Set in the exotic African local of the port of Djibouti, "Djibouti" by Elmore Leonard takes on the very real problem of pirates hijacking merchant ships in this fast paced story that will thrill fans of contemporary action.

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Dara Barr heads off to Djibouti on the Horn of Africa to film her next project -- documenting Somali pirates who are hijacking ships and holding them for ransom.

Dara is accompanied by her assistant, Xavier LeBo, a six- foot-six African-American septuagenarian and former seafarer, who is ready and willing to defend Dara when she gets in a little too deep for his liking. They met a cast of characters including a pirate chief who longs to retire to Paris, a suave Saudi diplomat who is also a gun-runner, a Texas billionaire sailing around the world with a world- weary model who has hopes of marrying him (if she can keep from throwing up!), and an American al-Qaeda recruit who wants to blow up something, anything, as long as it's big.

As Dara and Xavier work to get the footage they need, they also have to work equally hard to keep from being the next pirate victim. But when the action is hot and the champagne is flowing freely, the adrenaline rush is well worth the bit of danger now and then.

Leonard populates his books with a huge but lively cast and keeps the dialogue moving along nicely. The only spot that bogged down for me was when Dara and Xavier are going over the footage they shot in great detail. Other than that "Djibouti" was a great introduction (for me) to this master of storytelling. Leonard's faithful fans are sure to enjoy the book as well.