The Scholastic edition does not suggest that this is book three of a series. Sarah lives in the Kalahari semi-desert with her zoologist-researcher father. Her mother died several months before. A motley group of teens are coming to stay for two week, possibly the beginning of a new source of funding for the research station. Things go badly. "Poachers", a horrific "disease", and a silver lion. Lots of action, I will give it that.
The sins of the father are visited upon... The Pope is coming to town! Father Koesler moderates a forum and helps the police with a couple of murders. Number 17 in series, I wonder there are any priests left in Chicago! 272 p.
Writer guy goes back to stay at his vacation retreat after his wife dies. Wierd stuff happens. Mostly pretty good book.
QUOTE:
Johanna once said that if I was drowning at Dark Score Lake, where we have a summer home, I would die silently fifty feet out from the public beach rather than yell for help... But if someone asks me, "Are you all right?" I can't answer no. I can't say help me.
A whole bunch of short stories that I'm thinking I may have read twenty years ago. Some pretty darn good ones in there. King's non-fiction piece about his son's Little League team was great, I don't even like baseball!