Dying to Live

When the body of a bushman with puzzlingly young organs is stolen from the morgue and a local witch doctor goes missing, Detective Kubu becomes involved in a life-threatening case.

‘Richly atmospheric … a gritty depiction of corruption and deception’ Publishers Weekly

‘The African Columbo … a smart satisfyingly complex mystery’ Entertainment Weekly

‘A wonderful, original voice – McCall Smith with a dark edge and even darker underbelly’ Peter James

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When the body of a Bushman is discovered near the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the death is written off as an accident. But all is not as it seems. An autopsy reveals that, although he’s clearly very old, his internal organs are puzzlingly young. What’s more, an old bullet is lodged in one of his muscles … but where is the entry wound?

When the body is stolen from the morgue and a local witch doctor is reported missing, Detective ‘Kubu’ Bengu gets involved. Kubu and his brilliant young colleague, Detective Samantha Khama, follow the twisting trail through a confusion of rhino-horn smugglers, foreign gangsters and drugs manufacturers. And the deeper they dig, the wider and more dangerous the case becomes…

A fresh, new slice of ‘Sunshine Noir’, Dying to Live is a classic tale of greed, corruption and ruthless thuggery, set in one of the world’s most beautiful landscapes, and featuring one of crime fiction’s most endearing and humane heroes.

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‘Detective David “Kubu” Bengu is a wonderful creation, complex and beguiling. Compelling and deceptively written’ New York Journal of Books

‘My favourite writing duo since Ellery Queen’ Ragnar Jónasson

‘Dying to Live is a skilfully plotted story of greed and its consequences; making the case for Detective Kubu absorbing, like the Botswana backdrop' ShotsMag

‘Under the African sun, Michael Stanley’s Detective Kubu investigates crimes as dark as the darkest of Nordic Noir. Call it Sunshine Noir, if you will – a must read’ Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

‘Intelligent, dark and compelling - among the best of today’s crime fiction’ Quentin Bates

‘Fascinating, dark and beautifully written … Kubu is a detective worth knowing. More please!’ Northern...