Excerpt from Whoever Fears the Sea by Justin Fox

Justin Fox recently published his debut novel, Whoever Fears the Sea, which follows protagonist Paul Waterson as he tries to track down the last remaining Mtepe dhow. Waterson is working in Kenya and decides to travel to Somalia, where the dhow is rumoured to be.

In this excerpt, shared by Random House Struik, Paul and others are out on Somalian waters when a skiff carrying armed men approaches at a high speed and starts shooting:

'"A popping sound interrupted his writing. He looked up. The sail above his head was riddled with holes. The punctures began to tear grotesquely."

‘Maharamia!’ screamed Rafiki from the foredeck.

Paul dropped the notebook and scrambled to his feet. There was utter confusion on deck. The skipper yelled incoherently. Taki ran to start the engine. Paul looked astern. The boat was a hundred metres off their port quarter, approaching at high speed. There was no way they could outrun it.