THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU - Michael Stanley

FIRST LINE: "The farewells had been said many years ago, so Goodluck hugged his old comrade and left without a word."

Detective David "Kubu" Bengu is summoned to Jackalberry bush camp when a double murder occurs. One of the tourists was shoved off a cliff while another was mutilated in an almost ritualistic manner. The local police and camp owners theorize that Goodluck Tinubu was killed in a drug transaction gone bad. But as Kubu begins to investigate, drug dealing doesn't seem to fit with the character of the Zimbabwean teacher. The further Kubu investigates and the closer he comes to the truth, the closer danger comes to Kubu's own front door.

In the follow-up to A CARRION DEATH, the writing team of Michael Stanley bring Kubu back bigger and better than ever. This time Kubu heads to the northern area of Botswana. As with A CARRION DEATH, THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU has a complex, multi-layered plot that brings the lands, the people and the issues of Botswana alive. This plot, however, is more linear than A CARRION DEATH.

Kubu's full character keeps with the traits that made him so endearing in A CARRION DEATH. His love of family, food, and spirits, mixed with his humor and intelligence create a character readers can easily connect with. THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU taxes Kubu a little more than A CARRION DEATH, however, as he deals with the threats against his family, which adds a new dimension to his character. Even Kubu's parents play a slightly larger role in this novel, again reinforcing the importance of family to the detective.

I continue to look forward to my visits to Botswana with Kubu. They may be filled with murder but they mystery of the land and the convivial detective make it all worth the while.

I listened to THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU on audiobook, read by Simon Prebble. Prebble does an outstanding job with the good detective, bringing each character to life. In this novel, Prebble had to also incorporate an Australian accent, which he did seamlessly. I also thing Prebble does a commendable job switching between genders. What I, personally, had to be careful of was being lulled by Prebble's accent. I find it incredibly beautiful and am often carried away by the sound of the foreign dialect, forgetting that I'm supposed to be paying attention to the story. It is a wonderful recording and well worth listening to.

THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU is published by Harper in May of 2009 (ISBN: 978-0-06-125249-5). The audiobook version was published by Tantor Media (ISBN: 978-1-4001-4348-1)