A Falcon Flies by Wilbur Smith (SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR)

"A Falcon Flies"  is remarkable for its sense of the African wild, grimly informative about the slave trade, and alive with the obsessions and impossible love of its strongminded heroine. It is the first of the Ballantyne novels. 

The Rhodesian Bush War of the 1970s inspired Smith to research and write a book set in historical Rhodesia. He originally planned it as one novel but it ended up as a trilogy. 

 The year is 1860 and slave trading remains a key form of commerce amongst Europeans and those in the Americas. After missionary Fuller Ballantyne has gone missing on the African sub-continent, his two children join a clipper out of England to find him. Robyn Ballantyne is a missionary like her father, but also has a medical background, both areas of education she wishes to bring to the African people. Her brother, Morris 'Zouga' has little interest in anything other than the riches that the land can bring him. While on their voyage, the Ballantynes learn that their captain is key in the slave trade and will stop at nothing to continue this prosperous form of economic advancement. Robyn does all she can to sway the captain, while she falls in love with him, to no avail. It is only when she encounters an ally in Clinton Codrington that she feels she could end slave trading on a small scale. Codrington finds himself falling for Dr. Ballantyne, who begins the arduous task of locating her father. As Smith forks the story, both siblings begin their own adventures searching for Fuller Ballantyne and discovering the riches that Africa has to offer them. Zouga finds himself involved in ivory hunting and gold exploration, but soon discovers a figurine that fulfils a long-held prophecy. Robyn does all she can to save those herded up for slavery and seeks to bring word of Christianity as she gets closer to Codrington. Fuller's discovery opens new pathways as Smith educates and entertains the reader in the first novel of the series. When Codrington puts his passions into action, he faces consequences, but is keen to win Robyn's heart no matter the cost. Contrasting nicely with the Courtney novels, Smith opens new literary options with this parallel series.