African Heartbeats

A Novel

Fiction - Action
450 Pages
Reviewed on 07/12/2020
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Temple Emmet Williams has been a professional writer for over 60 years. He has worked as an editor at the Readers Digest, and a copywriter and creative director at several well-known advertising agencies. His wife of 47 years is his content editor. They live in Boca Raton, Florida.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

African Heartbeats: A Novel by Temple Emmet Williams is set in Africa and features the fight against terrorism. The terrorist attack on one of the biggest hospitals in Tanzania sends shockwaves across the world, but it also ignites something new: the quest to replace the oil fields of ISIS in Syria with a cash crop of diamonds from Botswana’s de Beers complex. ISIS has an insidious plan that can change the political landscape with nuclear power from the Pelindaba plant near Pretoria, where South Africa has hidden eight atomic bombs. The tension is rising while General McKlane and his elite team from Homeland Security must fight to root out the evil contained in ISIS.

Packed with action and poignant in style, African Heartbeats: A Novel is a compelling entry in the Heartbeats series and explores the power of a terrorist group in Africa in a way that is original, and that allows readers a clear understanding of the game of ISIS. The story stands out in its originality and I loved the way the author writes about political themes. The people who are fighting terrorism have a lot to deal with, including the incompetence of the US government. The writing is excellent and it is filled with wonderful descriptions. Sharonda and her husband, Samuel, are among my favorite characters. Disguised as Peace Corps members, they work to defeat ISIS in Africa, and the way that the author develops them is wonderful, creating interactions with the locals that are real. The local culture and a world where animals interact with humans frequently are brilliantly depicted. While this is a novel about the fight against ISIS, it is also a powerful statement about Africa and its values.

Rabia Tanveer

African Heartbeats: A Novel is the third book in the Heartbeats series by Temple Emmet Williams. Samuel and Sharonda Nelson have moved back to Tanzania, East Africa disguised as Peace Corps volunteers who are teaching the children of a town in the southern highlands. However, the people in Tanzania have no idea what their intentions are. They are on a mission from Homeland Security in America. Their job is to stop ISIS from destroying innocent lives and to make sure there aren’t innocent casualties. The threat is bigger than ever this time and soon the couple realizes that ISIS has much more terrifying plans that could destroy nations. Are Sharonda and Samuel enough to stop this chaos? Or is there something else that will bring them to their knees?

Although I haven’t read the previous novels, I had zero issues connecting with the characters and becoming invested in the story. The author introduces the action from the moment the story begins and simply takes it from there. The pace is fast enough to give you an adrenaline rush and make sure you do not put this book down until you reach the end. The author did a brilliant job of keeping the action going and never letting it fall. The momentum climbs as the story progresses, the characters get ample opportunities to grow and the plot gets to a nail-biting point before the reader knows it. You can tell the author did plenty of research to have a solid background for the subplots. The themes of greed, power, and crooked politicians are also handled well. Nuclear power, African diamond mines, and the depiction of unadulterated terror are handled exceptionally well. Fast-paced and well-written. This is a brilliant modern action novel that will be enjoyed wholeheartedly by fans of the genre!

K.C. Finn

African Heartbeats is a work of fiction in the action, drama, and cultural sub-genres, and was penned by author Temple Emmet Williams. The third novel in the Heartbeats series, the work is recommended for adult readers due to some explicit language usage, depictions of wartime violence, and scenes of a sexual nature. Tackling terrorism and counter-terror measures from an interesting international viewpoint, this tense and thrilling action novel sparks off when a hospital in Tanzania finds itself open to attack. It’s up to Mac McKlane and his team to tackle ISIS and their new plots, whilst also handling the pressures of the American government’s influence on war.

Author Temple Emmet Williams has crafted a military action novel with many hidden depths to surprise genre fans and newcomers to the series alike. There is definitely plenty of action on offer, with sharp prose that describes heavy fighters and their many different skills on the team, but there is also a big-picture level of intellect that really puts war, terror, and combat into perspective. This has a truly emotive effect on the novel as a whole and makes us even more invested in the exploits of the characters. I also felt that the international, cultural, and diverse voices in the piece speak to its authenticity and real-world feel, which leaves you feeling like you’ve read something more poignant than your average action novel. Overall, I would highly recommend African Heartbeats to readers seeking high-octane action and intelligently penned prose.

Ruffina Oserio

One of the reputable hospitals in Tanzania suffers a terrorist attack and the incident ignites repercussions that run across countries, including the drive to replace the lost ISIS oil fields in Syria with diamonds, a new 'cash crop.' General McKlane and his team of Homeland Security face evil as devastating as any can be, and things don’t get any better when they have to deal with an American government that is inept. Can they curtail the unfolding terror and save lives?

African Heartbeats: A Novel by Temple Emmet Williams is the first novel I am reading from this author and the first book I am reading on terrorism with an international setting in Africa. It is also the third book in the Heartbeat series and a compelling read. The author makes Africa come alive and develops a contrast between different cultures, ways of life, and beliefs while exploring landscapes that are lush and that reflect the beauty of Africa. The writing is gorgeous and the author succeeds in painting a picture of Africa that readers will want to contemplate.

The characters are compelling and the humor comes across from the moment readers encounter Sharonda and her husband, Samuel, who come to the southern highlands of Tanzania disguised as Peace Corps volunteers. They are back to their roots. The sarcasm, irony, and humor are deftly used to chastise those with a distorted image of Africa. For instance, the slogan “We will save East Africa one toilet at a time” is used in a context that showcases the author’s gift for biting humor and irony. African Heartbeats: A Novel is fast-paced and packed with action, a novel with themes that are relevant and issues that contemporary society grapples with.

Gobi Jane

In African Heartbeats: A Novel by Temple Emmet Williams, a general from Homeland Security sets out with his team to stop terrorist activities in Africa. ISIS’s activities in Africa are becoming more of an urgent concern after the attack on a hospital in Tanzania. But there is more to the plot, including an insidious plan by ISIS to capture atomic bombs made by South Africa. They are planning something bigger than what happened in Tanzania and to send a powerful message to the Pentagon in Washington. They will need more than flying a few planes into big buildings this time around. In fact, Abu Muhammed thinks of something more deadly. And the elaborate plan involves “bagfuls” of diamonds, and a mighty atomic weapon to command respect from the US. Can the team that includes Marine Raiders, SEALs, and Army Rangers stop them?

The third book in the Heartbeat Series, African Heartbeats is a mesmerizing narrative that transports readers to Africa threatened by terrorist activities. This author knows how to write believable and memorable characters. Sharonda and Samuel are a couple that I admired and their role in the novel is key when it comes to developing the plot and exploring local activities. Disguised as Peace Corps members, they are fully engaged in the fight against terrorism. The writing is filled with realism, with characters that are believable, and an Africa where people live together with animals and even keep some as pets. This action-packed terrorist thriller makes me want to visit Africa and witness the beauty captured in this novel. While this book is part of a series, it reads beautifully as a standalone novel, and I can’t wait to read other books in the Heartbeat series.