A Deadly Covenant by Michael Stanley #Review #Giveaway #DetectiveKobu

 

Today I am happy to return to some african noir, to Michael Stanley's Detective Kubu series with A Deadly Covenant. You can read my reviews of more of this series: Dying to Live here Facets of Death here .

 
When a human skeleton is discovered at the site of a controversial new dam in remote northern Botswana, rookie Detective Kubu is drawn into a terrifying local feud, and discovers a deadly covenant that could change everything…

While building a pipeline near the Okavango Delta, a contractor unearths the remains of a long-dead Bushman. Rookie Detective David ‘Kubu’ Bengu of Botswana CID and Scottish pathologist, Ian MacGregor, are sent to investigate, and MacGregor discovers the skeletons of eight more men.

Shortly after the gruesome discoveries, the elder of a nearby village is murdered in his home. The local police are convinced it was a robbery, but Kubu isn’t so sure … and neither is the strange woman who claims that an angry river spirit caused the elder’s death.

As accusations of corruption are levelled and international outrage builds over the massacre of the Bushman families, Kubu and his colleagues uncover a deadly covenant, and begin to fear that their own lives may be in mortal danger…

 My Thoughts

In this piece of sunshine noir, Detective Kubu is a young man, keen to give everyone his full attention but rather shy and unsure in his personal life. You see him interact with different levels within the police force and with a wide range of characters. As Botswana shimmers in the heat, Kubu finds himself investigating a web of intrigue which spans the decades. Old traditions seem to have a bearing on current events. It is clear that there has been  a cover up concerning a massacre. How this impacts on the present day is slowly uncovered. 

    I particularly enjoyed the relationships which Kubu forms with   colleagues, especially Mabaku, who in some ways acts as a mentor for the young detective. You can tell that Kubu respects expertise and experience, but questions everything. Indeed , Kubu is not blind to subterfuge and is determined to find out the truth. The different strands of the story are skilfully woven and the final exposition is clear and satisfying. 

In short:  present day crime stands alongside superstition and tradition. 

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.

You can follow Michael Stanley here: Twitter  |  Website 

Book link: Amazon UK

Thanks to Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater at Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the blog tour.

Don't forget to follow the rest of the Blog Tour!

 

 

Giveaway (UK only)

To win a print copy of A Deadly Covenant, just Follow and Retweet the pinned Tweet at @bookslifethings and good luck!

 Closing Date is 7th December 2022 and there is one winner.

*Terms and Conditions –UK only.  The winner will be selected at random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.