It's been a while since I read one of these, but I'd forgotten the stark contrast between this depiction of Botswana, as a nation as flawed as most others, and that if Alexander McCall Smith, whose Botswana is idyllic, full of polite, respectful people who might succumb to greed, bad judgment, or witchcraft from time to time, but not much worse than that. In the Botswana of detective Kubu Bengu, all manner of nasty things are afoot, including political corruption, mineral exploitation, foreign influence and manipulation, not to mention multiple murders, some of them very close to home. This is not a terribly bleak depiction of this sunny land, but a reminder that even a country full of good people can fall prey to bad influences. ( )

Another excellent addition to the Detective David "Kubu" Bengu series. When his father is stabbed to death, Kubu cannot stay away from the investigation, with his ego trumping common sense. Meanwhile, there is trouble in a mining town as the elders consider whether to allow expansion and relocation of residents, which went badly the last time, antagonizing the young and unemployed. When the #2 government mining official ends up dead, an apparent suicide, Kubu finally finds a distraction from his misery, and quickly determines the death was not accidental, and he sets off the find the murderer. Meanwhile, major trouble ensues in the mining town, when the elders decide not to accept the Chinese mining company's offer. Kubu comes back from a police conference in NY, inspired to find the truth, and restore his prodigious appetite. ( )

I am a long-standing fan of this series. Published in 2015, this is #5.

His father Wilmon is a much loved member of Kubu's family and a kindly character who has featured in earlier titles. His murder comes as a great shock and it is hard to imagine why it has happened. Are the families of the police being targeted or is there a more local motive?

Kubu of course wants to be involved in the investigation and his boss has a hard job of keeping him out of it. Fortunately there are other matters that Kubu can be involved in. But his frustration at the assignment of his father's murder to a less experienced female detective is well depicted, especially as time passes and so little progress is made.

I enjoyed the way the various threads of this story were woven together with elements of Botswana politics and economics, particularly with Botswana struggling to find its place in the modern world.

The view presented of Botswana is different to the one with Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series which I also enjoy. I was delighted to find references to that series in A DEATH IN THE FAMILY.

A delightful read. ( )

Reposted from Reviewing the Evidence

Assistant Superintendent David Bengu, known as Kubu because his generous shape reminds friends of a hippopotamus, is roused from a delicious dream by a phone call. It's bad news. His father has been found dead, stabbed to death on a street near his home. It's a horrible shock. Kubu's elderly father had been a traditional healer who had no enemies. He had told his wife that he was going out to meet a friend. Nobody knows who that friend was or what the meeting was about.

Kubu is distraught and deeply frustrated that his boss won't allow him to participate in the investigation. He can't resist asking questions, even though he's too emotionally involved to interrogate suspects coolly. Jacob Mabaku, head of the criminal investigation division, threatens Kubu with dismissal if he doesn't stay out of it. Though Kubu's experience and skill would normally be welcome, his reckless involvement now could endanger a prosecution.

Instead, Kubu is sent to look into what was originally considered the suicide of a government official, and he quickly realizes that the skeptics may be right. His investigation draws him into a conflict between traditional land stewardship and the current need for jobs as well as between two economic superpowers' 21st-century imperial ambitions for Africa. Meanwhile, Kubu continues to gather up threads that may relate to his father's murder, wanting to find a reason for the murder of a gentle man who was suffering from the early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. If it was simply an opportunistic act of violence, he may never have an answer.

The writing duo behind this series presents readers with a fond picture of Botswana, a large country with a small population that evaded much of the strife of colonialism and apartheid that shaped its neighbor, South Africa. With relatively simple prose and the addition of a map, a character list, and a short glossary, they use criminal investigations to explore the current problems Batswanans are negotiating through the sympathetic eyes of a gifted detective with a beloved family and a healthy appetite. In this entry in the series, Kubu's detective skills and common sense are at times overridden by his feelings, but he nevertheless carries on investigating the complex case he's been given while trying to come to terms with the fact that some crimes are especially hard to solve because they make no sense at all.

In some ways, A Death in the Family is a departure for this wonderful series. Having read all the books with tremendous enjoyment, I know that Kubu has always had a close and loving relationship with his parents. Wilmon Bengu's death is catastrophic for Kubu. Kubu has been in many tight situations, but readers have never seen him grief-stricken or enraged. He comes within a whisker of throwing his entire career away. He scarcely eats throughout the book, and Kubu is a man who has always been passionate about his food. His impatience, his frustration, his grief are felt throughout the book like a steady but subtle vibration in the air. Kubu's frame of mind will make readers turn the pages faster and faster in order to unmask the killer.

The investigation in A Death in the Family is a very complex one with many threads, and it was fascinating to watch those threads being pulled out, examined, and woven into a satisfying conclusion. The facts the writing team of Michael Stanley includes in the story are fascinating. Yes, we learn more about the inner workings of the Botswana government, but it's Wilmon's struggles with Alzheimer's and this country's funeral traditions and those of kgotle (a structured and rather familial type of town meeting) that add so much texture and richness to the book.

Is an angry Kubu as readable as a funny Kubu? Most definitely! If you love Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books, are you going to like Michael Stanley's Detective Kubu? Chances are very good that you will. To be honest, I prefer Kubu to Precious Ramotswe-- there's a bit less charm and more bite to the stories of Michael Stanley. You can step in just about anywhere in these books, but Kubu's life isn't an unchanging one. Start at the beginning with A Carrion Death so you won't miss one little bit of my favorite-- and the best-- detective in Botswana. The entire series is excellent. ( )