In A Holiday to Die For, the latest addition to the Petra Minx series of adventure thrillers, Petra goes to Namibia in April. Her timing stems from the end of the previous book, Dead Man’s Legacy, where she promises to attend a wedding in South Africa with her friend and sidekick, Carlo. As a result, she is forced to decline Betty Graceby’s invitation to join her on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Did Leigh write herself into a corner on this? ‘Not at all!’ she says. ‘Namibia can be a year-round destination depending where you want to go. Rain affects the northern half of the country in the early part of the year but is not usually a problem in the south. If you’re bound for Etosha National Park, be aware that the quality of the game viewing varies with the season. As Henny, Florian’s henchman in A Holiday to Die For, observes while showing his captive group of girls a video of the park: “At this time of year, after the rains, the vegetation would be lusher and the great Etosha pan would hold some water. The animals would be more dispersed, but there would be plenty of babies”.

 

In the May to October dry season, prices are higher, mosquitoes are fewer and the wildlife tends to be more visible. My favourite time to go is early November, before the rains start. The animals congregating at waterholes make for some wonderful photos. But there’s a lot more to Namibia than Etosha as Petra and Carlo discover during their quest to rescue young women from Florian’s clutches.’