DEATH OF THE MANTIS - Michael Stanley

First line: "The desert glowed in the dawn light."

In the third installment of the Detective Kubu series, Assistant Superintendent David "Kubu" Bengu finds himself among the Bushman of the Kalahari. A ranger is found in a dry river bed with a massive skull injury. He's surrounded by three Bushman who are attempting to coax the ranger into drinking water. When the ranger dies on the way to the hospital and no evidence of any other humans can be found in the area, the three Bushman are arrested.

Meanwhile, in Gaborone, new father Kubu is unaware of the events. They come to his attention when his childhood friend Khumanego contacts him. The fact that Khumanego attended school with Kubu is a rarity. When Khumanego returned to the desert, he had difficulties fitting back in; ultimately he took a position advocating on behalf of the Bushman, so he is trying to save his fellow men from a crime he's certain they did not commit. But after Kubu works to free the Bushmen and similar crimes are committed, Kubu isn't so sure he agrees with Khumanego.

The Detective Kubu series has always been one in which the sense of place is as strong in illustrating who the characters are as the characters' actions. DEATH OF THE MANTIS is no exception. The relationship between the desert and its inhabitants is mysteriously beautiful even though it is also a volatile relationship. The life of the Bushman is a constant struggle; the Michael Stanley writing duo depict both the desert and the struggles in all their array of colors bringing the locales to life for all the readers who have never seen anything beyond a magazine photo.

DEATH OF THE MANTIS is also profoundly rich in relationships. The bond between Kubu and his wife, Joy, has consistently added depth to the series. In this book, however, that bond takes on a new dimension when their family dynamics change with the addition of the baby, Tumi.

And Kubu's relationships with his parents and friends have also added to the breadth of the novels. In DEATH OF THE MANTIS his friendship with Khumanego is challenged. Khumanego is the one who taught Kubu to see beyond the obvious; his affection is important to Kubu so damage of any kind to the friendship changes Kubu.

But probably the strongest influences on this Detective Kubu novel come from the relationships between the factions and the relationships between man (specifically the Bushman) and nature. The echos I heard as an American reader were those of the Native Americans, which lead me to believe this is a universal scenario. One that people around the world can relate to:

"We have to fight to keep the government from taking our culture, from making us empty of who we are. Making us nothing."

The power of these words resonate throughout DEATH OF THE MANTIS. The novel still includes humorous situations and exchanges like the two before it. The irony of Kubu's inability to see obvious things, like his wife's exhaustion from caring for their baby, when he never misses the concealed clues is always endearing. And the mystery is challenging and entertaining. But the DEATH OF THE MANTIS goes beyond the ordinary and presents questions of humanity, some of which have no easy answer.

DEATH OF THE MANTIS is an engaging, thrilling mystery with an exotic backdrop. It's not one readers will easily put down. But it also goes beyond; it's a challenging statement of politics and humanity, forcing readers to step out of what's comfortable and experience the extraordinary unknown.

DEATH OF THE MANTIS releases today from Harper Paperbacks as a Trade Paperback original (ISBN: 978-006200037). As an aside, the first two books of this series are available on audiobook, narrated by Simon Prebble. I haven't been able to find any information on whether DEATH OF THE MANTIS will be available on audio, but I highly recommend experiencing at least one of these books in audio to hear the sound of the language, most especially if you have had no experience with it before.

My review is part of the DEATH OF THE MANTIS blog tour with TLC Blog Tours. And I'm thrilled that I am able to kick off this tour. This has really been a series I've tried to be an evangelist for, so I'm happy to be able to sing the praises of Michael Stanley's work once again. At the TLC site, you can find links to additional reviews that will post through the next month.

And my final unrelated comment is to keep an eye on the blog after Bouchercon. I believe I'm going to be able to offer some lucky readers copies of the books in the Detective Kubu series, including DEATH OF THE MANTIS. Happy Reading!

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)

An Evening in Ann Arbor with Michael Stanley!

On Monday I drove up to Ann Arbor. No, OSU was not playing Michigan this week. Nope, something much better! Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip were visiting Aunt Agatha's Bookstore. I was absolutely thrilled that they were coming close enough for me to see them. As you know from my raving here on the blog and their interview, Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip make up the writing team of Michael Stanley. Together they created Detective Kubu in A CARRION DEATH. This year Kubu returns in THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU, and I simply couldn't pass up the chance to hang out with them for an evening.

So, on my drive to Michigan I have to say I saw some rather strange signs. First of course is the 70 mph speed limit sign. In Ohio we're still at 65. I'm no speed demon, so the Michigan folks were probably thinking "damn Ohio drivers!" Anyway, if I was a speed demon, I'd probably have missed the big billboard that said (honest to God) poopycredit.com. So, I, of course, had to look that one up. It's a car loan center. Their web address isn't actually poopycredit.com. That's a re-direct. But, I had to do a double take when I saw that. And finally, when I got into Ann Arbor I ran into the first and only mess of construction. With the construction was a road sign that was as big as I am and it said, "Injury/kill road worker $7500 fine and jail time." Well, I guess since I was considering doing just that, I'll reconsider now. "Here's your sign." But, you don't want to hear about signs! Unless of course it is this sign:

We need to talk about these fascinating writers from South Africa!

First I went to a local restaurant where a group of folks met and had dinner with Michael and Stanley. It was great fun to just chat over a nice meal. We talked about books and South Africa and the University of Illinois (where Stanley went to graduate school). We talked a little about Cleveland. Very laid back and just fun.

After dinner we walked back to the bookstore. It was an absolutely gorgeous evening and Ann Arbor was really rather quaint. (Can you tell it was my first visit?)

The first thing I have to mention, and I'm going to sound so American, but I could have sat and listened to these men talk all night. I absolutely love their dialects, and find it a very beautiful sound. All right, so that will be all my silliness for this post...

Stan began by pointing out that A CARRION DEATH was released last year on April 1st. They prayed that the date would not be "apocryphal." I think their prayers were answered in spades, but Michael and Stan were surprised by its success as well. They didn't really set out with great aspirations. They wrote A CARRION DEATH for fun and honestly thought it would just end up being self-published. But of course they are published by Harper Collins, and Stan said his English friends would say, "we are gobsmacked." I hope I spelled that right!

Michael took over to do a short intro on THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU which came out June 2nd of this year. The book is also known elsewhere in the world as A DEADLY TRADE. THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU takes place in a tourist camp in another setting, a completely different environment, of Botswana located along the Northern border. Michael pointed out that this area is a fantastic area for wildlife. It is also adjacent to several other countries and much illegal "activity" occurs in this vicinity. The back story of THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU deals with the trials and tribulations of Zimbabwe, and Kubu will have to travel into Zimbabwe in his research of the case.

Michael and Stan are hard at work now on book number three of the Kubu series (woo hoo!). A trio of nomadic Bushman find a game ranger who has been critically injured. The Bushmen get help, but the police arrest the Bushmen as suspects for the ranger's death. The book will go on to deal with the complex relationship between the Bushmen and the ambient culture. In Book 3, Kubu will visit Namibia.

After discussing the three books, Michael and Stan each entertained us with reading small segments from THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU. Michael chose to read the very beginning, the actual death of Goodluck Tinubu. And Stan read a rather humorous segment with Kubu's parents and their cell phone. I still very much enjoy hearing authors read from their own work, to hear the stresses and inflections and pronunciations. To hear the words the way they hear them when they write. It's kind of a look inside the mind of the authors. Very cool!

Following the reading the duo took questions from the audience. And as you would probably expect, the first question dealt with how they write together, especially with the not being in the same geographical location all the time. Michael and Stan do get together in the same room to plot out the book, draw mind maps and outlines. These planning pages often end up with red splotches from accidental wine spills! ;) For the actual writing stages, they decide who is going to take the first draft based on their backgrounds, interest or knowledge. When the first draft has been completed, the writer e-mails it off to the other who then reads it and comments - a lot. Michael explained that he felt it was a benefit to have this immediate, honest feedback in the writing process. After they've had a few iterations of commenting via e-mail and the sections they disagree on have been whittled down, they communicate via Skype to talk through the remaining sections. If they still can't come to a final agreement on a section, the original writer's version is kept and they "assume" that if it isn't good, the editor will do something about it. So through the back and forth process, while one of the writers starts the process, by the time it finishes, it truly is written by Michael Stanley. Stan believes that about 3/4 of the sentences in the books have words in them from both he and Michael. Now THAT'S collaboration! Another challenge for the writers was working on a second book that some people would be reading BEFORE the first and others would be reading AFTER the first. How do you balance how much background you put in so that both groups can experience the best possible reading experience? So the first time Kubu readers know enough but the veterans aren't bored because they already know the information. There is a delicate balance there.

The writers wrapped up the evening by signing books for everyone. What you might find interesting is HOW these two sign their books. They don't sign "Michael Sears" and "Stanley Trollip." Instead, Michael signs "Michael" and then Stanley tacks on "Stanley." Or vice versa. So the signature does indeed match the author name on the cover...it's just created by two people. What a unique duo. And I had to, of course, snap some photos to remember this grand event. This was truly a wonderful evening, and I'm so glad I made the trip. Meeting Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip will definitely be a highlight of my 2009!

Also a big congratulations to this wonderful writing team. Since Monday, they picked up yet another award nomination for A CARRION DEATH. Michael Stanley has been nominated for the Barry Award for Best First Novel.

You Have the Right to Six Words - Part IV

Well, it's that time of the week again. So glad you came back - or that you're visiting for the first time. We have some great memoirs again today. Monday I took a little road trip north to Ann Arbor, Michigan, so I could attend Michael Stanley's author event at Aunt Agatha's Bookstore. I'll be sharing details from that on Saturday. But in honor of that trip, I'm going to use the writing duo of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip as my two recap memoirs.

Both Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip are natives of Johannesburg, South Africa. For a time Michael lived in Australia, but eventually returned to South Africa. Stanley lived in Johannesburg until he came to the United States to pursue his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois. He now splits time between Minnesota and South Africa. Michael and Stanley have enjoyed many adventures in the wilds of Africa, which they use as the backdrop to their Detective Kubu novels. Neither man had aspirations of writing fiction but after retiring from their positions as professors, they decided to tell a story for fun. That story turned into an amazingly popular debut novel entitled A CARRION DEATH in 2008. As a follow-up to the success of their first novel, THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU was released earlier this month. Now, while I think some talent has to be involved in all of this success, Stanley Trollip says:

I have been lucky, lucky, lucky.

On the other hand, Michael Sears is a little more literal. His memoir:

What have we here? Carrion Death...

So, we'll travel back to the United States to see our first new memoirist for this week. Chester Campbell served in the Air National Guard before starting his extensive writing career. After his military service he worked for a newspaper, which led to freelance writing, which led to speech writing, and then to magazine editing. But that wasn't the end. Chester also wrote for an advertising company. It wasn't until after retiring, like the Michael Stanley duo, that Chester began the novel-writing leg of his career. In 2002 Chester wrote the first of his Greg McKenzie novels, SECRET OF THE SCROLL. Three books followed in this series: DESIGNED TO KILL, DEADLY ILLUSIONS and THE MARATHON MURDERS. This year, Chester published THE SUREST POISON, which introduces his new protagonist, private investigator Sid Chance. Chester Campbell's memoir almost goes without saying:

Took the plunge; never looked back.

And last, but far from least this week I have the great honor to share Laura Lippman's memoir with you. Laura is, of course, the author of the Tess Monaghan series. Laura has also written several stand alone novels, many short stories, even a serial published in the New York Times. There aren't very many awards that Laura hasn't won with her fiction writing. She is the recipient of the Edgar, Shamus, Agatha, Anthony, and Barry awards, among others. Laura also started out in journalism. She studied journalism at Northwestern University and worked for several newspapers, including the Waco Tribune Herald, the San Antonio Light and the Baltimore Sun. Laura made a bit of a circle in life. She grew up in Baltimore, graduated high school in Columbia, Maryland, then college in Chicago, worked in Texas, and finally made her way back to Baltimore. So, it would make perfect sense for her memoir to be:

Baltimore, away.
Now back to stay.

You don't truly realize how many amazing writers are members of the crime fiction community until you start a project like this. Four weeks and we've had an incredible array of writers already. And yet, I've barely begun to scratch the surface. I hope you'll be back again next week to see who turns up to share their memoirs!

Happy Reading!

Thursday's This and That

Wow! It's been a bit of a whirlwind week. I'm not even exactly sure how it got to be Thursday already. I guess time is distorted when one is up on Cloud 9!

Monday's author event with Craig Johnson was absolutely amazing! So, it definitely warrants it own post. That will be Saturday, so I hope you'll check back to hear about my visit to Mystery Lovers Bookshop hosting Craig. In the meantime, I would like to leave you with a few links that you can enjoy about Craig. I turned a colleague on to Craig's work and we've been talking about him a lot at work, so I shared the NY Times article with my colleague and he dug up this site that shows the original "kit" Craig bought to start his house - he built his home in Wyoming if you did not already know.

Someone asked Craig Monday if Walt Longmire looks like him. I said I wasn't sure if Walt looked like Craig but "he definitely sounds like George Guidall." George Guidall is to Walt Longmire what Mark Hammer is/was to Dave Robicheaux. In my humble opinion of course. But you can check out what Craig things about his books on audio here at this site.

And I would totally LOVE it if Penguin would make one of these for me with a Walt Longmire title! Actually, could I get a set? If anyone's looking for a gift for me...;)

So tonight I'll be thinking about my other favorite bookstore in the entire world, the Mystery Bookstore in LA. The super, wonderful folks on the Pacific Coast will be hosting Craig tonight. Lucky folks!

We had a pretty hefty line-up this week for the six-word memoirs. I don't know...maybe I shouldn't have stacked so many great authors in the first three weeks. Keepin' up this pace is gonna be a challenge. But, I'm up for it. Hope you'll keep checking back.

However, I do need to get caught up on reviews. Hopefully you'll get one or six of those in the very near future. June is just crazy on this blog! Isn't it? Well, crazy doesn't even begin to describe this blog post from the L.A. Times. They have a list of 60 new books to read this summer - have you seen this? THIS SUMMER? Now that's a lot of reading. Michael Connelly's SCARECROW made the list, and so did THE SILENT HOUR. THE ANGEL'S GAME is one I have and am hoping to get to. Donald Westlake's final Dortmunder made their list, as did Pat Conroy's SOUTH OF BROAD. If I was making the list these would all be there but so would THE DARK HORSE (Craig Johnson), THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU (Michael Stanley), TRUST NO ONE (Gregg Hurwitz), MIND SCRAMBLER (Chris Grabenstein), and BREATHING WATER (Timothy Hallinan). But the most blatantly missing title? RAIN GODS? Really? It didn't make their list? Guess that's why no one asks ME to make those lists, huh?

O.k., so I don't want to forget to congratulate Lori from Kansas who won the signed copy of Lisa Unger's DIE FOR YOU. I will be getting that in the mail to Lori this week. Thanks to everyone who entered the contest. And stay tuned. I have some more contests planned for this month!

I don't think I've mentioned here yet that I've been reading the May/June 2009 CRIMESPREE Magazine. Do you have a copy of this? There are some fabulous articles in this magazine! If you don't have a copy; you need to get one!

I still have to wrap up the read-a-thon. There was a final meme that I was supposed to answer and just simply didn't get to it because of my trip to PA on Monday. I had a wonderful time on Sunday reading, though. As you know if you followed my posts then I finished up BREATHING WATER, which I will be reviewing for you later this summer. I also finished THE WAY HOME, George Pelecanos' most recent novel. That review will be forthcoming. It was a beautiful day and I spent most of it on my front porch swing or the lawn chair in the back yard - so the dogs could be outside, too. It was a great time, but if I do something like that again, I need to make sure I don't have a day trip planned the NEXT day, too. Too crazy!

I hope you will check back tomorrow. As I mentioned on Tuesday, I'll be hosting an interview with the author of THE SECRET KEEPER, Paul Harris. I have a feeling we'll be hearing a lot more from Mr. Harris down the road!

Until then...Happy Reading!

***Update 6:36 EST - I have fixed my major, major botch, but if you happen to be coming back to this post, Gregg Hurwitz's book is called TRUST NO ONE. It's due out later this month. TELL NO ONE is the first stand alone that Harlan Coben wrote and that I recently finished listening to on audio book. My sincerest apologies to both authors. Too bad spell check can't catch idiot mistakes!

Thursday's This and That

Wow! June is off to an amazing start, huh? Another backlist title that I want to go snatch up! Again, many thanks to Corey for his contribution on the Monday Mystery Backlist title.

A guest post from Lisa Unger. Have you entered to win the signed copy of her newest book, DIE FOR YOU? Make sure you do that. You can find the details here.

Then we had the second week of six-word memoirs. They are just so much fun. I look forward to hearing what each author is going to say. Hope you do, too.

There's still a ton more excitement to come this month. My blog calendar simply looks wild for June, I'm tellin' ya. So make sure you check back regularly.

Other things to tell you about. You know that I'm going to participate in this Mystery Reading Marathon this Sunday. Looking forward to a full day of reading mystery! I'll be posting some blogs and Tweets about my progress that day, too, so check in with me. Still haven't quite decided what I'm going to be reading, but I have it narrowed down to a couple choices. We'll see. The weather looks like it's going to be agreeable that day as well. I'm hoping I can spend the better part of my 12 hours on the front porch swing with my book!

Then on Monday, I'm headed over to PA to visit the Mystery Lovers Bookshop and see the amazing Craig Johnson. Absolutely can't wait for that!

I don't really tend to join reading challenges, mostly because I just don't end up following through on them. But this one I thought was a fantastic idea. It's about recommending and receiving recommendations. I have to get back over and read some of the other participants' bios so I can make some recommendations. And hopefully, I'll get a great recommendation as well. Maybe more than one. Check it out if you're interested!

Some excellent books have been released recently that I think we need to acknowledge. First ANGEL'S TIP (Alafair Burke) was released in paperback. So, if you've been thinking you want to check it out because I raved so much about it (and it was in my top reads of 2008), now's a great time because it's at a great price! PLUS, the next Elllie Hatcher will be out around February, so you can get caught up before 212 comes out. Also, you know that Lisa Unger's DIE FOR YOU was released on Tuesday. Also released on Tuesday, the book I've been yammering about for several months, THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU (Michael Stanley). I haven't picked up mine yet because on the 15th I'm headed up to MI to Aunt Agatha's bookstore to see the awesome due of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip. I'll be buying my copy then! I told you June was just a crazy awesome month!

And I'll leave you with this link to the trailer for the book I'm devouring right now, BREATHING WATER by Timothy Hallinan. I use to listen to a radio show that Shadoe Stevens did. So nice to hear his voice again.

Have a GREAT Thursday and happy reading!

Monday Mystery Backlist - CLOSE CASE

Well, I made it to two consecutive weeks! We're on a roll with this backlist post! Last week I started out with a male crime fiction writer. So, this week, we're going to give the female writers some face time.

This week's backlist title is CLOSE CASE by Alafair Burke. CLOSE CASE is the third book in Burke's Samantha Kincaid series. Samantha is a Deputy District Attorney in Portland, Oregon. And when she begins to investigate the murder of a star reporter she finds that it may have connections to a police shooting from the previous week. The police shooting caused a huge community stir - an unarmed mother was shot and killed - and at first the reporter's shooting appears to be committed by two individuals who were reacting to that stir. But as it turns out, it simply can't be that straightforward. Samantha's investigating doesn't make her the most popular gal with the police department when she begins to find connections between the city's drug trade and the police precinct, which is a double whammy considering that's exactly where her boyfriend Chuck works. Suspense, politics, controversy. Burke doing what she does best.

CLOSE CASE was published in hardcover by Henry Holt in 2005 and by St. Martin's Paperbacks in 2006.



**a couple of reminders to start out the week. First: don't forget to register for your chance to win a copy of Michael Stanley's A CARRION DEATH. That contest runs through Sunday, so make sure you get your entry in. Details can be found here.

And for those of you in the Cleveland area, Rosemary Harris is at Barnes and Noble at Westlake's Crocker Park TONIGHT at 7p.m. Hope you'll join us and welcome Rosemary! Hope to see you there.

Not an Interview - An Adventure!

Last year, along with many other people, I was introduced to Detective David “Kubu” Bengu. In A CARRION DEATH, Stanley Trollip and Michael Sears took me on an amazing adventure into the depths of Botswana with the convivial and brilliant Kubu. Subsequently, A CARRION DEATH made my list of top reads in 2008. This year Kubu returns in THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU, and I am just walking on Cloud Nine because Stanley and Michael took some time out to chat with me! I won't bog you down with all the details about how incredible this is to me or how utterly fascinating I found them to be because I know you want to hear from them as much as I do. Not to mention, you know I was very nosey - this interview is going to take time! So let me stop wasting time and introduce my special guests for today; HOLY COW can you believe it's Stanley Trollip and Michael Sears?!?

Q: Since you aren’t both necessarily in the same geographical location all the time, do you save the writing for when you are together or do you create “long distance”? Can you talk a little about your collaborative writing process? How do you end up blending each of your unique styles?

Michael Stanley: There are several benefits to working together in the same room, car, or tent. We are always having fun, no matter how serious the work at hand. Generally it’s plotting that we do together and writing that takes place long distance. We try to have a good idea of how the plot works and how the threads will develop and eventually be resolved. Then both of us will write, choosing different chapters or parts of chapters. Sometimes we do this on the basis of expertise, for example, Michael for mining, Stan for flying. After we’ve written a draft we swap efforts and await the extensive feedback that inevitably ensues. Since we are often in different time zones, the other’s reply is often awaiting as we wake up, which is very exciting. We then get online via Skype or something similar and talk through the areas of disagreement. It usually ends up that every sentence has some part of both of us. We are very careful about descriptions and wording; it’s important to us that Botswana itself comes alive for the readers as well as the characters.

Q: Kubu was not the original protagonist when you first started work on A Carrion Death. Your focus was going to be on the professor, Bongani Sibisi. Was there something specific that caused you to change your focus to Kubu?

Michael Stanley: We realized that in the African context, the police would be the ones who got to the heart of the matter rather than an outsider, no matter how bright. So one morning Assistant Superintendent David Bengu clambered into his Land Rover and set off to solve the murder, collecting his nickname along the way. He pretty much took over after that, and we didn’t have a lot of say in the matter!

Q: Kubu is quite a complex character. A good family man, enjoys good food, wine and music, especially food. A very intelligent and observant man. How did Kubu develop? Is there any person or persons that you “borrowed” characteristics from to create Kubu? And how did you decide on a hippopotamus for Kubu’s nickname instead of say, an elephant or some other large creature?

Michael Stanley: It’s very difficult to answer that. There are many people we know or have read about who have lent features of themselves to Kubu. He’s not based on any one person. His different facets developed during the story. He seemed to require them. As for his nickname, as we said he had it by the time he was a few pages old. Certainly we could have used other names, but Hippo seemed right and Kubu is easy for people to say and remember. Elephant would have been Tiou and Rhino Tshukudu. The case rests… But actually we didn’t consider any other names for him. Kubu immediately seemed to fit.

Q: One of the many amazing elements of A Carrion Death for me as a reader is the setting. Do you find that creating the setting comes naturally in your writing process? Or do you end up fine tuning it a lot before publication?

Michael Stanley: When we travel on research trips to Botswana, our friends think we are just going game watching, but the reality is that we work very hard while we are away. Not only do we spend time ensuring that our settings are accurate, but we find that being in the actual setting energizes us. So we usually get a lot of writing done too. Of course, the fact that we have to write knowledgeably about the wine Kubu drinks may also contribute to the productivity and enjoyment! I think both of us “feel” Botswana, have a sense of it in our blood, and hopefully that shows in the books.

Q: You’ve talked about the fact that you were fortunate to spend a full afternoon with the director of the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department (CID), but how about the native culture that is reflected in A Carrion Death? What was involved in your research for things like the witchdoctor who revealed the finger?

Michael Stanley: The witchdoctor is something of an enigma, even to us. He is there to parallel the story with Bongani, and to provide a source of tension. Witchdoctors are deeply set in African cultures, and it is sometimes difficult for Western readers to appreciate what an important and pervasive role witchdoctors play in countries like Botswana. An anthropologist told us he found the scenes convincing; he just didn’t like the term witchdoctor itself preferring the term sangoma.

Q: Kubu’s second novel, THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU will be out here in the United States June 2nd and Kubu finds himself in a very different part of Botswana. What prompted the change for this novel? And as a writing team, how do you go about deciding what your backdrop will be for each novel?

Michael Stanley: Actually, when you read the book you will discover that the setting is determined by the plot, and the plot is to some extent determined by the setting. Beyond that we wanted to show a completely different aspect of Botswana – a world of water and riverine forest teeming with animals and birds – in contrast to the arid regions of the south. The third book is back in the dry country, but also in a quite different region, around the Transfrontier park with South Africa.

Q: Now you are starting work on Kubu novel number three. Any little teasing tidbits you can share?

Michael Stanley: Hmmm. Just did that! As far as the plot is concerned, we try to bring some deeper aspect of the African scene into our stories. In A Carrion Death it was diamonds; in The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu it is Zimbabwe; in the third book we will explore the clash between diverse cultures, specifically looking at how Bushmen or Basarwa fit into a rapidly developing country. If you want to depict Botswana accurately you can’t ignore issues like that. But we do not want our books to act as a soapbox from which we preach, but rather be a medium for raising complex issues seen from different local perspectives.

Q: Did either of you have early ambitions to write fiction, specifically crime fiction?

Michael had a go at writing Science Fiction stories as a student. Fortunately none of them were ever published!

Stanley only wrote non-fiction.

Q: Who, if anyone, would you say influenced your writing styles? And what about their writing drew you in?

Michael is a great fan of John Le Carre. He is a great weaver of stories and characters and a very skilled craftsman. Read his books several times if you want to understand how he does it. (Unfortunately that doesn’t necessarily mean you can do it yourself!).
Stanley is a fan of P D James and Fred Vargas in the mystery genre and Sebastian Faulks for historical novels.

Q: Are you reading anything now that you would recommend to your readers who enjoy Kubu?

Michael is reading one of Deon Meyer’s books – Blood Safari. It’s excellent! And don’t miss his other books, especially Devil’s Peak.

Stanley is reading Fred Vargas’ The Chalk Circle Man and Jason Goodwin’s The Janissary Tree.

Q: Stanley, you were involved in the anti-apartheid movement in Johannesburg. Can you share a little about your experiences with that movement? Will any of those experiences make their way into a novel?

Stanley: When I was a student in the ‘60s, the apartheid government was cracking down more and more on human rights, as well as creating a country that had a moral basis that was total anathema to how I was raised. As white students, mainly English speaking, became more vocal in their opposition, the government decided to put an end to such dissention. It started arresting students, detaining them without trial, placing them under house arrest, all to support a philosophy of inequality and inequity. I was just one of many students who participated in the protests. I also edited a student newspaper that opposed apartheid.

Q: Stanley, you were born and raised in Johannesburg, but then you came to the United States to work on your PhD. Had you been in the States before that time? Did it take a lot of adjusting or did the change come fairly easy?

Stanley: When I arrived in the States in December 1970, that was my first trip outside South Africa, other than to visit neighboring Swaziland. The greatest shock was the temperature! When I left Rio de Janeiro for New York, the temperature was around 100 degrees. When I arrived it was about 10 degrees, with snow and wind.

The second shock followed almost immediately. I hailed a cab and waited for him to put my luggage in the trunk of his car. I soon learned that was a service not offered by NY cabbies on a cold day.

I always found the people in the States very kind and friendly, although sometimes difficult to get really close to. The US has been very generous to me and countless others, for which I am very thankful indeed. In general I don’t remember anything too difficult, other than some language and pronunciation differences.

Q: And Stanley, you do a lot with flying. You are a pilot yourself, you instruct others in safety. In your safety classes do you talk at all about what to do when your navigation maps end up spread all over the desert? In all seriousness, I’m intrigued by the fact that you’re learning to paraglide. What prompted your interest in this pastime?

Stanley: I took up paragliding because it looked so serene to be gliding in the updrafts with the birds, no engine to disturb the peace. It was everything I hoped for. It is still amazing to me that one can spend several hours aloft with no help from anything other than nature. I recommend it highly.

Q: Michael, you worked at Anglo American and your experiences played into the plot of A Carrion Death. Was there a situation you encountered or that happened while you were with the Anglo American where diamonds were being smuggled and certificates were not legit? Is this a rampant problem in Botswana?

Michael: NO! Botswana is one of the most tightly controlled and managed diamond exporting countries the world. And yet there are always loopholes. The diamond laundering idea seemed original when we wrote it, but subsequently it has been proposed as the reason for a sudden spate of high quality diamonds at a marginal mine in another southern African country. And one of the mine’s owners was murdered assassination-style! There is a rumor that police seek a red-bearded man with a Portuguese accent…

Q: [uh huh! chuckle, chuckle] And Michael, you were involved with radio tracking hunting lions! Wow! Can you tell us a little about that? Were you the one who had to get the tracking devices on the lions? Why were you tracking the lions?

Michael: It was a research project on lion behavior. I was one of the tame applied mathematicians on the project. Part of the research was concerned with lion population dynamics. Controlling that by trying to remove predators from one area is like trying to empty one part of a bowl of soup. Lions without territory just move in to fill the gap. We were darting, checking and then releasing the lions.

The only time I was ever scared was when my professor, of a rather nervous disposition, was given the rifle to hold because all the biologists were busy with the sedated lions!

Q: Michael, you said you were involved in a system model for the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park. What is a system model? Can you explain that experience a little for us?

Michael: A system model is where you try to create a mathematical description of what happens in an ecology – vegetation, animals, rainfall, everything – and use it to develop a computer simulation. There was a time when we thought it would be possible to understand ecological systems that way. Most of the researchers involved are older and wiser now; a few are just older.

Q: It sounds like you’ve had some pretty exciting experiences on your safaris. Being rushed by an elephant? What exactly is the protocol for such an event?

Michael Stanley: One doesn’t usually have time to think about protocol! Having 5 tons of flesh coming at you, ears flapping, trumpeting loudly, instantly invokes the instinct to flee. In our case we were so scared that jumping into the mighty Zambezi, hippos and crocs and all, seemed a reasonable alternative. Fortunately a game ranger who was with us jumped in front of the elephant, waved his arms and shouted back. The elephant skidded (literally) to a halt, looked quizzically at the ranger, turned and wandered off quite happily.

“How did you know it would stop?” we gasped.
“Young bull elephants usually make a mock charge,” he replied. “They’re just showing off or strutting their stuff!”

Since then we have often discussed the potential flaw in the ranger’s explanation – the word “usually!”

Q: And my final question is one I ask everyone. There is a book out called Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure. What would be each of YOUR six-word memoirs?

Michael: What have we here? Carrion Death…
Stanley: I have been lucky, lucky, lucky.

Ah, Stan, it is I who feel lucky, lucky, lucky today. So many thanks for this wonderful interview! If anyone needs me today, remember you can find me on Cloud 9; I may be there for the rest of the weekend, actually!

If you haven't read A CARRION DEATH, you have a couple weeks to do that before the release of THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU, and guess what? The fine folks at Harper are going to help me help one lucky reader out with that task! I have a beautiful, brand spankin' new copy of A CARRION DEATH that has just come out in trade paperback. So, if you'd like to be included in the drawing for this amazing book - which, by the way, is presently a finalist for the Macavity award for Best First Novel - you'll need to send me an e-mail (forbyone [at] yahoo [dot] com) with "KUBU" in the subject line and your snail mail address in the body of the e-mail. I'll take entries through May 24th. I'll pick the winner on Memorial Day! You can earn two additional entries if you either tweet about this giveaway (be sure to include @jenforbus and a link here in your tweet) or send an e-mail to at least five friends about the giveaway and cc: me on it.

In the meantime, you can find all sorts of fun information on the Detective Kubu website. And remember, June 2nd for THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU!

A Couple Odds and Ends

I want to write a quick post to share a few tidbits with you, but then I have to skedaddle and get some research done for an interview.

First, I wanted to give you this link. I've signed up to do a 12-hour mystery reading marathon. If you're interested, you can go here to sign up as well. I'm hoping the day is nice and then I'll read outside. But, if not, reading inside is fine too. Having a reason to dedicate 12 hours to reading is a good thing regardless of the weather. I'm going to neglect all house work, all yard work, all requests to go out, everything. I shouldn't have any trouble finding great material to fill my 12 hours either! I'll blog and Twitter throughout that day to let you know about my progress. And if you're participating, leave some comments here while you read to let us all know about YOUR progress!

Next up, if you haven't been over to St. Martin's Moments in Crime blog this week, GET THE LEAD OUT!!! Ken Bruen is blogging this week and I'm crazy about this guy. He ROCKS! I don't care if I have to turn into stalker-woman, I'm meeting him at Bouchercon!! ;)

Monday I posted the very first Monday Mystery Backlist column. I'm going to make it a regular column/post/whatever you want to call it. But, I want there to be a lot of diversity to it, not just the kind of mystery I like. So, I'm asking other mystery lovers, whether they be readers, writers, book sellers, who ever, to submit for this column. So if you have a mystery book that was published at least one year ago that you'd like to see on the Monday Mystery Backlist post, write up a summary of the book (no spoilers please), include the publication information, e-mail it to me and I'll work it into the schedule. You'll, obviously get the credit for the post. The only stipulation is that if you're an author, it can't be your own book. It has to be something you've read by someone else that you don't want folks to forget about. I'll definitely be knocking on some virtual doors to solicit submissions, so if you don't volunteer, don't be surprised when I come calling! ;)

And finally my biggest news of the day...big, big, big!!! Tomorrow there's a new interview. Are you ready for this? OH MY LANDS!!! The writing team of Michael Stanley will be here!!!! Can you believe it? It's so awesome. I can't wait for you to meet these two creators of Detective Kubu. AND, it gets better. What, you say, could possibly make it any better? WELL! Harper so kindly donated a brand new trade paper copy of A CARRION DEATH for me to give away to a lucky reader! Is this cause for celebration or what? I really hope that you'll stop back by tomorrow and say "hi," enter the contest and then tell your friends!

In the mean time, let me get back to work so I can continue to bring you fun interviews! See ya tomorrow...don't forget!

Voting for the Minnesota Book Awards

A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley is a nominee for the Minnesota Book Awards in the Genre Fiction category. If you are as big a fan of Kubu as I am, head over to this link:

http://www.twincities.com/bookawards/ci_11725564

and give Kubu your vote! Votes are accepted anytime through April 10, 2009! Go Kubu!! Oh, and watch this space for updates on the Hippo and his creators Michael Stanley!

Michael Stanley Pays Tribute to Poe

So, I was tickled to find out today that the Baltimore Sun would like to print a comment I left on their Read Street blog in the paper on Sunday. They asked folks to comment on what Barack Obama's inauguration means to them. They made a note that they were looking to publish some of the comments, but I wasn't really expecting for that to happen, I simply wanted to leave my thoughts on the subject since it is important to me. Then when Dave Rosenthal contacted me today, I was taken aback. I think more than anything I am elated that my thoughts on this monumental event will be recorded somewhere in history.

AND THEN, I made another Twitter botch - I tweeted, "I'm ticked that the Baltimore Sun wants to print my comments about our new president." Yeah! Way to go, Jen! Amazing how much a simple typo like that can change the whole meaning of a statement, huh? So, I corrected myself. I'm tickled...tickled...tickled. Thank you Read Street and the Baltimore Sun!

I also have to share with you that Read Street is recognizing Poe's birthday this week. And in recognition they have several people guest blogging, including Michael Sears and Stan Trollip - you know the writing team of Michael Stanley (too cool). You can go here to check it out. I'm giving you the main link because there are several guest bloggers you can check out, but also sandwiched in between is a post on the Inauguration Poem. Their post is much kinder than mine, so I wanted to provide you with that viewpoint as well. Just because I didn't care for it doesn't mean that everyone didn't or that there's anything wrong with the poem. It just didn't strike that "right chord" with me. They also brought up a point that I wondered about personally. They mentioned that she had the toughest time slot...right behind Obama's speech. Would I maybe have liked the poem more had it not followed the emotional, dramatic, powerful speech of my new president? I'll have to go back and check the poem out again later. Maybe my view of it will be different if I read it and it isn't following such a magnificent speech.

I'll leave you tonight with this link. It is a book trailer for a children's book called Change Has Come. It looks like it is a beautiful book; I just wonder why they didn't wait until after the inauguration to put it together. Regardless, enjoy!

Blogiversary Winners!

I'm very excited to announce the three winners for the blogiversary book giveaways.

The copy of A Carrion Death will go to Steve Weems from Arkansas.

The first copy of Tilt-A-Whirl will go to Peter Guzzo from Ohio.

And the lucky winner of the signed copy of Tilt-A-Whirl goes to Deidre Durance from Georgia.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by and entered. Congrats to all the winners!! Here's to another fun year of books. Thank you for sharing books with me!!

Giveaways to Celebrate a Blogiversary!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday dear Jen's Book Thoughts

Happy Birthday to you!

Yes, it's been exactly one year today since all the fun started! Now, many books and almost 5,000 hits later, here we are! So, let's celebrate. Only with this celebration, we're giving gifts to YOU!

I have a hardcover copy of Chris Grabenstein's Tilt-A-Whirl and a hardcover copy of Michael Stanley's A Carrion Death to give away. Both of these books were in my favorite reads list for 2008, and I'd like to share them with you in celebration of this blogiversary.

Both books are the series debuts. Tilt-A-Whirl is the first book of the John Ceepak series (my review). Book number five, Mind Scrambler, is going to be released this June. A Carrion Death is the first book in the Kubu Bengu series (my review). Book number two, The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu, will also be released this June (in the U.S.).

So, what do you do if you'd like to win one of these books? Well you get your name put in the drawing, that's how. If you are interested in Tilt-A-Whirl, send me an e-mail here, with "Tilt-A-Whirl" in the subject line. Include your snail mail address in the e-mail (sorry, but only U.S. addresses will be eligible for the drawings). If you are interested in A Carrion Death, use the same e-mail address and put "A Carrion Death" in the subject line. If the e-mail link doesn't work, you can type it in with forbyone (at) yahoo (dot) com. You may enter both contests by sending two e-mails, but you will only be eligible to win one of the books.

If you would like to earn yourself an additional entry, you can post about this giveaway on your own blog and let me know. OR if you don't have a blog, you can send an e-mail to five or more friends telling them about the giveaway (make sure you cc: me on the e-mail).

I will take entries through January 19th and then announce the winners on January 20th.

This is my thanks to you for helping to make my blog such fun for me. I love your e-mails and comments - keep them coming. I look forward to breaking some new ground with you all in year two!

Happy Reading!

Thursday's This and That

This is almost becoming a regular thing..."Thursday's This and That." But I have a few fun things to share with you. The first comes from a newsletter I received this morning from Michael Stanley. June 2nd will unveil the new Kubu novel here in the United States. This book will be called THE SECOND DEATH OF GOODLUCK TINUBU. Definitely looking forward to that release. There will be some more fun news about Kubu here on my blogiversary, so make sure you check back on Monday!

I read a daily e-mail called Shelf Awareness, and I discovered this blog through that. I found Tom Campbell's commentary pretty interesting. It was in response to this article from the New York Times. I have to agree with Tom on the end of selling books. It really isn't worth the trouble for me to try to sell books I don't want anymore online. I usually either give them away, take them to a used bookstore or sell them in a garage sale. Tom's post about people lying about what they read is pretty good as well. Can't say as I've lied about what I've read lately, though.

I'm checking fairly regularly over at the L.A. Times site. They are supposed to post the authors attending this year's book festival this month. Hopefully it will be soon. I can't wait to see.

And finally, a great post by Lesa about the importance of libraries in this economy. It's a great post for all non-librarians.

Have a wonderful Friday and happy reading!!

My Top 10 - Well Sort Of...

O.k., I've finished all the books I'm going to fit into 2008, so I'm at the point where I can establish my Top 10 List, er Top 11 List. It was hard, very hard. 2008 was a GREAT reading year for me. I ended up with fantastic recommendations from visitors here, other bloggers, authors, DorothyL. I managed to read or listen on audio book to 110 books by 78 different authors. I narrowed down 110 to a list of 20 that contended for these spots. I decided to help make my list easier to establish, it would be my top 10 CRIME FICTION books, so that eliminated The Book Thief and The Great Santini since they don't fit in the genre. Now I'm down to 18 and I loved them all. They all deserve accolades. And, truth be told, I couldn't actually get down to 10 books. So, I'm going to cheat a little bit. First, I threw in the towel at 11. I simply refuse to cut any more. And with two authors I read more than one book from the series and LOVED each of them. So, I'm grouping those. I know, I know...but since it's my list I can do it. Let's get to this list then:

11. The Crime Writer - Gregg Hurwitz. I'm wondering if this would have been higher on the list if I'd read it later in the year. However, I still can recall the thrill I got from reading it. I haven't connected as well with the other book I've been working on by him, but Crime Writer was a book that got your heart pumping!

10. Brother - James Fredericks. This was Fredericks' debut novel and I think there's going to be more really great stuff coming from him. Another heart-pounding action-packed book with great characters.

9. Angel's Tip - Alafair Burke. I'm slowly discovering more and more female crime fiction novelists that I enjoy, but Alafair is the only one who made the list this year. Ariana Franklin had two in the top 20, but Angel's Tip made the top 10. Ellie Hatcher is definitely one of my favorites and this book is so in tune with current events - "Ripped from the Headlines" dun! dun!


8. The Fourth Watcher - Timothy Hallinan. Since I am such a fan of character, I can't help but have The Fourth Watcher on this list. Tim is one of the masters when it comes to developing character. He makes use of every interaction, every conversation, just every opportunity. The richness of his characters make you want to just step into the book and join them...despite the chase that's going on!


7. One Drop of Blood and K.I.A. - Thomas Holland. I fell in love with Kel McKelvey from the first page of One Drop of Blood. And all the way to the end of the year, K.I.A. still is the book with my favorite ending. I adore Tom Holland's humor and the local color. The authenticity of the forensics mixed with the humanity of the characters is top-notch. I'm definitely ready for more Kel!


6. Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane. I don't know if much more needs to be said! ;) Dennis is just a genius in this genre. This psychological thriller had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, and it did not take me long to get through this book.

5. A Carrion Death - Michael Stanley. What a debut by this writing team! The setting, the characters, the complex plot. It is an all-around unique, gripping, challenging read.


4. Chasing Darkness - Robert Crais. Elvis rules. Enough said!


3. Envy the Night - Michael Koryta. He continues to improve with each publication, even though Tonight, I Said Goodbye was outstanding. I don't know where he's going to go to top himself now, but I'm not making any bets against him. Michael's characters are so real, the plots are multi-layered and his wit just tops it all off.


2. The Cold Dish - Craig Johnson. Of my 11 authors on this list, 7 were new to me this year. Craig was one of the new ones. And boy am I glad I discovered his work. Walt, Vic, Henry, and Lucien light up the book. Their depth and dimension jut out from the pages hung against a magnificent setting. This book is poetry in action.

1. Tilt-A-Whirl, Mad Mouse, Whack-A-Mole, and Mind Scrambler - Chris Grabenstein. Chris's John Ceepak series was the only series this year that had me reading one book right after the other. I simply did not want to leave the world of John Ceepak and Danny Boyle. The only book I didn't read in 2008 is Hell Hole, the one that was published in 2008 - however! I have it and I will be getting to it soon. I discovered so many great authors and books this year, but the John Ceepak series (in a very tight race with Walt Longmire) is my find of the year. I have truly LOVED reading these books. The experience I have while in the land of Sea Haven - or where ever the duo may be - is what reading is all about for me. These characters, much like Elvis and Joe or Lincoln Perry, knock around inside my head for a long time after I finish reading a book - they become a part of me. And for me, that's the sign of a masterpiece!

I hope your 2008 was as good a reading year as mine was. Here is a blog where some authors, including RC are talking about their top 3 books read this year. Three? Oh, no way could I have just picked three!

I'll be back later this week with my reviews for my last two books of '08 and some thoughts for '09. If I don't see ya before, have a very Happy New Year!

Happy Reading!

Some Tidbits on A CARRION DEATH

I wanted to share this link with you. The Baltimore Sun has a blog called Read Street, and they are blogging about Bouchercon right now. Since I can't attend myself, this is the next best thing.

Today there was a post written by Stanley Trollip, one of the Michael Stanley writing team. I thought it was quite interesting, especially since I liked A Carrion Death so well. I learned that the writers didn't originally intend for Kubu to be the focal character. Funny how books and characters take on lives of their own in the writing process, isn't it?

Anyway, I believe Alafair Burke will be contributing tomorrow, so I'll definitely share that link as well.

Wish I could be in Baltimore this weekend...maybe Indy next year...we'll see.

Happy Reading!!

A Carrion Death - Michael Stanley

Detective David "Kubu" Bengu of the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department is on the case when Kalahari game rangers discover a body being devoured by hyenas. There is enough of the corpse left to discover that the individual did not die of natural causes.

Kubu's investigation leads him to the family of an old school friend, Angus Hofmeyr. Angus's family owns the Botswana Cattle and Mining Company (BCMC). It has been run for years by Angus's uncle, Cecil Hofmeyr, but will be turned over to Angus on his 30th birthday. As Kubu continues to investigate, more "hinky" details concerning the BCMC start to surface, as well as more dead bodies.

A Carrion Death is nothing short of brilliant. My summary of the plot oversimplifies the complexity of this first novel by authors Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip. I listened to it on audio, and while the narrator, Simon Prebble, did a fantastic job, if I were going to do it over, I would physically read the book. The story is not told in a strict chronological order so the reader has to be keenly aware of where the plot is at all times or it is extremely easy to end up lost. There were many times I would have liked to have flipped back to reread a section to make sure I was "up to par" on what was going on. And many of the names have similar sounds, so I would have to constantly remind myself of who everyone was. These issues wouldn't have come into play quite so much if I was holding the actual book in my hands.

Kubu is the Setswanan word for hippopotamus, and that nickname immediately endeared Kubu to me as the reader; the endearment only grew as Kubu's character was further developed throughout the novel. Kubu is cultured: he enjoys opera and sings along to it in his car. He is respectful of both his wife and his parents. And Kubu loves to eat - thus, hippopotamus! Kubu is constantly concerned about the next meal and where it is coming from. But Kubu is also an intelligent investigator.

As I mentioned before, the plot does not take place in strict chronological order. This adds to the mystery of the novel, constantly adding possibilities to the list of suspects. But "who done it" is not the only mystery in this novel..."who it was done to" is also a mystery throughout. Several individuals end up missing, so who exactly is the corpse from the watering hole? The complexity of this plot kept me glued to the stereo. This high-level puzzle was exciting to try to figure out. I would never classify this book as an "easy, quick read." Instead it challenged me as a reader to think above and beyond the norm. I devour books that challenge me!

Another challenge that the book brings forth is the contrasts that exists in Botswana - contrasts between the native people and the outsiders who are less concerned with the land than they are with the possibilities of personal wealth.

The setting in Africa is amazing. As I've mentioned before, I adore the series I read in places like New York City or Los Angeles, but books that are set in less-literary-traveled locals are especially fun for me as a reader. The inclusion of elements such at the Bushman witch doctor and diamond mining issues help to bring the setting to life.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone who enjoys crime fiction and mystery. It is a must read and will definitely be on my top ten of 2008!

I will be on the lookout for Michael Stanley's follow-up to this amazing book (The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu due out in June 2009 by the way). I look forward to the chance to share more time with Kubu and the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department.