A review by serendipitysbooks
The Scent of Burnt Flowers by Blitz Bazawule

adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 The Scent of Burnt Flowers is set in the mid-1960s. Melvin and his fiance Bernadette are forced to flee the US after a road trip in the South went horribly wrong and Melvin killed a white man. They head to Ghana where Melvin's college roommate, Kwame Nkrumah, is now president. Efforts to see him and seek his help prove challenging due to the political instability in the country (he is deposed during this time) and the fact that a very determined rogue FBI agent is on their trail. I enjoyed the historical background even if it left me enraged anew at the US's foreign policy and their actions to deliberately undermine democratically elected leaders. It's a fast-paced read with a high body count, an element of magical realism, and introduced me to Highlife music. This was outside my wheelhouse, and somewhat uneven, but an enjoyable change of pace all the same. 
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