BOOK REVIEW A Carrion Death introducing detective Kubu by Michael Stanley
by Philip Scott
A Carrion Death is a book about a black detective (Kubu) set in Botswana. Now you may be forgiven for thinking it is another book in the #1 Ladies Detective Agency series, but it isnt. And if you havent read #1 Ladies Detective Agency I suggest you do so immediately, especially if your roots are anywhere near Botswana.
A Carrion Death however, is very different from what I expected. In the #1 Ladies Detective Agency I found myself reading with an accent, totally immersed in the character and the culture I remember so well. Its beauty lies in the simplicity of the life of the characters in the book as well as that of the cases taken on.
Kubu on the other hand tackles the more mainstream (one may suggest real) cases and falls more in line with normal crime novels, reminiscent of TV shows like CSI and NCIS. The characters are very interesting and well developed and the story stretches to all borders of Botswana, even venturing into the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
I enjoyed reading the book, but as an ex-pat South African having spent much of my time in Botswana I found references to the people and places a bit superficial. This is obviously purely because as an ex-pat I was looking for those little treats which never really eventuated.
The storyline was interesting and while at times a little predictable, there were enough twists to keep me reading despite an extremely busy schedule. I give it a 3 out of 5
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