26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Two in One, August 7, 2008
[Three and a half stars] Perhaps because "Michael Stanley" is in fact a two-man team (Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip), their first joint venture, A CARRION DEATH, reads like two books in one: a mystery and a thriller combined. The two genres do not always fit well together, and the result is over-complex and over-long, but there is a great deal to enjoy along the way.
First, the mystery. A body is found near a watering-hole on a Botswanan game reserve, half-eaten by hyenas, all identifying features gone, and partially dismembered. But the hair is that of a white man, and other evidence suggests murder. Assistant Superintendent Kubu drives out from the capital, Gabarone, to investigate. Kubu, whose nickname means hippo, is a huge and hugely likeable man who sings along to opera in his car, has a knowledgeable appreciation of fine food and wine, loves his wife, honors his parents, and is as bright and persistent as they come. Although jaded readers will find echoes of other fictional detectives, the chapters directly involving Kubu, the police process, and his personal foibles are all interesting and enjoyable. So is the Botswana setting, recognizably similar to that of the Alexander McCall Smith series that began with
THE NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY, almost equally warm, but less parochial and more recognizably part of the modern world.
The thriller element contains elements of boardroom drama, sexual intrigue, smuggling, backroom manipulation, and blackmail. Most of the characters are connected to the huge Botswana Cattle and Mining Company (BCMC), now being run by Cecil Hofmeyr until his nephew and niece, the twins Angus and Dianna, come into their inheritance on their thirtieth birthday in a few weeks' time. But Cecil has problems, whether stemming from financial irregularities, unsavory events in his past, or dubious practices at a diamond mine that he runs on the side. Although the first chapters introducing the BCMC story come after the discovery of the body, they actually antedate it. The first half of the book jumps backwards and forwards in time, with ramifying subplots and rising tensions, so that the reader is drawn into the game of guessing who the murdered man will turn out to be, which is both unusual and effective.
In some ways, the contrast between the two elements is also that between native and colonial. Kubu represents a class of African professionals who have benefited from educational opportunities to take leadership positions in the modern world, while remaining true to their traditions. BCMC, by contrast, is a company founded by foreign entrepreneurs, now attempting to redefine its place in an independent nation. Although never preachy, the dialectic between these elements is one of the strengths of the book.
Technically, however, this double approach leads to problems. Instead of learning information as the detective discovers it, as in a classic mystery, we also see things from the inside, including the private thoughts of many of the characters. As a result, some revelations become obvious to the reader long before the detective has worked them out -- including, I'm afraid, the basic mystery of the book! Perhaps in compensation, the authors introduce numerous false clues, resulting in an overlong book with more plot layers and shady characters than it can stand. In thriller style, the mayhem increases towards the end of the book, even as the mystery dissipates. Indeed there are so many deaths and disappearances, that the payoff of a normal mystery -- the final scene in which the evildoers are confronted with their crimes -- is no longer available, denying the reader one of the chief pleasures of the genre. Instead, the wrapping-up deals with relatively minor matters and is somewhat anticlimactic.
I gather that more Kubu books are on their way. Perhaps now that Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip have shown us what they can do, they will have no need to put so much into a single novel. Instead, I hope they will simplify their narrative and capitalize on the Botswanan setting, their engaging detective, and the strong sense of community that they build around him.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great story, great location, April 24, 2008
This is a thoroughly enjoyable mystery novel. Clues are left for you to ponder and puzzle over and if you pay good attention to the right ones, you might guess who the real villain is, my definition of a well written mystery. The ending does not come out of the blue, but rather, if you've been paying attention you will think, "I should have figured that out!" Detective Kubu is a great character, a realistic policeman with both strengths and weaknesses (especially for wine and food). Intertwined with an interesting mystery, of course, is an enjoyable tour of Botswana culture, politics and nature.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Atmospheric debut for Botswana detective, July 2, 2008
A white man's body stripped and left for the hyenas at a Kalahari water hole introduces a complex case for Botswana detective David "Kubu" Benga in Stanley's atmospheric debut.
The condition of the body - missing teeth, no clothes, missing arm - indicates that the killers may have wanted to hide the victim's identity. Kubu's investigation ruffles feathers among the white powers that be at the game preserve and the Botswana Cattle and Mining Company (BCMC), a conglomerate from colonial days that now has little to do with cattle and much to do with diamonds.
Kubu doesn't mind ruffling feathers though he's an easygoing fellow himself who enjoys good food and drink about as much as anyone could - hence the nickname Kubu - which means hippo. Viewpoint shifts between Kubu's investigation and various other characters - killers, schemers, business people, victims and innocents.
The case takes Kubu into boardrooms and across the country's dusty roads and open country. It gives us a look at Africa's complex economic structure, the diamond industry and a feel for the friction between modern and traditional customs.
Kubu is a modern man with a western-style house and habits who honors and respects his parents' conservative old-fashioned ways. He's an engaging character with a likable wife and an absorbing home life.
Stanley's first in the series is a window on a changing Africa, full of the sights, smells and tensions of a place with large disparities between rich and poor, black and white, traditional and modern.
The few problems with this promising debut concern length and pace - Stanley (pseudonym for writing team Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip) gives a bit too much away with his multiple viewpoints and it takes Kubu a bit too long to catch up. An immersing read, nonetheless.
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