Today it is my pleasure to take part in the BlogTour for Dead of Night by writing duo Michael Stanley. If you get a chance you should also check out their Detective Kubu series (see link at the bottom of this post).
About the Author
Michael Stanley is the writing team of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip. Both were born in South Africa and have worked in academia and business. On a flying trip to Botswana, they watched a pack of hyenas hunt, kill, and devour a wildebeest, eating both flesh and bones. That gave them the premise for their first mystery, A Carrion Death, which introduced Detective ‘Kubu’ Bengu of the
Botswana Criminal Investigation Department. It was a finalist for five awards, including the CWA Debut Dagger. The series has been critically acclaimed, and their third book, Death of the Mantis, won the Barry Award and was a finalist for an Edgar award. Deadly Harvest was a finalist for an International Thriller Writers’ award. Dead of Night is their first stand-alone thriller.
Visit detectivekubu.com
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Buy Dead of Night
About the book
When freelance journalist, Crystal Nguyen, heads to South Africa, she thinks she’ll be researching an article on rhino-horn smuggling for National Geographic, while searching for her missing colleague. But, within a week, she’s been hunting poachers, hunted by their bosses, and then arrested in connection with a murder. And everyone is after a briefcase full of money that may hold the key to everything. Fleeing South Africa, she goes undercover in Vietnam, trying to discover the truth before she’s exposed by the local mafia. Discovering the plot behind the money is only half the battle. Now she must convince the South African authorities to take action before it’s too late. She has a shocking story to tell, if she survives long enough to tell it…
Fast-paced, relevant and chilling, Dead of Night is a stunning new thriller that exposes one of the most vicious conflicts on the African continent…
Review
This is a standalone novel and not part of the Michael Stanley Detective Kubu series. Once again the writing duo writes about what they know in regards to South Africa. Regardless of whether it's in the context of their light-hearted crime series or a solo novel, they always include important political, medical, cultural and socio-economic issues in their plots. This time the focus is on wildlife conservation, specifically the illegal trade of rhino horns.
Rhino Horn is used in traditional Chinese medicine, and having one is also considered a symbol of success and wealth in certain Asian cultures. In their country of origin the rhino are often dehorned to keep them safe and less valuable to poachers. These countries are sat on stockpiles of horns acquired through death by natural causes and by dehorning, and have created a monopoly in this dubious market.
There are five rhino species, three of those are found in Asia and two of them are already extinct. The majority of them are bred in national parks and only a small number remain in the wild. It is unfathomable that they are being killed for some mumbo jumbo witch doctor myths that suggest the horn has any medicinal value or magical powers.
Crystal finds herself in the middle of this dubious trade when she starts looking for Michael, who disappeared while looking into the poaching in South Africa. She is surprised by the level of violence and greed she encounters, and certainly doesn't expect to dig up more secrets than she is prepared for.
Stanley gives readers the harsh reality of the greed, brutality and war culture in South Africa. You get rid of one murderous bully boy and there is always one waiting to replace him. It's a fast-paced read with a lot of action, and it shines a light on the insidious world of poaching. A world where honour is defined by how long you can resist the pull of the dollar sign. Nothing is sacred and trust is overrated.
Buy Dead of Night at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Publisher: Orenda Books orendabooks.co.uk
Pub. date: 31 August 2018
Read Dying to Live by Michael Stanley
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