Soon after Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980 came the massacre of 20,000 civilians of the minority Matabele tribe by Robert Mugabe’s notoriously evil North Korean-trained Fifth Armoured Brigade, which achieved a one-party state in the country.

Nearly twenty years later in 2000, faced with a groundswell of massive opposition, the ‘Great Liberator’ began a campaign to rid the white farmers of their land, to subjugate his people and entrench himself in power forever.

Set against the beginnings of a lawless and brutal government, a roller coaster ride takes the reader through tribal legend, murder, resourcefulness, courage and romance.

Trevor Lawson and friends find themselves embroiled in political intrigue by the CIA, the British SIS, and other intelligence networks, the traumatic dark events of a land teetering on the brink of anarchy and meltdown, and the exciting quest to unravel the secret of an ancient priceless relic.

REVIEWS:

Glenn Macaskill publishes first novel…. Glenn, a member at Lombardy East Sports Club, was an officer in the special branch of the BSA Police in the former Rhodesia and his novel is based on his experiences pre and post Zimbabwean independence… King’s Gold is a topical novel about a hidden priceless relic and political intrigue in present day Zimbabwe.

EDENVALE NEWS – NOVEMBER 2003

Chris was Africa correspondent for the London Daily Telegraph for over 20 years. His final paragraph: “It is against a disturbing backdrop that Glenn has set this story. As a long-serving policemen in the former Rhodesia, he has a depth of knowledge of the country and its people that gives his novel the depth, breadth and pace of a breaking news story the end of which will have to await history’s judgement.”

FOREWORD by CHRISTOPHER MUNNION

“Not a book for the faint-hearted… history is well researched and well written…book spans the history of Zimbabwe as a country and a people by using the activities of the protagonist Trevor Lawson, his travels, his search for an ancient treasure, and his many counterparts to tell the story… the writing is descriptive as he comes back to Zimbabwe after living in South Africa for many years… describes his feelings as he enters and what he perceives as changes from when he left… author does this with clear and well-written text…. uses slang related to Rhodesia but does not leave the non-Rhodesian out of the mix as he works the definition into the text… lends to an easier read for those unfamiliar with slang terms… after about sixty pages the plot begins to take a twist and we discover a group of people in various governmental secret agencies who discuss how to remove Mugabe from power… story lines in the book mix well… book is well paced and researched… only concern this reader had was the graphic descriptions of violence.”

RHODESIANS WORLD WIDE MAGAZINE – 2004

“This first novel is described as an epic adventure midst the ruins of Zimbabwe… fiction with a strong basis of fact, chronicling the country’s decline under the despotic rule of Robert Mugabe… the massacre of thousands of tribespeople in Matabeleland is sharply painted… Trevor Lawson’s background in the BSA Police stands him in good stead in the gripping adventure he becomes embroiled in at the Zimbabwe Ruins… love interest is provided by Sally Romney, survivor of an attack on her grandfather’s ranch… in a strong sub-plot a group of politicians and government agents subtly plot Mugabe’s downfall… action is heightened by the discovery of an ancient relic and a daring scheme to get it out of the country… Trevor’s group hotly pursued by the government’s Central Intelligence Organisation… in the background farm invasions and violence are rife, routes are perilous and loyalties divided… well-rounded novel, however writing style is marred in some places by stilted dialogue and touches of naivety… because of the subject matter and setting I predict it will be a popular work with the reading public.”

PRETORIA NEWS – JANUARY 2004

“All the ingredients for a good story and when fact and fiction are coupled, even if based on the so often inaccurate media reports, it becomes difficult for the reader to put them in their true perspective… author served in the BSA Police and is well placed to keep the story line in kilter… even when approaching the area of fiction, no doubt Glenn Macaskill was well aware that many of his readers would be in a position to express opinions on the possibility and probability of his story-line, so a jury was in place to ensure he kept within reasonable parameters… gold has provided many a foundation for authors for many years and presence of natural wealth does allow for the intervention of the major powers or their surrogates, the intelligence agencies, to become involved… whether this book is seen totally as a work of fiction, or fiction based on fact, even if the factual content is only a very small percentage of the total, it is still a worthwhile read…. King’s Gold might even provide a guideline as to what will be the future of that troubled land, Zimbabwe.”

AFRICAN ARMED FORCES JOURNAL – JANUARY 2004

“Dear Glenn, I have now finished your superb book…. Couldn’t put it down and I equally did not do it justice in really absorbing all the facts and history you so carefully researched… on the other hand what I did know about past and more recent history was corroborated and amplified by your text… the book is a strikingly good adventure yarn which carried me along and reminded me of the old Rhodesian days… many memories which I have locked away were awakened by the book… so very many thanks for taking this effort, I suspect on so very many people’s behalf.”

PROFESSOR RALPH EDWARDS – DIRECTOR, W.H.O. SWEDEN – 2004