‘A Deadly Covenant’ by Michael Stanley

Published by Orenda Books,
8 December 2022.
ISBN: 978-1-91458542-5 (PB)

 “… Kubu felt a little despondent. 
He couldn’t see an interesting case emerging from a collection of old bones.”

David Bengu is a newly promoted detective sergeant working in Gaborone at the Botswana Police Service (BPS) headquarters.  Nicknamed ‘Kubu’, the DS is directed by his boss, Assistant Superintendent Mabaku, to accompany Scottish pathologist Ian MacGregor to Shakawe where a skeleton has been unearthed during building works.  Photographs from the scene suggest that the bones were buried at least a decade earlier.  Mabaku sees an opportunity to give his new DS some experience and, simultaneously, rule out any historic foul play.  Kubu suspects the case will prove tedious.  To make matters worse, he has just plucked up the courage to arrange a date with Joy Serome, a clerk in the BPS Records Department and he must now postpone it.  Nevertheless,  within a few hours the detective and the pathologist begin their journey to the north of Botswana.

On their arrival, the men meet D.S. Abram Nteba and Assistant Superintendent Tolalo Balopi who is Shakawe Police’s station commander. It quickly becomes clear that Balopi resents the presence of the Gaborone visitors which he feels undermines his authority.  He pushes for a speedy investigation, but when more skeletons are discovered in the same area of the construction site it is declared a crime scene.  Kubu and Ian begin the painstaking task of recovering the bodies, determining the cause of death for each and identifying the ethnicity of the remains. 

The gruesome discoveries have attracted the attention of some local people who are already critical of the construction project which aims to increase the water supply in the semi-arid region.  There are rumours of financial irregularity, and some villagers believe that interfering with nature in this way is sacrilege.  Another twist arrives in the form of  Selelo, a Bushman in search of his mother who disappeared when he was very young.  These tensions put pressure on the local Kgosi (chief), Rantau Moitsheki.  Before long, old feuds and past crimes reach into the present threatening locals and visitors alike.

The novel is set mainly near the Okavango Delta which is beautifully described and provides the perfect backdrop to a fascinating plot.  It’s the characterisation, though, that makes the book so wonderfully readable.  Kubu is a young man at the beginning of his career with personal and professional self-doubts aplenty.  His imperfections serve to make him both relatable and thoroughly likeable.  Of particular note is the delightful subplot recounting Kubu’s emerging relationship with Joy.  His journey along the bewildering path of courtship is poignant and humorous.

Michael Stanley is the writing team of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip.  This is the eighth novel in their Detective Kubu series and the second prequel recounting his early days as a detective.  The book works perfectly well as a standalone. 

A Deadly Covenant is a story of betrayal, discrimination, deceit and love.  The young DS Kubu is challenged every step of the way as he gradually unpicks the complex mystery at the heart of the novel, and it is a delight to be alongside him as he does.  Highly recommended.
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Reviewer: Dot Marshall-Gent

Michael Stanley is the writing duo of Stanley Trollip  and Michael Sears. Their mystery novels, featuring Detective Kubu, are set in Botswana. The third – Death of the Mantis – won a Barry Award and was an Edgar finalist. Their fourth, Deadly Harvest, was a finalist for an International Thriller Writers award. Their seventh mystery, Facets of Death, was released in 2020. Their book, Dead of Night, published in 2019, is a thriller about rhino-horn smuggling, with protagonist Crystal Nguyen. Stanley lives in Minneapolis and Cape Town.

http://www.michaelstanleybooks.com/