Zero the Slaver: Monster of Cruelty: An Adventure in Equatorial Africa (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781611040616)

Lawrence Fletcher, an Englishman, was born when cycling was in its infancy. By the time he was seventeen in 1878 his enthusiasm for cycling was boundless, and his talent formidable. He was an avid cyclist. Fletcher was a member of the Liverpool Amateur Bicycle Club and the Birkenhead Bicycle Club, winning races, and developing a liking for 24 hour rides. Without exception his contemporaries regarded him as "thorough", "knowledgeable" and "astute in commercial undertakings". Describing himself as an African Merchant, his company dealt on the Gold Coast of Africa in rubber and gold. In this context he was the Honorary Secretary of the Gold Coast Chamber of Commerce, an office which required "discretion and wide experience in African matters". Cycling and business notwithstanding he also found the time to write novels. "Into the Unknown", "Zero the Slaver", and "The Shadow of Death" were based on his knowledge of Africa. One commentator noted that the African novels enabled Fletcher to show his familiarity with the romantic side of African subjects.