A man is killed while rhino poaching, but is it as straightforward as it appears? A garbage collector makes a horrifying discovery in a bin. Is he the culprit or a victim? And a witch doctor sets out to solve crimes with the help of the spirits. How does that work out? A man is stabbed outside a bar. Is it just a jealous fight or is there something much more sinister behind it? A writer at a weekend party is writing a noir short story set in the house where he’s staying, but it seems to be coming true.
In seven of the stories Kubu investigates crimes in Botswana. Four detectives with very different styles and methods solve cases in South Africa, and there are two bonus stories set outside Africa.
Best-selling British mystery author Peter James wrote of Michael Stanley’s work, “I was gripped and entranced from the first page. A wonderful, original voice—McCall Smith with a dark edge and even darker underbelly.”
Michael Stanley is the pen name of two South Africans—Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip—who write fiction together. Their award-winning novels featuring Detective Kubu are A Carrion Death, The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu (A Deadly Trade, outside North America), Death of the Mantis, Deadly Harvest, A Death in the Family, Dying to Live, and Facets of Death. They also have a stand-alone thriller Shoot the Bastards (Dead of Night, outside North America). A Deadly Covenant will be released in September 2022.
Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip write mysteries together under the name Michael Stanley. Michael lives on the south coast of South Africa. Stanley splits his time between Minneapolis, Cape Town and Denmark.