The fourth book in a series about a Botswanan detective named David Bengu, nicknamed Kubu (Hippo) because of his large body and easy going nature. Kubu is drawn into local politics when a dog is slaughtered at a candidate's house, and the candidate is then killed a few days later in what is alleged to be a politically motivated murder. Meanwhile, the first female detective on the Botswana Criminal Investigative Division, Samantha Khama, aske Kubu to help her investigate the disapperance of several young girls. She is convinced that a witch doctor and muti, a traditional African medicine, is the reason. The writing duo of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip (i.e., Michael Stanley) have created a marvelous supporting cast from his boss to his extended family: wife, sister-in-law, biological daughter, adoptive daughter, and his parents. Great mystery, 4.5 stars!!

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Deadly Harvest – A Hot Thriller

The writing duo who make up Michael Stanley have written a hot thriller based out under the hot sky of Botswana where the Police have to combat corruption and the belief in witch doctors. This Sunshine Noir has all the darkness of Nordic Noir but at a more relaxed approach, with some excellent characters.

When a young girl goes missing, and then not long after another girl disappears in to thin air, the police seem slow to react and show very little interest. It is not until Samantha Khama, a new recruit in the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department, that she takes a look at what seems like a set of cold cases.

Her boss Assistant Superintendent David ‘Kubu’ Bengu is charged with leading an investigation in to the death of a politician and the threats of ‘muti’ and other witchcraft do things start getting rather complicated. He is also trying to advise and guide his new recruit in the art of investigation when he realises that their cases might be related.

The relationship that builds up between Samantha and Kubu, is that of old hand, wary of some of the practices of old and Samantha a young buck and keen to get on with things. The investigation process they work the case methodically and with a little bit of ingenuity making sure they do things correctly and only cut corners when they need too.

What we get through out is that Kubu and Samantha are aware at every turn they are accused of being in the pocket of the government and when they realise they are dealing with witchcraft and corruption they know they need to be careful. They know to find the answers they need to read the clues throughout the book with care, and not be afraid to see the misdirection as part of a plan which they need to overcome.

Will they discover who is corrupt? Will they be able to overcome the superstition that witch doctors are held in? As they recognise all criminals make mistakes, clever criminals clever mistakes, stupid criminals make stupid mistakes they know they have to recognise them and use them to their advantage.

This is a richly atmospheric thriller, under the African sun, that deals with the darkest of crimes, that of murder, including children for ‘magic’ and challenges the conventions. The book is beautifully written and the descriptions so illuminating you can feel yourself at the centre of the scenes.

The thriller is set against the clash of cultures, modern verses ancient, an intelligent read that is both dark and compelling, and the twists you do not see coming. A truly awesome thriller! ( )

So, this is another easily digestible Botswana-set mystery by the writing team that makes up Michael Stanley. As usual, the language is simple -- do people in Botswana really talk like that? Alexander McCall Smith creates the same kind of atmosphere with his dialogue and descriptions in the No. 1 Ladies series. For me it suggests a simpler time and place, although Stanley (unlike Smith, who merely suggests from time to time) does not shy away from the rampant AIDS that colours every part of society and culture in Africa today.

The story is simple but sinister: a witch doctor is stealing children for magical power potions, and various politicians and members of the police force are tied up in this nasty business. There is corruption and justice and vindication. It never gets too scary, and things wrap up fairly nicely in the end. I'm not a very insightful mystery reader: I tend to be surprised by the culprit, and stuff like that. But in this case, I picked up on the clues well enough near the end that I wasn't exactly surprised by how it came out. However, it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the conclusion.

This was just the kind of light-ish read I was in the mood for, and it certainly hit the spot, especially while I wait for the next Precious Ramotswe romp to be released in paper. ( )

If your reading experience of Botswana is Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY with the unforgettable Precious Ramotswe, then you'll find the Kubu series very different in flavour, not quite so cozy. Although unmistakably we are in the same place, with a similar mixture of new Western and traditional African cultures. Michael Stanley's style is deceptively simplistic, but underlying all is two pairs of keen eyes (see my note below about the author) and an awareness of the political and cultural challenges being faced by modern Botswana.

In a note the authors comment

Although this is a work of fiction, it is, as were our three previous books, set on a background of reality.

And then they go on to talk about the belief in muti which underpins the murders and crimes in DEADLY HARVEST. Organs are being harvested from live human victims, not for the trade in illegal transplants which other books like Peter James' DEAD TOMORROW have highlighted, but for the belief in their magical powers.

The well established central character in this series Detective David "Kubu" Bengu is joined in DEADLY HARVEST by a female officer Samantha Khama. Kubu is not used to working with a woman and for a while he tries to put her on the back seat, but then he comes to realise that they make a very good team.

Kubu's boss Mabaku values the intuitive dimension that Kubu brings to policing. Most of the time Kubu's hunches are right and only rarely does the more cautious and politically minded Mabaku refuse to follow Kubu's plan of action.

I appreciated the cast of characters listed at the front of the novel and the glossary in the final pages.

So, my verdict - an excellent read. If you are new to Michael Stanley, start at the beginning, A CARRION DEATH, and follow Kubu's career. ( )

As this series goes on, the stories darken. This one, the fourth in the series, concerns the ways that people seeking power turn to traditional witch doctors to give them a boost with a bundle of stuff called a muti. A few of them have gone beyond using herbs and occasionally parts of animals (a lion's heart, for example) and use human ingredients. In this case, a politician is murdered and a muti bundle is found at his home. A new woman detective, Samantha Khama, has joined the force, bringing with her a determination to find out what has happened to missing girls whose disappearances she feels have not been sufficiently investigated. Kubu guides her in the art of investigation while helping her avoid the backlash her brash and impassioned opinions might cause. Kubu, as usual, is a smart investigator in the body of a big and amiable man nicknamed "hippo." Samantha plays a major role in the case, but isn't yet a terribly well-developed character. It looks as if she will become a regular member of the cast, so hopefully we'll learn more about her in future. As usual, the Botswana setting is a main attraction of the story. The book is dedicated to Alice Mogwe and Unity Dow "who fight the battles we just write about" - and the afterword recommends Dow's novel The Screaming of the Innocents which is also about muti murders.