Wilbur Smith, best known for his male-oriented action thrillers set in Africa, passed away at age 88. Ali Karim directed me to an excellent obituary that appeared in The Guardian.

I began reading his work back in 1976 with his first novel WHEN THE LION FEEDS, which is the first in the Courteney Family saga, which now is comprised of 19 novels. He wrote the first 12 by himself and added various co-authors for the last 7.

I was a big fan early on and would pass around copies of THE EYE OF THE TIGER, a stand-alone thriller, that I particularly liked at the time. But, as is the case with some authors, my interest in his work waned, especially after reading THE SUNBIRD, which I did not like at all.

I’ve pulled out my copies of my two favorites of his and will give them a try. It will be interesting to see if a 45-year interim will have changed my opinion of them.