The Lingala Code

The Lingala Code follows Michael Vernon, a CIA operative stationed at the American embassy in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa) during the turmoil that followed Congolese independence in the early 1960s. When his closest friend and fellow embassy employee, Ted Stearns, is murdered in what appears to be a simple robbery, Vernon doubts the official explanation. After the prime suspect dies mysteriously in custody, he becomes convinced that a cover-up is underway and begins investigating the killing himself.

As Vernon pursues the truth, he is drawn into a volatile world of political unrest, intelligence operations, and competing factions struggling for power in the Congo. His investigation takes him across the country, bringing him into contact with diplomats, rebels, informants, and foreign agents while he navigates civil unrest, Cold War intrigue, and a growing romance. Along the way, Vernon and an assistant develop the "Lingala Code," a cipher based on the Lingala language that becomes an important tool in his intelligence work as he uncovers the forces behind his friend's death.