I am a big fan of Elspeth Huxley, but I thought this particular mystery was not as good as her others. Too many conflicts and undercurrents were left unresolved. However, Huxley does an excellent job of portraying how the colonial system distorted truth, how the parallel legal systems (one for blacks and another for whites) led to confusion and injustice. A quick read with some good description and food for thought. ( )

A local CID man investigates a series of disturbances including the death of a native boy. The detective has a tendency to walk imto trouble, but the East African colonial setting is vivid. ( )

12828/00 - This book is proof that, if you have an established name, you can publish something which is not very good.
This isn't awful, it's not dreck, it's just not very good. No real depth of character, so, as you can't really care about the cardboard figures, there is no sense of tension, nor is there surrender to the world and people created. I was quite disappointed. ( )

Huxley tidily transports elements of traditional British mystery to the fictitious, exotic, pre-World War II country of Chania, East Africa. Policeman Vachell stays on the farm of the next-door neighbors of the universally detested German, Karl Munson, in order to keep an eye on him. While there, Vachell hears and witnesses evidence of nocturnal animal mutilations and falls for the wife of his host. A day later, he must investigate the death of Munson. A nicely enclosed microcosm, complete with a few eccentric folks and a satisfying recapitulation of the clues.