Thursday 8 April 2021

#BlogTour Facets of Death by Michael Stanley


It's my turn on the BlogTour Facets of Death by Michael Stanley.

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. Stanley was an educational psychologist, specialising in the application of computers to teaching and learning, and is a pilot. Michael specialised in image processing and remote sensing and taught at the University of the Witwatersrand.

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 David ‘Kubu’ Bengu of the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department. It was a finalist for five awards, including the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger. 

The series has been critically acclaimed, and their third book, Death of the Mantis, won the Barry Award for Best Paperback Original mystery and was shortlisted for an Edgar award. Deadly Harvest was shortlisted for an International Thriller Writers award. They have also written a thriller, Dead of Night, following the investigative journalist, Crystal Nguyen, who gets caught up in the war against rhino poaching and rhino-horn smuggling.

Follow @detectivekubu and @Orendabooks on Twitter, Visit detectivekubu.com

About the book

A dark and sophisticated thriller set in the heart of Botswana, introducing Michael Stanley’s beloved Detective Kubu.

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 the thieves are found, executed, Kubu leaps at the chance to prove himself. First he must find the diamonds – and it seems that a witch doctor and his son have a part to play.

Does this young detective have the skill and integrity to engineer an international trap? Or could it cost him everything? 


Review

This is a prequel to the Kubu crime series. Kubu is tasked will solving a classic heist, a diamond heist no less. One set in Botswana in a diamond mine, which brings a certain level of political, corporate and economic problems with it. A minefield that Kubu is not willing or able to tiptoe through. 

I think it's a brilliant idea to give Kubu a prequel series. It really gives a lot of insight into the man and detective we have gotten to know in the Detective Kubu series. What becomes evident in this book is that the core of the man is that of resigned peace, he is astute and perceptive, and above all he tries to do what is right. It's certainly a trait he doesn't shake off as he gains more experience.

He has taken jibes and turned the tables on those who mock him. Where is the laugh when he himself parades the insult like a trophy for all to see. It takes the wind out of their sails, which is the sole purpose of his actions.

I kind of like this refreshing take on this series and hope there will be more. It's a bit like the Morse series going back to his early years with Endeavour - it's a completely different experience. It still has the same cultural relevance and gritty vibe. The same strong, vibrant characters and especially the determined Detective Kubu, and yet seeing it being built from the beginning allows readers to see everything from a different perspective. What's not to like?

Buy Facets of Death at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Orenda Books, pub date 29 April 2021 | Paperback Original | £8.99. Buy at Amazon com.

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