“A smash of a debut . . . Iris Mwanza has taken it all on, from the original reverberating assault of British colonialism to what happened next, to a sideswipe at contemporary Zambia, and she’s done it with literal grace.”

About the Book

Rookie lawyer Grace Zulu does not give up easily. She escaped an arranged marriage to put herself through university. Now she’s got her first case.

Her client is young Willbess ‘Bessy’ Mulenga, who has been arrested for offences ‘against nature’. Bessy works in a men-only bar, loves to dance, to wear dresses and live freely. But in 1990s Zambia, following your own identity can get you beaten, jailed or even worse. Grace is determined to get Bessy out of custody. Then her terrified, bruised client goes missing without a trace. She knows something bad has happened and that someone is trying to cover it up. Along with the most unlikely group of allies, Grace must take on powerful enemies at the highest levels – even risk her own safety – to get to the truth. The whole truth.

A debut novel that soars with passion and humanity, The Lions’ Den is a moving story of prejudice, corruption, injustice, courage and solidarity. It shows us that no cause is ever a lost one.

About the Author

Iris Mwanza is a Zambian-American author and gender equality advocate. Born and raised in Zambia, early exposure to inequality has been a driving force in her life – from becoming a lawyer, writing a PhD dissertation on women and children’s rights, a career fighting for gender equality, and now a thriller with gender equality as its heart.

Iris has spent an inordinate amount of time studying and has law degrees from Cornell University and the University of Zambia, and an MA and PhD in International Relations from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Her career as a gender advocate has included stints at the World Bank and the Gates Foundation. Her debut novel The Lions’ Den took nine years of nights and weekends to write. So, for her next book, she has taken a six-month Sabbatical to focus on writing.

Iris tries to do her part for all creatures great and small and is a proud member of the WWF US Board of Directors