Following the successful introduction of Detective David “Kubu” Bengu in “A Carrion Death,” the writing duo of Stanley Trollip and Michael Sears have followed up with another excellent novel featuring the rotund Botswanan. In addition to drawing a colorful character, the authors depict the African landscape, people and environment with realism.
The case begins in an area which includes the confluence of Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia, providing the setting for illegal smuggling and international tensions. At a rustic hunting camp, two murders followed by others lead Kubu and his associates on a merry chase. Initially, the theory is a drug trade gone bad. But as the investigation progresses the past and present turmoil in what was formerly Rhodesia provide other possibilities.
The combination of the colorful black detective and an unusual setting provides readers with an entertaining read, in a complex and compelling mystery. Recommended.
