The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu: A Detective Kubu Mystery

by: Michael Stanley

Published by: HarperCollins

Reviewed by Patricia E. Reid

A Carrion Death, the first book written by the writing team of Michael Stanley and Stanley Trollip, captured the interest of many readers. The book set in Botswana, South Africa, introduced Detective David “Kubu” Bengu. A classmate gave the nickname Kubu to David. Kubu means hippopotamus. Kubu loves his wife, his family, food and wine.

The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu finds Kubu at the Jackalberry bush camp in Northern Botswana. Kubu is called on to assist the local police. The camp is the scene of two murders. Goodluck Tinubu, a teacher, was found murdered in his tent. The second body discovered was that of Sipho Langa. Although the people at the bush camp thought Langa was just another tourist, it turns out he was working undercover–but not for Botswana.

Kubu discovers from fingerprint records that Tinubu was believed to have been killed over thirty years ago in the Rhodesian Civil War. Not only did Tinubu somehow escape and spend his life devoted to teaching children, he also has a connection to the owners of the bush camp but one that Kubu had to dig deep to uncover. It turns out that the other guests at the bush camp know more than they are telling. Politics, drugs and past secrets seem to mix in a way that Kubu feels is almost like the puzzles he worked on as a child. Finding the missing pieces and putting them together is a task that seems almost impossible.

The case becomes even more personal to Kubu when his wife, Joy, and her sister, Pleasant Serome, are threatened. Kubu is terrified that something will happen to his family before he can find the final piece of the puzzle and bring his life back to normal.

This book has a wealth of interesting characters and descriptions of life in Botswana. I hope that there will be many more books in the series describing the life and customs of the people of Botswana.

Armchair Interviews says: You can get a geography/culture lesson along with your mystery in this 5-star read.

Author’s Web site: http://www.DetectiveKubu.com