A review by damppebbles
Dying to Live by Michael Stanley
4.0
This is the sixth book in the Detective Kubu series and it was a joy to read. So far I have managed to devour two previous ‘Kubu’ novels; click here for my review of Deadly Harvest and here for my review of A Death in the Family. Dying to Live was my third journey to glorious Botswana and my third experience of ‘sunshine noir’. Dying to Live was published by Orenda Books on 12th July 2017.
For those new to this series, the author, Michael Stanley is a writing team of two. But you would never know. Every time I pick up a Michael Stanley novel I’m expecting to see the divide between the two voices, to be able to ‘spot the difference’. But I can’t. The writing is seamless and wonderfully confident.
I am incredibly fond of Detective David Bengu who most of the characters refer to as ‘Kubu’, the Setswana word for hippopotamus. He’s not my usual broken, addiction riddled detective – the type I’m usually drawn to. He’s a family man who lives by his principles. I found the sub-plot of his adoptive daughter’s HIV suddenly deteriorating quite hard to read without becoming emotional, but welcomed this revealing insight into Kubu’s home life and his relationship with his wife, Joy.
Something I tend to find with Michael Stanley books is that you always get something different. For example, the investigation in Dying to Live initially focused on the death of a Bushman. Which leads us to the Kalahari and into the secretive world of witch doctors. But the most important thing to note is that this is a GREAT mystery. I was completely drawn in to the story and loved the different threads of the investigation and the connections made by Kubu and Detective Samantha Khama. I couldn’t work out whodunit so was rather surprised by the reveal (always a bonus when you don’t see the twist coming!).
Would I recommend this book? I would. This is a great series which I will always come back to. I feel a real warmth towards Kubu and his family, there’s something very reassuring about reading these books. Saying that, please don’t be fooled into thinking they are fluffy reads because they are most definitely not. I recommend that you also read Deadly Harvest and A Death in the Family. Not because you need to as I think Dying to Live works perfectly well as a standalone, but because they are great books. More Kubu please, Michael Stanley – the sooner, the better :).
Four stars out of five.
I chose to read and review an ARC of Dying to Live. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.
For those new to this series, the author, Michael Stanley is a writing team of two. But you would never know. Every time I pick up a Michael Stanley novel I’m expecting to see the divide between the two voices, to be able to ‘spot the difference’. But I can’t. The writing is seamless and wonderfully confident.
I am incredibly fond of Detective David Bengu who most of the characters refer to as ‘Kubu’, the Setswana word for hippopotamus. He’s not my usual broken, addiction riddled detective – the type I’m usually drawn to. He’s a family man who lives by his principles. I found the sub-plot of his adoptive daughter’s HIV suddenly deteriorating quite hard to read without becoming emotional, but welcomed this revealing insight into Kubu’s home life and his relationship with his wife, Joy.
Something I tend to find with Michael Stanley books is that you always get something different. For example, the investigation in Dying to Live initially focused on the death of a Bushman. Which leads us to the Kalahari and into the secretive world of witch doctors. But the most important thing to note is that this is a GREAT mystery. I was completely drawn in to the story and loved the different threads of the investigation and the connections made by Kubu and Detective Samantha Khama. I couldn’t work out whodunit so was rather surprised by the reveal (always a bonus when you don’t see the twist coming!).
Would I recommend this book? I would. This is a great series which I will always come back to. I feel a real warmth towards Kubu and his family, there’s something very reassuring about reading these books. Saying that, please don’t be fooled into thinking they are fluffy reads because they are most definitely not. I recommend that you also read Deadly Harvest and A Death in the Family. Not because you need to as I think Dying to Live works perfectly well as a standalone, but because they are great books. More Kubu please, Michael Stanley – the sooner, the better :).
Four stars out of five.
I chose to read and review an ARC of Dying to Live. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.