Author(s): Nigel Brennan

General

In August 2008 Bundaberg photojournalist Nigel Brennan travels to Somalia, along with Canadian reporter Amanda Lindhout. What happens next could happen to anyone. You have a brother with a taste for adventure, who you haven't heard from in a while. You get a phone call on a Sunday morning from a journalist telling you he's been kidnapped and held hostage for money - a lot of money. After official government negotiations grind to a halt, Nigel's family - his sister, Nicky, and sister-in-law, Kellie - take matters into their own hands. With Nigel's life at stake, the family navigates uncharted territory, doing anything and everything to bring him home. Nicky becomes an expert negotiator and Kellie effectively an international money launderer. Meanwhile, Nigel and Amanda survive separation, isolation, relocation and brutality. The fight to free Nigel takes its toll on all of them in different ways - loss of income, putting their own family lives on hold - but they discover what tough stuff they are really made of. In the end, they could answer the question we all hope we never have to ask: What price do you put on a family member's life? And Nigel knows the real value of freedom, and the true meaning of family.