Michael Stanley – författare

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.

“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.”

In the southern Kalahari area of Botswana—an arid landscape of legends that speak of lost cities, hidden wealth, and ancient gods—a fractious ranger named Monzo is found dying from a severe head wound in a dry ravine. Three Bushmen surround the doomed man, but are they his killers or there to help? Detective David “Kubu” Bengu is on the case, an investigation that his old school friend Khumanego claims is motivated by racist antagonism on the part of the local police. But when a second bizarre murder, and then a third, seem to point also to the nomadic tribe, the intrepid Kubu must journey into the depths of the Kalahari to uncover the truth. What he discovers there will test all his powers of detection . . . and his ability to remain alive.

A bundle of the first and second in a series in which the quick-witted Detective Kubu (which means hippopotamus in the Setswana language) must solve dark mysteries in Africa. Also included is an exclusive excerpt of the third book in the series, Death of the Mantis.

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.

''Death of the Mantis, by Michael Stanley is the best book I''ve read in a very long time'' Louise Penny, New York Times bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Gamache novelThe third novel in the fantastic Detective ''Kubu'' Bengu crime series, set in the southern Kalahari area of Botswana - a place full of buried lost cities, incredible hidden wealth, ancient gods and, for thousands of years, home to the nomadic Bushmen.When a fractious ranger named Monzo is found dead, fallen into a donga - a dry ravine - surrounded by three Bushmen, the local police arrest the nomads. Detective ''Kubu'' Bengu is on the case, which reunites him with his old school friend Khumanego, a Bushman and now an advocate for his people.Khumanego believes the arrests are motivated by racist antagonism from the police, as the Bushmen are claiming that they were at the murder scene because they were trying to help.Soon after Monzo''s death, Detective ''Kubu'' learns of another case involving two botany students on their way back from a specimen-collecting trip but who were later found dead, seemingly poisoned, at a campground. Could the deaths be connected?''Kubu is the African Columbo'' Entertainment Weekly''Death of the Mantis takes us places we''ve never been, thrills and informs us, and leaves us changed by the experience. I loved this book'' Timothy Hallinan, author of The Queen of Patpong and A Nail Through the HeartReaders around the world LOVE Death of the Mantis:''Original premise and truly interesting characters, I loved this book *****'' Amazon reviewer''All of the books in the Detective Kubu series are excellent and worth reading *****'' Amazon Reviewer''As expected, an excellent read which I thoroughly recommend *****'' Amazon reviewer

''I''m fascinated by Africa and now I really want to visit Botswana. Through this book, I''ve come to love the people there, and fall totally for the main character'' Louise Penny, New York Times bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Gamache novels A stunning crime novel set against a backdrop of poachers, witch doctors, diamond smugglers and corruption.They find the first body near a waterhole considered magical by the local bush people. A string of clues suggests that the victim was murdered and his identity hidden.For Assistant Superintendent David Kubu Bengu, it''s obvious from the start that sinister forces are at work. A convivial figure on the surface, Kubu is a clever and resourceful lawman, well-versed in Botswana''s deadliest secrets.As he follows a blood-soaked trail he uncovers a chain of crimes linked to the most powerful figures in the country -influential enemies who will stop at nothing to remove those who stand in their way...''A Carrion Death is that perfect combination of "I don''t want it to end" and "I can''t put it down". Great African crime fiction'' Deon MeyerReaders LOVE the Detective Kubu series: ''Inspector Kubu should become well established among the ranks of world class fictional sleuths *****'' Amazon reviewer ''A Carrion Death is a rip-roaring read *****'' Amazon reviewer ''I thoroughly enjoyed A Carrion Death and was up all night in full "just another chapter" mode until the end *****'' Amazon reviewer ''Highly recommended and the others in the series are equally good *****'' Amazon reviewer

''Impressive . . . The intricate plotting, a grisly sense of realism and numerous topical motifs make this a compulsively readable novel'' Publishers WeeklyThe second in the fantastic crime series, featuring connoisseur Assistant Superintendant David ''Kubu'' Bengu of the Botswana Police Force.When a mutilated body is found at a tourist camp in northern Botswana, the corpse displays the classic signs of a revenge killing. But when fingerprints are analysed Detective ''Kubu'' makes a shocking discovery: the victim is already dead. He was slain in the Rhodesian war thirty ago.Kubu soon realises that nothing at the camp is as it seems. And as the guests are picked off one by one, time is running out. With rumours of horrifying war crimes, the scent of a drug-smuggling trail and mounting pressure from his superiors to contend with, Kubu forgets there is one door left unguarded - his own. And as he sets a trap to find a murderer, the hunters are closing in on him...''I''m fascinated by Africa and now I really want to visit Botswana. Through this book, I''ve come to love the people there, and fall totally for the main character'' Louise Penny, New York Times bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Gamache novels''Highly recommend'' Library Journal Readers around the world are loving A Deadly Trade:''A wonderful book'' Amazon reviewer''Kubu is a delightful character'' Amazon reviewer''Michael Stanley is well on his way to establishing himself in the international crime thriller scene'' Amazon reviewer

In these stories, seventeen writers from around the globe tell of dark doings in sunny places. Join them in the Dominican Republic, the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, chic Mykonos, Seville at midnight, and on the morning beachfront of Ghana where a man has revenge on his mind. Follow an NGO worker kidnapped in Yemen, an engineer repairing a dam in turmoil-torn Ethiopia, a foolish young Englishman hitchhiking across the Sahara.  You will visit historic Istanbul and Mombasa and learn the secrets of family conflicts in Singapore, in Puerto Rico, in New Orleans.

The authors of these tales will convince you that evil under the sun makes for the most compelling, most entertaining crime fiction anywhere on earth.

The authors and their settings are: Leye Adenle (Nigeria), Annamaria Alfieri (British East Africa), Colin Cotterill (Thailand), Susan Froetschel (Yemen), Jason Goodwin (Istanbul), Paul Hardisty (Ethiopia), Greg Herren (New Orleans), Tamar Myers (Arizona), Barbara Nadel (Istanbul), Richie Narvaez (Puerto Rico), Kwei Quartey (Ghana), Jeffrey Siger (Mykonos), Michael Stanley (Botswana), Nick Sweet (Spain), Timothy Williams (Guadaloupe), Robert Wilson (the Sahara), Ovidia Yu (Singapore)