A review by usbsticky
Dying to Live: A Detective Kubu Mystery by Michael Stanley
4.0
This is an Assistant Superintendent Kubu book. Kubu is a CID detective in the Botswana Police.
Synopsis/Spoiler: Like some of this author's books, the plot is somewhat lengthy and meandering. It deals with a few things: 1) The death of an abnormally youthful ancient Bushman and the disappearance of his body 2) The illegal trading of endangered animal parts.
I feel the book uses the story as a platform for two important issues in southern Africa and Africa in general. One is the trading of illegal animal parts. This illegal trading and poaching of said animals is causing them to be endangered and if not stopped the endangered animals will soon be extinct, killed for superstition and nonsense. The other issue is the exploitation and victimization of the Bushman, taking/stealing their medical knowledge, endangering the plants they use, driving them off their land and preventing them from living their traditional lives. However it seems that the current government is trying to protect them from all of the above.
I feel that the story is a bit too long and convoluted to build up any suspense (a signature of this series). It's very hard to write a story with 2 plot lines and to keep them both exciting. However, the police protocol part is stolidly done. And as usual, Kubu is a pleasure to read. He is one of my favorite literary detective characters. He is common-sensical in dealing with investigations, is usually pleasant and in a good mood, hungry more often than not and determined in solving crimes. In fact, Kubu's family and colleagues are also a good read.
I recommend this book and series to those who like police procedurals and reading about new countries.
Synopsis/Spoiler: Like some of this author's books, the plot is somewhat lengthy and meandering. It deals with a few things: 1) The death of an abnormally youthful ancient Bushman and the disappearance of his body 2) The illegal trading of endangered animal parts.
I feel the book uses the story as a platform for two important issues in southern Africa and Africa in general. One is the trading of illegal animal parts. This illegal trading and poaching of said animals is causing them to be endangered and if not stopped the endangered animals will soon be extinct, killed for superstition and nonsense. The other issue is the exploitation and victimization of the Bushman, taking/stealing their medical knowledge, endangering the plants they use, driving them off their land and preventing them from living their traditional lives. However it seems that the current government is trying to protect them from all of the above.
I feel that the story is a bit too long and convoluted to build up any suspense (a signature of this series). It's very hard to write a story with 2 plot lines and to keep them both exciting. However, the police protocol part is stolidly done. And as usual, Kubu is a pleasure to read. He is one of my favorite literary detective characters. He is common-sensical in dealing with investigations, is usually pleasant and in a good mood, hungry more often than not and determined in solving crimes. In fact, Kubu's family and colleagues are also a good read.
I recommend this book and series to those who like police procedurals and reading about new countries.