April 8

Facets of Death (Detective Kubu) – Michael Stanley

When a Botswana mine is robbed of 100,000 carats of diamonds and the thieves are murdered execution-style, Botswana’s Detective Kubu begins a terrifying international investigation in the prequel to the award-winning Detective Kubu series.

Recruited straight from university to Botswana’s CID, David ‘Kubu’ Bengu has raised his colleagues’ suspicions with his meteoric rise within the department, and he has a lot to prove…

When the richest diamond mine in the world is robbed of 100,000 carats worth of gems, and then the thieves are killed, execution-style, Kubu leaps at the chance to prove himself. But where are the diamonds? And what role does a witch doctor and his son play? Does this young detective have the skill – and integrity – to engineer an international trap? Or could it cost him everything, including his life…?

A riveting, chilling prequel to the award-winning Detective Kubu series, Facets of Death introduces the beloved Kubu and his richly described native Botswana, in a dark, sophisticated thriller that will leave you breathless.

 

I had ordered this book before release and I review my own copy for the Blog Tour.  I would like to thank Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to host this leg of the Facets of Death tour.

 

Amazon describes Facets of Death as Kubu “Book 0”.  A prequel to the stories which I have previously read and really enjoyed.  A new story about the large Botswana policeman and how he took on his first cases when he joined the police. It’s like reading Spider-Man before Uncle Ben was killed.  I am fully in board for Kubu The Early Years.

The book opens with David “Kubu” Bengu getting ready to head to his first day at his new job. He is excited about the prospect of joining the police and readers share his nervous enthusiasm. Returning readers will have seen Kubu as an established member of the police force and I enjoyed his seemingly unflappable composure when faced with subsequent investigations.  Yet the apprehensive and optimistic Kubu is rather endearing and I have no doubt readers will warm to the awkward youthful detective too.

Kubu starts as he intends to proceed. He introduces himself to the officer at the front desk as Kubu, a nickname which translates as “hippopotamus” (Kubu is a large gentleman) and he meets a frosty reception.  The name does not concern Kubu as it has always been used and he takes it in good spirits – his new colleagues are not so quick to be congenial with him.  Kubu realises this is not an issue with the name but grudges are being held as Kubu has been recruited to join the police in a promoted role – no grafing his way up the ranks for the smart-educated new start.

Nevertheless Kubu throws himself into his new job and is enlisted to solve a problem with missing luggage. Suitcases leaving Botswana for Europe are not reaching their destination but both departure and arrival airports insist there are no anomalies in their processes.  Latching onto a colleague to keep him right Kubu begins to puzzle out this mystery.  He will receive some critical feedback on trust and effective witness questioning before much longer passes.

Missing luggage will soon become a minor concern for the police though.  A massive diamond robbery has taken place (readers riding along with the crime as it develops and unfolds). The mining company had an effective process in place to protect their gems during transport but the robbers have found a way to identify when to target the diamonds and how to steal them away.  Can the police get a trace on the missing diamonds?  A trail of dead bodies and double crossed robbers will provide some clues but to get to the truth they will need to figure out how the thieves could have successfully identified where the diamonds would be. The collective brainpower of the Botswana police will be needed and Kubu wants to help in any way he can.

The innocence of Kubu tracing missing suitcases is a strong counterpoint to the brutality of the diamond theft.  Even though it is all hands on deck to recover the diamonds, Kubu still wants to work out how the luggage is disappearing. An early indication of the thoroughness of his approach to his work and an amusing look at how his new colleagues take to this young, inexperienced addition to their team.

The writing is superb, as is always the case with the Michael Stanley books.  The setting and location is exotic for the European readers and the sense of place is wonderfully conveyed.  The local customs and beliefs play a large part in the behaviour of many characters and early in is police career Kubu will discover the power that a Witch Doctor can exert when he turns his focus on the manipulation of the players in Kubu’s investigation.

Facets of Death is a rewarding and richly entertaining read. Young Kubu is a familiar friend in an unrecognisable skin and I would not be unhappy to see more of this youthful police officer in future books.

Before I was introduced to the books of Michael Stanley by the Queen of Orenda Books, Karen Sullivan, I know I would not have stepped out of my reading comfort zone to read a crime story set in Botswana.  Yet Karen’s enthusiasm for these books was infectious and I am so glad I listened to her advice – the Detective Kubu books are fabulous reading and I encourage everyone to try these wonderful stories too.

 

Facets of Death is available in digital format and will release in paperback on 29 April 2021.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08T6C7HDC/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

 

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August 31

A Death In The Family – Michael Stanley

A Death In The Family‘There’s no easy way to say this, Kubu. Your father’s dead. I’m afraid he’s been murdered.’

Faced with the violent death of his own father, even Assistant Superintendent David ‘Kubu’ Bengu, Botswana CID’s keenest mind, is baffled. Who would kill such a frail old man? The picture becomes even murkier with the apparent suicide of a government official. Are Chinese mine-owners involved? And what role does the US Embassy have to play?
Set amidst the dark beauty of modern Botswana, A Death in the Family is a thrilling insight into a world of riots, corruption and greed, as a complex series of murders presents the opera-loving, wine connoisseur detective with his most challenging case yet. When grief-stricken Kubu defies orders and sets out on the killers’ trail, startling and chilling links emerge, spanning the globe and setting a sequence of shocking events in motion. Will Kubu catch the killers in time … and find justice for his father?

 

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy

The title and the opening line of the summary (as above) should make it quite obvious that A Death In The Family is not going to be an easy book for ‘Kubu’ Bengu to get through. I first encountered the Michael Stanley ‘Kubu’ books earlier this year when I read the marvellous Deadly Harvest.  You can read my review of Deadly Harvest here but I was totally hooked on the story of the “sturdy” good-natured Kubu hunting down a murderous Witch Doctor.

Now Kubu is back and he finds himself sidelined as all his colleagues are hunting a murderer. The victim is Kubu’s own father and, for obvious reasons, Kubu cannot be involved in the investigation.  Gone is the placid, sensible good-natured Kubu I remembered from Deadly Harvest, here we have a man battling grief and frustration who is determined to do whatever it takes to find a killer – even if it means conducting his own investigations away from the watchful eyes of his colleagues.

Unfortunately for Kubu he cannot keep his questioning a secret from his colleagues for long and a series of reprimands are coming his way. This only serves to frustrate our hero and we share his anguish over any apparent lack of progress in the investigation.  Full credit to the authors at this stage, I fully shared Kubu’s frustrations and I also felt myself irritated that he was not able to help find his father’s killer.

Despite the grief there are still many light moments to enjoy, a particular highlight is when Kubu is “punished” for over-stepping his imposed restrictions and is sent out of Botswana to present a paper at a very important conference. I am deliberately being vague to avoid spoilers, however, “tourist Kubu” was an absolute treat.

Keeping Kubu busy is a key element to A Death In The Family. He is assigned to investigate the fallout of a riot at a public meeting which took place in a remote Botswana town.  The locals were split over whether to allow their town to be relocated so that a multinational mining firm could dig for uranium deposits. Kubu’s investigations become very political and he will have to be at his brilliant best to get to the truth behind the riots and uncover the shady characters that are playing God with the lives of the townspeople.

Michael Stanley books are written with a delightful and charming style yet they deliver serious and powerful messages too. Domestic violence, corruption, murder and fraud on an international scale…there are a lot of nasty goings on in A Death In The Family. The story moves along at a nice pace, it is extremely accessible and readable (no requirement to have read any of the previous books) and Kubu remains great fun to read about. This was an absolute treat to read and I was sorry when I reached the end – more Kubu can only be a good thing I feel.

 

A Death in the Family is published in the UK by Orenda Books and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order your copy through this handy link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Family-Detective-Michael-Stanley/dp/1910633224/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472601980&sr=1-5&keywords=a+death+in+the+family

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