Sunday, August 15, 2021

I Have Michael Stanley Covered!

 

When I held a Cover-Off for Emma Stonex's The Lamplighters (a book I just finished, by the way), I received an email pointing me in the direction of two more book covers that couldn't be more different if they tried. I already had Val McDermid lined up, so this newest one had to wait until today.

The writing team known as Michael Stanley (Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip) writes a marvelous police procedural series set in Botswana that features Detective Kubu as well as the landscape, people, and culture of the country. (Don't tell anyone, but I much prefer it to another series that has a main character named Precious...)

The covers I want to take a look at today are for the latest book in the series, Facets of Death. Here's the synopsis of the book, since it can sometimes be helpful to have an idea of what the book is about before you take a look at the covers.

David Bengu has always stood out from the crowd. His personality and his physique match his nickname, Kubu―Setswana for "hippopotamus"―a seemingly docile creature, but one of the deadliest in Africa. His keen mind and famous persistence have seen him rise in the Botswana CID. But how did he get his start?

His resentful new colleagues are suspicious of a detective who has entered the CID straight from university, skipping the usual beat cop phase.

Mining diamonds is a lucrative business, but it soon proves itself deadly. Shortly after Kubu joins the CID, the richest diamond mine in the world is robbed of 100,000 carats of diamonds in transit. The robbery is well-executed and brutal. Police immediately suspect an inside job, but there is no evidence of who it could be.

When the robbers are killed execution-style in South Africa and the diamonds are still missing, the game changes, and suspicion focuses on a witch doctor and his son. Does Kubu have the skill and the integrity to engineer an international trap and catch those responsible, or will the biggest risk of his life end in disaster?

 
Now let's take a look at those covers.
 
 

 
See what I mean about radically different covers?

The UK cover focuses on the witch doctor aspect of the mystery with that bird skull, which is probably some sort of fetish, as well as the chalky white font that's used. Bird skull, title, author. "Detective Kubu's first case may also be his last." That's not bad for a hook to get readers to crack open the book. Two blurbs, top and bottom, by authors better known in the UK than the US (naturally). Even though I don't think they're absolutely necessary, I do think that both blurbs are helpful. Peter James (if you haven't read any of his mysteries, you're missing out) says, "A wonderful, original voice-- McCall Smith with a dark edge and even darker underbelly." While Ragnar Jónasson (if you don't know how I feel about Jónasson, you're a newcomer to the blog, so welcome!) says, "My favorite writing duo since Ellery Queen."

The stark colors used in the UK cover really make it stand out, too.

Now what about the US cover?

It's a lot brighter and a lot busier, that's for certain. It's identified as a Detective Kubu mystery and has the title and author name-- very unlike the normal US cover that tends to rely heavily on blurbs. As I said, the graphics are busy. One part of the graphic layout looks like some sort of textile, and the border resembles a movie theater marquee's lights running around the edge. The central graphic focuses on the diamond heist, with the getaway van speeding away in a cloud of dust. That sun makes sweat pop out on my forehead, and I can almost see giraffes grazing in those trees. 

Now... which cover do I prefer?

I'm leaning toward the UK cover for its stark black and white color scheme and that bird skull that hints of strange goings-on in a culture very different from mine. Yes, the UK cover "speaks" to me more than the US cover. 

But what about you? Which cover do you prefer? US? UK? Too close to call? Or does neither one float your boat? Inquiring minds would love to know! (And if you haven't read this series, it was the very first one I recommended in my post Celebrating Mysteries with a Strong Sense of Place: Africa and Australasia. It's good!)

12 comments:

  1. Yay! A new Michael Stanley book! It's a fine series; it really is. Now to the cover... I see your point about the UK cover. It certainly conveys the mysterious really effectively. And I have to admit I'm a minimalist, and prefer covers not to be too 'busy.'

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    1. Sometimes that old saw "less is more" is very true.

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  2. If I were to solely pick one based on which one I liked better, I would choose the US cover. But, if I am picking one that better gives a glimpse of what is between the covers, I think I would pick the UK cover.

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  3. I've enjoyed books set in Botswana but I had not heard of the Michael Stanley books. I'm making a note to myself to become acquainted. Thanks for bringing them to my attention.

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    1. You're very welcome. It's an excellent series.

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  4. I'm not crazy about either one of them, really, but I would prefer one more like the US version hanging around on my desk for a few days more than the UK cover while I was reading this one. I find the UK one to be a bit jarring at first glance.

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    1. At least it would remind you to pick it up... ;-)

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  5. The US cover is too busy and generically "African" for me. I agree that the UK cover does a better job of conveying aspects of both the mystery and the setting, and would be likely to entice me to pick it up from a bookstore or library shelf, though I wouldn't use it as decor in my house.

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    1. No, I don't think I'd shelve it "face out" myself. ;-)

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  6. If one is looking for a murder mystery, then I'd say go with the British cover. It's eerie and ghostlike with that font.

    The U.S. cover could be for a road trip story. Except for the name, one would not know it's a mystery. The bright colors and design are nice, but could be used for many books.

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