Dying to Live by Michael Stanley is the sixth crime novel to feature the humble and endearing Detective Kubu, set against the richly beautiful backdrop of Botswana. I’m a big fan of the police procedural, and I have a special place in my reader’s heart for books in the genre that are set outside of the…
Every Wednesday, we here at Criminal Element will put together a list of Staff Picks of the books that published the day before—sharing the ones that we are looking forward to reading the most! This week, a new John Grisham combines with Iris Johansen's 22nd Eve Duncan novel to highlight a great week of books! See what…
Dying to Live by Michael Stanley is the sixth crime novel to feature the humble and endearing Detective Kubu, set against the richly beautiful backdrop of Botswana (available October 24, 2014). A Bushman is discovered dead near the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Africa. Although the man looks old enough to have died of natural causes,…
A Death in the Family by Michael Stanley is the 5th procedural mystery featuring Detective Kubu of the Botswana police department (available October 27, 2015). “There's no easy way to say this, Kubu. Your father's dead. I'm afraid he's been murdered.” Faced with the violent death of his own father, Assistant Superintendent David 'Kubu' Bengu,…
Over the last ten years there has been an explosion of authors writing contemporary crime fiction set in southern Africa. Four of the ten crime fiction novels published in South Africa last year were debut authors to the genre (Kurt Ellis, Penny Lorimer, Joanne Macgregor, Charlotte Otter). How have readers elsewhere in the world reacted…
The 6th annual Bristol UK’s CrimeFest 2013 has come and gone. And a great time was absolutely had by all. I attended this year, along with some 500 other authors and fans, and it was well worth the time and expense to network with fellow writers and mystery fans throughout the United Kingdom. The Bristol…
One reason the annual crime conference Bouchercon’s a big deal is because it gathers enough of our kind of people in one place that deals can be discussed, personal meetings can be had, friendships can be made, and awards can be given! As usual, there were 5 different sets of crime awards given during the…
Today, Mystery Writers of America announced the list of nominees for the 2012 Edgars, named after you-know-who, and honoring the best in mystery fiction, non- fiction and television published or produced in 2011. The winners will be announced at the Edgar Awards ceremony on April 26th. (And we’ll be live-tweeting it for sure!) BEST NOVEL…
A few years ago my husband and I spent a week at a safari camp in Tanzania. The safari experience included stunning views of landscape and animals, boozy evenings at the bar, nights in a tent as comfortable as our bedroom at home, an eccentric proprietor, and an equally eccentric assortment of fellow guests. The…
