Sixth in the series, okay to start here however. The last one I read in this series also featured a witch doctor and "muti", magical potions of the witch doctor. Some other reivews of this described it as "sunshine noir", a term I found amusing. This book doesn't fit my personal definition of "noir", since the main characters are calm competent people, with good relationships with each other, and doing their best under some constraints. But it's got a lot of darkness that won't be solved with this one case. Poaching, smuggling, corruption, and HIV are all still going to be there at the end. In the first pages I learned the horrifying fact that up until 1936, the South African government issued permits for whites to hunt down and kill the Bushmen people. That's dark. Anyway, a nice solid mystery puzzle with an interesting twist, really liked the methodical detective work by Samantha Kama and Kubu. I felt as though there wasn't quite as much description of the local scenery as I remember in past books, but there is still a lot of local color so you definitely know where the story is placed.
Once again, the writing team of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip has crafted another excellent mystery in a series I think is the best one set in Botswana. There are many interwoven threads in the plot: motives, suspects, the actual crimes committed-- and they all keep the reader guessing as the story progresses.
In addition to one fine mystery, these two writers bring their setting to life, and they always teach me something about the country, the people, and the culture. This time, the crimes involve muti (charms and/or spells concocted by witch doctors), AIDS, animal poaching, and biopiracy. Also, I found one historical fact stone cold sobering: the last permit to hunt a Bushman was issued in 1936. Always nice to know that at one time you could obtain a permit to legally hunt human beings, isn't it?
As good as the mystery is, as good as the setting is, it's the characters that make this a winning book (and series) for me. Kubu is distracted in Dying to Live because his little adopted daughter, Nono, is very ill. He may be an astute investigator, but he is also a family man and takes his responsibilities there very seriously.
Since he is distracted, we get to see more of a new character, Detective Samantha Khama, who takes her job so seriously that she can forget to smile or laugh. This time, she is not happy with Kubu. Kubu has assigned a missing persons case to her. The missing person is Botlele Ramala, a witch doctor. Kubu knows that Samantha loathes witch doctors and the tragedies their muti potions can cause, and this is his way of teaching her that everyone counts, or nobody counts. Since readers know from the beginning how Samantha feels about this particular case, it is very interesting indeed to watch her work it. I am glad that she's joined the cast of characters.
Strong, complex mysteries. Wonderful settings that pull you right into the heart of the story. Characters that grow and change over time and endear themselves to readers. Haven't read one of Michael Stanley's Detective Kubu mysteries? I suggest you start with the first book, A Carrion Death. You've got some excellent reading ahead of you!
In addition to one fine mystery, these two writers bring their setting to life, and they always teach me something about the country, the people, and the culture. This time, the crimes involve muti (charms and/or spells concocted by witch doctors), AIDS, animal poaching, and biopiracy. Also, I found one historical fact stone cold sobering: the last permit to hunt a Bushman was issued in 1936. Always nice to know that at one time you could obtain a permit to legally hunt human beings, isn't it?
As good as the mystery is, as good as the setting is, it's the characters that make this a winning book (and series) for me. Kubu is distracted in Dying to Live because his little adopted daughter, Nono, is very ill. He may be an astute investigator, but he is also a family man and takes his responsibilities there very seriously.
Since he is distracted, we get to see more of a new character, Detective Samantha Khama, who takes her job so seriously that she can forget to smile or laugh. This time, she is not happy with Kubu. Kubu has assigned a missing persons case to her. The missing person is Botlele Ramala, a witch doctor. Kubu knows that Samantha loathes witch doctors and the tragedies their muti potions can cause, and this is his way of teaching her that everyone counts, or nobody counts. Since readers know from the beginning how Samantha feels about this particular case, it is very interesting indeed to watch her work it. I am glad that she's joined the cast of characters.
Strong, complex mysteries. Wonderful settings that pull you right into the heart of the story. Characters that grow and change over time and endear themselves to readers. Haven't read one of Michael Stanley's Detective Kubu mysteries? I suggest you start with the first book, A Carrion Death. You've got some excellent reading ahead of you!
