Detective Kubu Series

'There's no easy way to say this, Kubu. Your father's dead. I'm afraid he's been murdered.' Faced with the violent death of his own father, even Assistant Superintendent David 'Kubu' Bengu, Botswana CID's keenest mind, is baffled. Who would kill such a frail old man? The picture becomes even murkier with the apparent suicide of a government official. Are Chinese mine-owners involved? And what role does the US Embassy play? When grief-stricken Kubu defies orders and sets out on the killers' trail, startling and chilling links emerge, spanning the globe and setting a sequence of shocking events in motion. Will Kubu catch the killers in time … and find justice for his father? Set amidst the dark beauty of modern Botswana, A Death in the Family is a thrilling insight into the world of corruption and greed as a series of complex murders presents Kubu with his most challenging case yet.   'Richly atmospheric … a gritty depiction of corruption and deception.' Publishers Weekly 'Under the African sun, Detective Kubu investigates crimes as dark as the darkest of Nordic Noir. Call it Sunshine Noir, if you will – a must read.' Yrsa Sigurdardottir  'Kubu returns with a vengeance. I love it!' Charles Todd 'Another fast moving procedural notable for its warm characterizations and vivid sense of place.' Booklist

When a Botswana mine is robbed of 100,000 carats of diamonds and the thieves are murdered execution-style, Botswana's Detective Kubu's first case becomes a terrifying international investigation … The stunning, chilling PREQUEL to the award-winning Detective Kubu series. 'A wonderful, original voice – McCall Smith with a dark edge and even darker underbelly' Peter James 'My favourite writing duo since Ellery Queen' Ragnar Jonasson 'A thrilling and intriguing ride-along with Botswana's Number 1 good-guy detective' Tony Park _______________ Detective Kubu's first case may also be his last… Recruited straight from university to Botswana's CID, David 'Kubu' Bengu has raised his colleagues' suspicions with his meteoric rise within the department, and he has a lot to prove… When the richest diamond mine in the world is robbed of 100,000 carats worth of gems, and then the thieves are killed, execution-style, Kubu leaps at the chance to prove himself. But where are the diamonds? And what role does a witch doctor and his son play? Does this young detective have the skill – and integrity – to engineer an international trap? Or could it cost him everything, including his life…? A riveting, chilling prequel to the award-winning Detective Kubu series, Facets of Death introduces the beloved Kubu and his richly described native Botswana, in a dark, sophisticated thriller that will leave you breathless. _______________ 'Great African crime fiction' Deon Meyer 'Easily one of the best heist novels I've read since Gerald Browne's classic 11 Harrowhouse' Bookpage 'A natural for fans of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' Booklist 'The series you didn't know you needed in your life … an absolute joy' Grab this Book 'Original, mind-bending and twisty … it's impossible to tell the innocent from the guilty until the grand finale' Loarn Paterson 'Twists a classic heist story with local legends and beliefs in a believable and entertaining way … thoroughly intriguing' Jen Med's Book Reviews 'You will be captivated by the chilling, snappy chapters and the exquisite, atmospheric writing' The Reading Closet 'Under the African sun, Michael Stanley's Detective Kubu investigates crimes as dark as the darkest of Nordic Noir. Call it Sunshine Noir, if you will – a must read' Yrsa Sigurðardóttir 'Detective David "Kubu" Bengu is a wonderful creation, complex and beguiling. The exotic smells and sounds of Botswana fill the pages as well as the changes and struggles of a country brimming with modern technology yet fiercely clinging to old traditions. Compelling and deceptively written...' New York Journal of Books 'Impossible to put down' Library Journal 'Richly atmospheric … a gritty depiction of corruption and deception' Publishers Weekly

Something secret is hidden deep in the Kalahari desert. People will kill for it. But does it even exist? When the body of a Bushman is discovered near the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, 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 puzzlingly 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 gets involved. Kubu and his brilliant young colleague, Detective Samantha Khama, follow the twisting trail through a confusion of rhino-horn smugglers, foreign gangsters, and drug manufacturers. And the deeper they dig, 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, featuring one of crime fiction's most endearing and humane heroes.   'Kubu investigates a particularly baffling murder in his sixth, and best, outing. Stanley keeps the intriguing plot twists coming.' Publishers Weekly 'Stanley mixes strongly developed characters, puzzling plot twists and a textured African setting in an international police procedural with heart and soul…' Library Journal 'The best yet, with both an ingenious mystery and a deeper and more textured depiction of modern Botswana and Kubu's piece of it.' Kirkus Reviews

This is the eighth book in the Detective Kubu series and the second with him as a young man.   "A Deadly Covenant provides the reader with an exciting insight into crime in Botswana. A thoroughly enjoyable read." -- Alexander McCall Smith   "...a real page turner. Perfect for those who like their mysteries complex..." -- Strand Mystery Magazine "Brilliant! The pair, known jointly as Michael Stanley, has brought to life Botswana's flora and fauna, its days and nights, its culture, mythology, and superstition, and more than enough murder in this second prequel in their Detective Kubu Mysteries. . . . What an outstanding read! A top contender for my Best of 2022! — Kathleen Costa, Kings River Life "Edgar finalist Stanley's excellent eighth mystery … Stanley gets everything—the dialogue, the terrain descriptions, the plot beats—right. More prequels fleshing out this complex and endearing protagonist would be welcome." --- Publishers Weekly starred review   "I found A Deadly Covenant completely intriguing and engrossing, and the Bushman scenes fascinating. Vividly painted scenery, and I can feel the oppressive heat. Talk about Sunshine Noir!" – Kwei Quartey, author of the Emma Djan and Darko Dawson mysteries   "The unmatched beauty, spirit, and mystery of Africa never fails to come to life in Michael Stanley's award-winning Botswana-based Detective 'Kubu' series. A Deadly Covenant is an irresistible page-turner and a powerful contribution to the Kubu saga." – Jeffrey Siger, author of the Andreas Kaldis series Detective Kubu is still new to the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department . . . smart, eager to learn, but naïve. Scottish pathologist, Ian MacGregor, is sent to rural Botswana to investigate the skull of a long-dead Bushman that was unearthed by a backhoe. Kubu goes along to watch and learn. A cold case. Not interesting. Then MacGregor discovers eight more skeletons, all murdered. But how long ago? No one in the area knows anything about the massacre. Or so they claim. The cold case hots up when an elder of the nearby village is murdered at his home. The local police believe it was a robbery, but Kubu thinks otherwise. As does a strange woman, who claims it was an angry river spirit. The situation gets more confusing when the strange woman is found dead, apparently killed by a crocodile. How do the recent murders link to the dead Bushmen, if at all? Kubu and his colleagues have to navigate the politics of a rural village as they try to solve the puzzle. And when they uncover a deadly covenant, they fear that if they don't solve the puzzle quickly, the killer may take still more lives, including their own. A Deadly Covenant is a compelling, character-driven mystery perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Tony Hillerman, William Kent Krueger, and Alexander McCall Smith.

A new collection of four southern African mystery short stories from Michael Stanley, author of the award-winning Detective Kubu series, including a never-before-published Kubu mystery. Serial Killer is set in 1999, when Kubu is a brand new detective, wet behind the ears and trying to find his role in the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department. As a new detective, Kubu is assigned a trivial case trying to catch a prankster. But then the pranks start to escalate and seem headed towards murder. "Informal recycling" is a common profession in South Africa (and many other places). On garbage-collection days, the informal recyclers go from bin to bin searching for anything they can use or resell. In The Ring one of these recyclers makes a horrifying discovery in a rich, Johannesburg woman's bin. The Otter Trail is a wonderful five-day hike along South Africa's south coast. In Three on a Trail, two girls start the trail but only one comes out. And that one can't remember what happened. The missing girl's brother decides to find out, but gets much more than he bargained for. The final story in this short collection is The Last Case of Inspector Fourie. Angry about being overlooked for promotion and sour about the lack of success with prosecutions in South Africa, an embittered policeman investigates a murder and the theft of diamonds from a De Beers facility. The puzzle is how did the diamonds leave the building through all the automated security, and what happened to them after that?

In this BOXED SET of all the Michael Stanley short stories included in the successful Detective Kubu Investigates 1 & 2 and African Mysteries collections, there are thirteen twisty cases from Botswana and elsewhere. There's also an interview with Kubu himself, and exclusive excerpts from the new Kubu novel A Deadly Covenant to be released in 2022. A man is killed while rhino poaching, but is it as straightforward as it appears? A garbage collector makes a horrifying discovery in a bin. Is he the culprit or a victim? A witch doctor sets out to solve crimes with the help of the spirits. How does that work out? A man is stabbed outside a bar. Is it just a jealous fight or is there something much more sinister behind it? A writer at a weekend party is writing a noir short story set in the house where he's staying, but it seems to be coming true. In seven of the stories Kubu investigates murders in Botswana. Four detectives with very different styles and methods solve cases in South Africa, and there are two bonus stories set outside Africa. Best-selling British mystery author Peter James wrote of Michael Stanley's work, "I was gripped and entranced from the first page. A wonderful, original voice—McCall Smith with a dark edge and even darker underbelly." Michael Stanley is the pen name of two South Africans—Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip—who write fiction together. Their award-winning novels featuring Detective Kubu are A Carrion Death, The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu (A Deadly Trade, outside North America), Death of the Mantis, Deadly Harvest, A Death in the Family, Dying to Live, and Facets of Death. They also have a stand-alone thriller Shoot the Bastards (Dead of Night, outside North America).