up being a disappointing jumble, defying description. ( )