This volume is another prequel to
the first books in the series, which showed Bengu at the peak of his career. A
Deadly Covenant and the previous book Facets of Death (2020) are
intriguing looks back at Bengu just starting out as a detective, unsure of
himself, learning from his supervisor who in turn was beginning to realize
Bengu’s potential.
The village of Ncamasere has
embarked on a project to bring much-needed water from the Kavango River inland
to struggling farms. The backhoe operator is digging the pipeline in the sandy
soil when he discovers unmistakably human bones. Bengu is sent to watch the
pathologist examine the scene and conduct the autopsy. So he’s observing closely
when the pathologist discovers the area is actually a mass grave of what
appears to be bushmen, the indigenous people of the Kalahari Desert. Bullet
fragments and injuries to the bones consistent with gunshots make it a crime
scene, although one many years old.
The local police station commander tries
to rush the investigation, anxious to have these outsiders gone. Bengu insists
that the homicides must be looked into, his thoroughness and tenacity coming to
the fore. He discovers strong opinions about the water project, some anxious to
receive its benefits and others who resist change. This dichotomy of urge to modernize
versus reluctance to abandon ancestral practices is an underlying theme in many
of the mysteries I have read set in Africa.
Somehow word of the massacre reaches
the media and they descend on the village, disrupting Bengu’s work, demanding
justice for the murdered natives. A fascinating subplot with a bushman
illustrates some indigenous beliefs.
Not much like Precious Ramotswe’s version of Botswana, the Botswana shown here is more realistic, with the intricacies and the contradictions to be expected of such an ancient land. The resolution is far more complex than I imagined, keeping me in suspense until the final pages. A fine addition to the series.
·
Publisher: White Sun
Books (August 28, 2022)
·
Language: English
·
Paperback: 352 pages
·
ISBN-10: 0997968982
· ISBN-13: 978-0997968989
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2022
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
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