Smashed skull, snapped ribs, and a cloying smell of carrion. Leave the body for the hyenas to devour—no body, no case. 
But when Kalahari game rangers stumble on a human corpse midmeal, it turns out the murder wasn't perfect after all. Enough evidence is left to suggest foul play. Detective David "Kubu" Bengu of the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department is assigned to the case. 
The detective's personality and physique match his moniker. The nickname "Kubu" is Setswana for "hippopotamus"—a seemingly docile creature, but one of the deadliest on the continent. Beneath Kubu's pleasant surface lies the same unwavering resolve that makes the hippopotamus so deceptively dangerous. Both will trample everything in their path to reach an objective. 
From the sun-baked riverbeds of the Kalahari to the highest offices of an international conglomerate, Kubu follows a blood-soaked trail in search of answers. 
Beneath a mountain of lies and superstitions, he uncovers a chain of crimes leading to the most powerful figures in the country—influential enemies who will kill anyone in their way.
A memorable detective makes his debut in this gritty, mesmerizing thriller. Set amid the beauty and darkness of contemporary Africa, A Carrion Death is the first entry in an evocative new series cutting to the heart of today's Botswana—a modern democracy threatened by unstable neighbors, poachers, and diamond smugglers. Those trying to expose the corrupt ringleaders will find themselves fighting for their lives. . . .

A Carrion Death: Introducing Detective Kubu

Literature & Fiction

Stanley, Michael

Genre Fiction

Harper

Smashed skull, snapped ribs, and a cloying smell of carrion. Leave the body for the hyenas to devour—no body, no case.
But Kalahari game rangers stumble on the human corpse mid-meal. The murder wasn't perfect after all. Enter Detective David "Kubu" Bengu of the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department, an investigator whose personality and physique match his moniker, the Setswana word for hippopotamus—which is a seemingly docile beast, but one of the deadliest, and most persistent, on the continent.
Beneath a mountain of lies and superstitions, Kubu uncovers a chain of crimes leading to the most powerful figures in the country—cold-bloodedly efficient and frighteningly influential enemies who can make anyone who gets in their way disappear.

A Carrion Death: Introducing Detective Kubu (Detective Kubu Series, 1)

Harper-perennial

“The African Columbo….Like the first book to feature Kubu, A Carrion Death, this is a smart, satisfyingly complex mystery. [Grade] A.” —Entertainment Weekly
The second book in the Inspector Kubu series—penned by a pair of Crime Writers’ Association Award-winning South African authors writing under the name Michael Stanley—The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu treats readers to a gripping and atmospheric story of money, murder, and hidden motives at a remote bush camp in northern Botswana. Set in a country immortalized by Alexander McCall Smith in his The #1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novels, The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu again features an unforgettable lead character the New York Times Book Review calls, “Hugely appealing—big and solid and smart enough to grasp all angles of [a] mystery.”

The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu: A Detective Kubu Mystery (Detective Kubu Mysteries)

Normally a peaceful wilderness retreat, the Jackalberry bush camp has suddenly become a ghastly crime sceneand Detective David "Kubu" Bengu is assigned to the case. Zimbabwean teacher Goodluck Tinubu and another tourist have been found bludgeoned to death, while another guest at the camprumored to be a dissident wanted in Zimbabwehas disappeared without a trace. With the local police unableor unwillingto provide much assistance, Detective Kubu must rely on his own instincts. But a startling piece of forensic evidence from Goodluck Tinubu's murder adds a complicated twist to the investigation, and Kubu has to work fast to solve a seemingly impossible riddle before more Jackalberry guests meet their deaths.

The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu: A Detective Kubu Mystery (Detective Kubu Series, 2)

United States

“The best book yet in one of the best series going: a serious novel with a mystery at its core that takes us places we’ve never been.” —Timothy Hallinan, author of The Queen of Patpong 
Mystery readers who have not yet made the acquaintance of larger than life African investigator Detective David “Kubu” Bengu are doing themselves a great disservice. Death of the Mantis is the third Kubu novel from author Michael Stanley—following the critically acclaimed A Carrion Death and The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu—and it plunges the robust manhunter into the chaotic center of a murder case involving nomadic Bushmen that is stoking the fires of prejudice and tribal hatred. Set in Botswana—the fascinating equatorial country also explored by Alexander McCall Smith in his #1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novels—Death of the Mantis is a book alive with the sights and sounds of an exotic and breathtaking land. The exploits of Stanley’s singularly captivating policeman protagonist will delight you and keep you guessing.

Death of the Mantis (Detective Kubu Series, 3)

Deadly Harvest in Michael Stanley’s beloved Detective Kubu series tracks a series of murders and a mysterious witch doctor whose nefarious potions might hold the key to a web of missing persons.
When young girls start to go missing, Samantha, a new detective on the Botswana police force suspects that muti, a traditional African medicine, is the reason. She and Detective David “Kubu” Bengu race to stop a serial killer, all as the father of one of the victims threatens to take matters into his own hands.
Weaving together a thrilling mystery with a fascinating look at modern-day Africa, Deadly Harvest is filled with elements suspense and plot twists that will keep you captivated until the very end.

Deadly Harvest: A Detective Kubu Mystery (Detective Kubu Series, 4)

Harper Paperbacks

The Boomerang Conspiracy

Avon/Books

A Carrion Death (Detective Kubu 1)

Contemporary

Headline

A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley (2008-10-02)

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Headline Book Publishing

Smashed skull, snapped ribs, and a cloying smell of carrion. Leave the body for the hyenas to devour-no body, no case. But when Kalahari game rangers stumble on a human corpse midmeal, it turns out the murder wasn't perfect after all. Enough evidence is left to suggest foul play. Detective David "Kubu" Bengu of the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department is assigned to the case. The detective's personality and physique match his moniker. The nickname "Kubu" is Setswana for "hippopotamus"-a seemingly docile creature, but one of the deadliest on the continent. Beneath Kubu's pleasant surface lies the same unwavering resolve that makes the hippopotamus so deceptively dangerous. Both will trample everything in their path to reach an objective. From the sun-baked riverbeds of the Kalahari to the highest offices of an international conglomerate, Kubu follows a blood-soaked trail in search of answers. Beneath a mountain of lies and superstitions, he uncovers a chain of crimes leading to the most powerful figures in the country-influential enemies who will kill anyone in their way. A memorable detective makes his debut in this gritty, mesmerizing thriller. Set amid the beauty and darkness of contemporary Africa, A Carrion Death is the first entry in an evocative new series cutting to the heart of today's Botswana-a modern democracy threatened by unstable neighbors, poachers, and diamond smugglers. Those trying to expose the corrupt ringleaders will find themselves fighting for their lives.

A Carrion Death (Detective Kubu Book 1)

Humor & Satire

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