Sweet Thorn

About the Book

Erik Magnussen is a wealthy refugee with an untenable martial arts skills living in the Western United States. He is travelling to the wilds of South Africa to start a new life but becomes embroiled in a political plot to murder two very important men who own vast diamond fields in Kimberley. He refuses to become involved and as a consequence is attacked a number of times but survives the attacks through his knowledge of martial arts and unarmed combat. His prowess with firearms is also vital to his survival. He befriends a street girl urchin who escaped from an English penal ship transporting convicts and orphans to Australia. He also meets and fall in love with a widow woman who is waiting for her late husband’s estate to be finalised. Then, the widow is kidnapped by the plotters in an attempt to force Erik to comply with their demands for him to be the sniper that kills the two wealthy men.

About the Author

David Pickup was born and raised in South Africa in the early 1940’s. He was an avid reader from childhood, grew up in a rural setting with lots of dogs, cats and horses. He has a photograph of himself on horseback at age 2 or 3. He became a falconer in his teens and worked at an Oceanarium, Museum and Snakepark complex. He used to catch and sell poisonous snakes for pocket money. He has a deeply enquiring mind and is an artist and woodworker when not writing. He is also a keen gardener. He is also a Reiki practiononer, treating people in South Africa and Norway. He is an extremely observant and passionate man and has a deep interest in natural history, wild life, hunting and geology. He was a qualified South African tour guide and knows the Southern part of South Africa extremely well. He has an in depth knowledge of firearms of the 1800’s, having restored the antique weapons at the museum. He has an abiding interest and deep regard for the Khoisan people of Southern Africa.