Helpful Score: 4
#1 Detective David "Kubu" Bengu mystery set in Gaborone, Botswana. A half-eaten body is found near a waterhole in the Kalahari desert, a disgruntled hyena hovering close by, waiting to see if the humans are going to leave him to his lunch or not. Not! Assistant Superintendent Kubu's first task is to try to determine the identity of the body, which has no hands and thus no fingerprints. No white men have been reported missing, so this is proving quite difficult initially. After a time, however, Kubu has several different possibilities to fulfill the role, and he and his team remain interested when the coroner determines that the man (whoever he was) was murdered. Several different sub-plots to the main mystery seem to intersect with Botswana Cattle & Mining Company (the country's largest company) involved on several scales, and with several more dead bodies piling up along the way. Some of these sub-plots were fairly easy to figure out, as was the main baddie.
Detective Kubu (Kubu meaning "Hippopotamus") is a delightful character, a large man fond of good food and wine, proud of his heritage and country and family, and yet pragmatic in recognizing its faults, too. He sings off-key opera, is respectful of his parents, resists his wife's attempts at getting him to diet and delights in having the baboons from the nearby jungle jumping all over the outside of the police station!
While I delved right into the cultural details about the country, enjoyed getting to know Kubu, his wife Joy and the other secondary characters, and learned much about several pertinent social issues (diamond poaching and theft, alienation of the indigenous Kalahari Bushmen, etc) it seemed to me that at times the story was burdened with too many different issues and details. It felt crowded, as though the author were trying to cram in as much information and detail about the area, the culture, the food, the climate, the law enforcement system...etc...as possible. It was a lot to digest, and thus was not a book to be read quickly in a couple of sittings. Whether that is the result of the collaborative effort of the two people writing the book and overlapping on some things, or some other reason, I don't know. At any rate, despite it being somewhat bloated, I very much enjoyed the book and do look forward to the second in the series.
Detective Kubu (Kubu meaning "Hippopotamus") is a delightful character, a large man fond of good food and wine, proud of his heritage and country and family, and yet pragmatic in recognizing its faults, too. He sings off-key opera, is respectful of his parents, resists his wife's attempts at getting him to diet and delights in having the baboons from the nearby jungle jumping all over the outside of the police station!
While I delved right into the cultural details about the country, enjoyed getting to know Kubu, his wife Joy and the other secondary characters, and learned much about several pertinent social issues (diamond poaching and theft, alienation of the indigenous Kalahari Bushmen, etc) it seemed to me that at times the story was burdened with too many different issues and details. It felt crowded, as though the author were trying to cram in as much information and detail about the area, the culture, the food, the climate, the law enforcement system...etc...as possible. It was a lot to digest, and thus was not a book to be read quickly in a couple of sittings. Whether that is the result of the collaborative effort of the two people writing the book and overlapping on some things, or some other reason, I don't know. At any rate, despite it being somewhat bloated, I very much enjoyed the book and do look forward to the second in the series.
This is an excellent police procedural set in Botswana. Detective David Bengu , nicknamed "Kubu" (hippopotamus), is called in when a game warden finds a partially eaten corpse of a white man in the bush. It's not a lost tourist either. Before he knows it, more folks are dead and he keeps finding pointers to the biggest corporation in Botswana.
Family politics, smuggling, witch doctors and corruption all complicate the case but he has a good staff and his boss, while complaining all the while, has his back. The scenes with his family are charming. This is a nicely plotted mystery/thriller, not very dark, excellent character descriptions and a good sense of place and time. It did drag on towards the end - I think it should have ended about 30 pages before it actually did, but that's a small problem. Definitely worth reading and I'll be looking for the next in the series.
Family politics, smuggling, witch doctors and corruption all complicate the case but he has a good staff and his boss, while complaining all the while, has his back. The scenes with his family are charming. This is a nicely plotted mystery/thriller, not very dark, excellent character descriptions and a good sense of place and time. It did drag on towards the end - I think it should have ended about 30 pages before it actually did, but that's a small problem. Definitely worth reading and I'll be looking for the next in the series.
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
First Line: The hyena moved off when the men shouted.
The half-eaten body of a man is found on a remote game reserve, and Assistant Superintendent David Bengu of the Botswana Police Department is sent to investigate. Known as "Kubu" (Setswanan for "hippopotamus"), Bengu is a large man who's deceptively amiable. The more he searches for the killer, the more clues he finds that all seem to lead back to Botswana's largest company: the Botswana Cattle and Mining Company...and the bodies begin piling up.
This book is compulsively readable. Kubu has an annoying boss, Mabaku, who likes to hobnob with the rich and shameless, but (wonder of wonders), Mabaku wants everyone held accountable to the same rules, which makes a refreshing change. Kubu is a determined investigator who still insists on regular meals and time spent with a family that he adores. The intricately woven plot moves quickly, but also gives a very strong sense of place:
As I read and pieced together clues, I also learned about mining diamonds, Bushmen, and traveling in the Kalahari Desert. Those who enjoy Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency stories will find A Carrion Death presents a grittier and sometimes grisly portrait of Botswana, but a portrait that is just as captivating and addictive. Once again I've found a new mystery series to follow. The South African writing team of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip have a winner on their hands.
The half-eaten body of a man is found on a remote game reserve, and Assistant Superintendent David Bengu of the Botswana Police Department is sent to investigate. Known as "Kubu" (Setswanan for "hippopotamus"), Bengu is a large man who's deceptively amiable. The more he searches for the killer, the more clues he finds that all seem to lead back to Botswana's largest company: the Botswana Cattle and Mining Company...and the bodies begin piling up.
Kubu looked out of his window. I've made an idiot of myself to an inspector from the South African Police. I've asked my friend to do something inappropriate that I can't justify in any logical way. And I now have six bodies, or parts of bodies, and missing persons--count them, six--and I don't know why or who or what is going on. But I'm going home to the wife I love, and my dog, and my dinner. I think I'll treat us to a decent Shiraz. So the hell with all of them!
He locked his office and left.
This book is compulsively readable. Kubu has an annoying boss, Mabaku, who likes to hobnob with the rich and shameless, but (wonder of wonders), Mabaku wants everyone held accountable to the same rules, which makes a refreshing change. Kubu is a determined investigator who still insists on regular meals and time spent with a family that he adores. The intricately woven plot moves quickly, but also gives a very strong sense of place:
Now it was a Gaborone suburb with shopping malls and fast-food outlets. All that remained of the past were the baboons that frequently swarmed over the buildings and parking lot. Soon someone would complain loudly enough, and they would be captured and moved, or shot for being a nuisance. You can't stop progress, he mused, but wouldn't it be nice if we managed it better?
As I read and pieced together clues, I also learned about mining diamonds, Bushmen, and traveling in the Kalahari Desert. Those who enjoy Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency stories will find A Carrion Death presents a grittier and sometimes grisly portrait of Botswana, but a portrait that is just as captivating and addictive. Once again I've found a new mystery series to follow. The South African writing team of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip have a winner on their hands.
Parts of a body and the stench of death are discovered by two game rangers in the desert of Botswana and create a mysteries for Botswaa CID Det. David "Kubu" Bengu. But all his means of gathering evidence and clues fail to resolve who is the man, why did he die and how did he get to where he was found.
But Kubu â which means hippo in the Setswana language â keeps picking at the case and comes across more mysteries happenings involving an oil company that is being inherited by a friend of his. Soon there are more bodies and details that just don't add up.
I enjoyed the story and thought the author did a masterful job of reflecting the setting, its people, culture and challenges. But there seemed to be far too many things going on that weren't part of the mystery making it a bit of an overly long.
But Kubu â which means hippo in the Setswana language â keeps picking at the case and comes across more mysteries happenings involving an oil company that is being inherited by a friend of his. Soon there are more bodies and details that just don't add up.
I enjoyed the story and thought the author did a masterful job of reflecting the setting, its people, culture and challenges. But there seemed to be far too many things going on that weren't part of the mystery making it a bit of an overly long.
