The first in a new series by South African writing team Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip, Carrion Death, is a very promising debut. In the opening pages a hyena is discovered feeding on a body near the Kahlahri desert. The face and jaw have been destroyed and there are no clothes. The body was left to be eaten. David Bengu (nicknamed Kubu, Setswanan for hippopotamus which he resembles in both appearance and temperment), assistant superintendent with the Botswana Police Department, is called in to investigate. At times the mystery takes a back seat to modern Botswana. The complex plot brings in issues of diamond mining and smuggling, poaching, and the plight of the Kalahari Bushmen as well as the universal themes of greed, corruption, and family. Very different from the No. 1 Detectives Agency series although they share locale, I recommend this title to anyone who likes a realistic, plot-driven mystery with good character development. --Susan

From ICPL Staff Picks Blog