Dying to Live by Michael Stanley blog tour

BLURB

The body of a Bushman is discovered near the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, and the death is written off as an accident. But all is not as it seems. An autopsy reveals that although he's clearly very old, his internal organs are puzzingly young. What's more, an old bullet is lodged in one of his muscles . . . but where is the entry wound? When the body is stolen from the morgue and a local witch doctor is reported missing, Detective 'Kubu' Bengu through a confusion of rhino-horn smugglers, foreign gangsters and drug manufactures, the wider and more dangerous the case becomes... A fresh, new slice of 'Sunshine Noir', Dying to Live is a classic tale of greed, corruption and ruthless thuggery, set in one of the world's most beautiful landscapes, and featuring one of crime fiction's most endearing and humane detectives.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR



Michael Stanley is the writing team of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip. Both were born in South Africa and have worked in academia and business. On a flying trip to Botswana, they watched a pack of hyenas hunt, kill, and devour a wildebeest, eating both flesh and bones. That gave them the premise for their first mystery. A Carrion Death, which introduced Detective 'Kubu' Bengu of the Botswana Criminal Department. It was a finalist for five awards, including the CWA Debut Dagger. The series has been critically acclaimed, and their third book, Death of the Mantis, won the Barry Award and was a finalist for an Edgar award. Deadly Harvest was a finalist for an International Thriller Writers' award, and book 5, A Death in the Family, was an international bestseller.


MY THOUGHTS

Dying to Live is the sixth book in the Detective Kubu series by Michael Stanley. Although this is the first book by Michael Stanley which I have read, I didn’t have any trouble in getting into the story and it can be read as a standalone, if you are new to the series as well. But once you have finished this one, you’ll want to go back and read them all. It reminded me of the television show Death in Paradise on BBC One and I could instantly see the series appeal as a TV drama.

In the latest installment, the discovery of the body of an elderly bushman stumps detectives assigned to the case. An autopsy report reveals that the man’s organs are surprisingly young which can’t be possible. Detective Kubu does not believe in medicines and ‘magic’ created by Witch doctors but the autopsy revelations trouble him. But when the body is stolen from the morgue and a local witch doctor disappears he knows that this is going to be much more than a simple case. And who is the mysterious American anthropologist who also disappears under a shroud of mystery?

Dying to Live is another corker of a read from Orenda books. I really liked Detective Kubu and he seemed like a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of fictional police detectives out there. I also liked his colleague Samantha, and in my personal opinion, she was my favourite character from the book. She was the first woman detective on the team and she often has to stand up for herself. I liked her determination to see a case through, even though, if perhaps, it is one she would rather not be investigating.

This novel is packed with plenty of twists and turns, I also found Kubu’s family life interesting and heartbreaking at times. Kubu’s daughter was born with HIV and he and his wife are left at their wits end when she falls dangerously ill. Kubu must manage to keep track of what is happening with the investigation whilst worrying about his daughter and his own family at the same time.

A really enjoyable read, the detective Kubu series is definitely one to watch. Thank you to Anne Cater and Orenda books for sending me a copy to read and for organising the blog tour. 

Publisher: Orenda Books

Print length: 300 pages

Publication date: 12th July 2017

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