Sunday, August 07, 2022

On My Radar: Michael Stanley's A Deadly Covenant!

 


If you've been reading Kittling: Books for any length of time, you'll know that I've been a fan of Michael Stanley's Detective Kubu series set in Botswana from the very first book, A Carrion Death. The talented writing team of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip knows the perfect blend of character, setting, and mystery to keep me turning the pages and eagerly waiting for more.  When I learned that there was a new Detective Kubu mystery in the works, you know what happened. (Thankfully, no one was around so my Happy Dance isn't on video.)
 
Let me tell you more about the book!
 
 
Available September 1, 2022!

 
Synopsis: 
 
"Perfect for fans of William Kent Krueger, Kwei Quartey, Tony Hillerman, and Alexander McCall Smith.
 

A Deadly Covenant is a prequel to the series and flashes back to Kubu’s early career with the Botswana CID.
 
It is set in the evocative Okavango Delta in Northern Botswana, with its lush vegetation, sweeping waterways, abundant wildlife, and compelling African cultural heritage. Local mythology and superstition entwine with socio-political and geo-political themes to make for a satisfyingly immersive mystery that begs resolution until the last, unpredictable moment.
 
While digging a trench for a new water project, a backhoe operator unearths the skeleton of a long dead Bushman. Kubu and Scottish pathologist, Ian MacGregor, are sent to sort out the formalities, but the situation rapidly gets out of hand. MacGregor discovers eight more skeletons—a massacre of Bushmen including women and children. However, the locals deny any knowledge of the event.

When an elder of the village is murdered at his home, the local police believe it was the result of a robbery gone wrong. Kubu thinks otherwise. So does an elderly woman who believes it was the work of Mami Wata, a powerful river spirit. When she dies in an apparent crocodile attack, suspicions rise. Things become still more complicated when a mysterious Bushman appears at the massacre site, collapses, then disappears again, but seems connected to the murders in some way.

Kubu’s boss, Assistant Superintendent Mabaku, joins them as accusations of corruption are levelled at the water project, and international anger over the massacre of the Bushman families builds. But how do the recent murders link to the dead Bushmen? As they investigate, they uncover a deadly covenant made many years before by an unknown group, and they begin to fear that their own lives may be in danger.
"

 
This is another favorite series of mine that I wish more people would read, and since this is a prequel, those reluctant to begin a series at the end should feel no guilt whatsoever-- especially if they're armchair traveling sleuths who love learning about other countries' cultures while they solve a mystery. 
 
A Deadly Covenant is available soon, and I hope you take this opportunity to sample an excellent series!

10 comments:

  1. I am always looking out for new mystery series. This is a new one for me.

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  2. Oh, fantastic! This is such a fine series, with such a great sense of place! I am very happy that a new one's on the way, Cathy! And the story sounds very good. Interesting that it's a prequel, too. That's sometimes a really effective way to introduce new readers to a series like this one, with several entries.

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    1. Yes, those prequels can be fun (and helpful).

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  3. This sounds right up my street, reading-wise. I'm adding the series to my TBR list and since this one is a prequel, I'll read it first.

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  4. What intrigues me most about this series is the Botswana setting!

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    1. That's one of the things I absolutely love about it, Lark!

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  5. Sounds like my type of story, I will definitely add to my list. Thanks!

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Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!