One Blood

Kella and Conchita Mysteries #2

by Graeme Kent

1960, and Sister Conchita, the young nun with a flair for detection, has been forced to leave her beloved Malaita and assume reluctant command of a run-down mission in the lush, primitive Western District of the Solomon Islands.The group of three elderly sisters currently there are rumoured to have 'gone native' and Conchita tries to grapple with these eccentric, tough-mind insurgents and the secrets they are keeping when an American tourist is murdered in their mission church but perplexingly, the colonial authorities want nothing to do with this bizarre crime. Help is at hand for Sister Conchita in the shape of her friend Sergeant Ben Kella, the local police officer but also the "aofia," the traditional law-bringer of the islands. Together, the idealistic young nun and practical witch doctor set out to solve the mystery. In the process they discover links to a local independence organisation, a powerful international logging company, and, most puzzling of all, to John F. Kennedy, a former wartime US naval officer in the area but now, thousands of miles away, about to become the 35th president of the USA. "Praise for Devil-Devil: "The mystery takes a back seat to [Kent's] knowledge of the exotic location and the combustible chemistry of his protaganists (the oddest couple since The African Queen), which add immensely to his story's charm. "Kirkus Review"

Genres: Mystery, Historical Mystery, Crime, Historical Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Detective, Fiction

147 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

For eight years, Graeme Kent was Head of BBC Schools broadcasting in the Solomon Islands. Prior to that he taught in six primary schools in the UK and was headmaster of one. Currently, he is Educational Broadcasting Consultant for the South Pacific Commission.

Reviews

[CarolineFromConcord · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so much fun, but then I'm a sucker for unfamiliar, exotic locales and new kinds of characters.

The locale is the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, year 1960. Kennedy is running for president, and for unknown reasons, a number of people both foreign and local seem intensely interested in visiting the island where his PT crew were marooned after a run-in with a Japanese boat in World War II.

The main characters are Ben Kella, a quasi-holy man for the Lau people and also a regular police officer, and Sister Conchita, a spunky and curious nun sent to reenergize a run-down mission where one elderly sister has never recovered from a trauma related to the search for Kennedy and crew 17 years before. Kella is supposed to stick to discovering who is sabotaging a logging company and the nun is supposed to stick to reenergizing the mission. They both have reputations for never sticking to the assignment -- deserved reputations, as we quickly learn. Coming from different angles, they converge as they try to figure out a series of mysteries, beginning with a murder at the mission's first open house.

There are lots of other interesting characters -- both nefarious and decent but complicated -- and the local color and scenery are outstanding. Fascinating.

The author knows the territory. According to the book jacket, he was head of BBC Schools broadcasting in the Soloman Islands for eight years after a teaching career in the UK and is now Educational Broadcasting Consultant for the South Pacific Commission.

The main reason I gave this a 3 and not a 4 is that I wasn't crazy about the end and the number of people who got away with things. After all, murder is murder. Goes to show you should never recommend a mystery unreservedly until you have read the very last paragraph.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a page-turner that is always interesting and often amusing. The story takes place in 1960, just prior to the U.S. presidential elections (Kennedy vs. Nixon) and part of the storyline has ties to John F. Kennedy and the crew of PT109’s rescue from Olasana Island in the Solomons in 1943 (or as the islanders would say “the time before”). I found the book to be unusual in at least three different ways. First, the location—the Solomon Islands provide a unique tropical setting with much of the detritus of WWII still in evidence; second, the combination of the local beliefs, customs and dialects that are an integral part of the island culture (I particularly enjoyed the passages in Pidgin) and third, the two headed investigative team of a young nun, Sister Conchita and Sergeant Kella of the Solomon Islands Police Force. Sister Conchita has an inner drive to get to the bottom of things and Kella is both a policeman and an aofia, a hereditary spiritual peacekeeper of the Lau people. With these two great characters Kent has come up with a combination that propels the storyline from two directions at once, each investigating earthly crimes with a spiritual perspective.

Great read! I will look for the first book in this series “Devil-Devil” to find out what I missed.
Thanks Goodreads for another First Reads win!

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love this series.
I read the first book in the series for last year's 666 shortly after spending a few weeks in the capital of the Solomon Islands, Honiara.
The 2nd book was no disappointment, and I enjoyed getting back into the Kella and Conchita duo - they really are great!

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

In my five years of leading a mystery book discussion this is the worse by far. The only mystery is how i stayed awake to finish it

[Sue Law · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable entry in the "Kella and Conchita" mini-series.
It is 1960 and Sister Conchita has been sent to take charge of 3 elderly nuns at Marakosi Mission in the Western Islands of the Solomon's. During an open day an American tourist is found dead on the edge of a bonfire at the mission. Sister Conchita is concerned as the incident doesn't seem to be being investigated properly.
At the same time Sergeant Kella is loaned to the short-handed Western Islands police group to investigate vandalism at a logging camp on one of the islands.
Add to this the interest being shown in the islands where the crew of PT109 were shipwrecked in 1943, and things start getting tangled.

[Nancy H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another good mystery set in the Solomon Islands. It features native policeman Ben Kella and a nun, Sister Conchita, who are each trying to solve a mystery. There is a man murdered at the mission and Sister Conchita is trying to discover who was responsible. At the same time, there is vandalism and theft at a logging operation on one of the islands, and subsequent murders, and Ben Kella is trying to solve those crimes. There are many distracting factors to each of them, and it isn't until the two work together that the crimes are finally solved. This is a good series with good characters and a unique setting.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one, mostly because it was a bit too complicated for my tastes, but still pretty interesting. I think my biggest beef with the book was that Ben Kella brings Sister Conchita along on his one trip for her mana and then just leaves her behind to look after another woman, in one case, and later on the same trip she just winds up interfering..

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn’t exactly a deep, twisty, character-driven murder mystery, but it’s still enjoyable. I like that the author wants to explore how another culture would approach various problems and how cultures can clash and interweave. The 1960 Solomon Islands setting is enough to make this otherwise average crime book stand out and feel refreshing.

[Emmaa22 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the Solomon Islands in the 1960s - I think it is fairly compared to the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency books - of a similar light-touched style. It is an interesting setting and easy reading.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable mystery and a great Summer holiday read.

[Петр · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliantly written, brings the islands to life. Equally as good as the first in the series.

[Virginie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading the world in books: Solomon Islands.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story with lots of local color and culture.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining read.

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

a fun detective story

[Cathy Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Line: The Japanese destroyer came out of the night at forty knots like a huge shark snarling across the lagoon.

Sister Conchita may be just a bit too forthright and prone to act now and ask forgiveness later. She's been sent to a run-down mission in the Western District of the Solomon Islands. Her assignment being only temporary, she's still determined to wake up the four obstinate elderly nuns and get their help in cleaning up the place. Her plans don't get off to a good start. On the mission's very first open day, they are besieged by tourists, two of the four nuns are AWOL, and a man is killed in the chapel. Sister Conchita can't believe that the government is content to call a very suspicious death a heart attack, and she is not prepared to let the matter rest.

Normally she would ask Ben Kella for help. Kella, a sergeant in the Solomon Islands Police Force and an aofia (hereditary spiritual peacekeeper of the Lau people), he's assigned to investigate the sabotage that's been threatening the local operations of an international logging company.

As Sister Conchita and Kella begin their investigations, they discover common elements-- especially three strange, unfriendly men who are very interested in the islands of Kasolo and Olasana. You see, it's 1960, and in a few weeks the people of the United States will be deciding whether to vote for Richard Nixon or John F. Kennedy as President. The islands of Kasolo and Olasana are where the survivors of PT 109 hid from the Japanese and tried to recuperate. Although it's not the first time strangers have come sniffing around in search of stories about Kennedy, there's something different... something ominous... about these men.

Once again Graeme Kent has written a mystery that transported me to the Solomon Islands of the 1960s. In this place, at this time, World War II is not a thing of the past. People canoe across lagoons over the easily visible twisted hulks of fighter planes and ships. The "good old boy" colonial government is still at work, filled with officials who do not want to admit that their days are numbered and that the educated young islanders they're ignoring today will be the leaders of tomorrow. Smugglers still know the secret coves and hiding places of these waters, and they use them.

Having a main character who's not only a policeman but a spiritual leader of his people gives the reader a chance to learn the customs of the peoples of the Solomon Islands in a very non-intrusive way. Many times Kella responds to the summons for a policeman and discovers that his services as aofia are really required.

I have to admit that the plot line concerning JFK put me in a pair of blinders that shielded me from almost everything else but Kent's excellent cast of characters. The author seems to know instinctively when it's time to insert a laugh-out-loud funny piece of humor to lighten the mood, and although those old nuns in that run-down mission could be by turns infuriating and heartbreaking, they could also be extremely funny.

Sister Conchita is as headstrong and stubborn a person as one will ever meet, and one has to wonder who's going to give up first: Sister Conchita or the Catholic Church. Sister Conchita and Ben Kella are both outsiders in their own worlds who want to make things right. Pairing them is a bit of genius.

As I said earlier, the plot line concerning JFK had me so engrossed that when the solutions to the other threads concerning the murder of the man in the mission chapel and the sabotage at the logging company site were revealed, I was completely surprised. That doesn't happen very often at all.

When I read the first book in the series, Devil-Devil, I thought it could be the start of something very special. Now after reading One Blood, I know this is something very special. Let this series be your next armchair journey to a beautiful faraway land filled with fascinating customs, wonderful characters, and delectable mysteries. Then your smile will be as big and as bright as my own when I hear of Graeme Kent's newest book.

[Mysterytribune · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery novels in exotic locales have always interested us but the new release One Blood set in Solomon Islands was probably one of the most refreshing ones that came to our desk in 2012. A cozy mystery in nature and the second book in a series by Graeme Kent, this book takes the reader to the heart of an investigation by a nun and a native police Sergeant.

A Brief Summary:

Ben Kella, sergeant in the Solomon Islands Police Force, as well as an aofia, a hereditary spiritual peacekeeper of the Lau people, is called to investigate acts of sabotage that threaten the local operations of a powerful international logging company. At the same time, Sister Conchita, a young nun who has been sent to Western part of Solomon Islands gets her hands dirty with a suspicious death of an American tourist.

As each of them progress with their investigation, their path cross and finally Conchita and Kella join forces to uncover the links between these goings-on. They detect arrival of some American tourists who show unusual interest in John F. Kennedy, who was once a wartime U.S. naval officer in the area but now, in 1960, thousands of miles away, about to become the thirty-fifth American President.

Although it's not the first time tourists and strangers have come to the Islands to find out more about the Kennedy's case, American Tourist's murder and the sabotage in the logging company's facility at the same time seem less of a coincidence.

Our Take:

Graeme Kent was head of BBC Schools broadcasting in the Solomon Islands for eight years. The experience of living in such beautiful place in the Pacific Ocean has given him an advantage in painting a unique picture of life and culture in this exotic spot. His second novel in Sister Conchita and Sergeant Kella Mysteries, therefore, has a sort of appeal in which is hard to find in many other stories. The author certainly takes his time to layout the foundation for the mystery: The plots are very slow moving and Kent provides a lot of back-stories and information about the native people's traditions and the local setting.

The JFK plot to me seemed a bit unrealistic and had some holes in it but at the same time I was curious to see how the story would end. There is an interesting twist at the end which I didn't expect and to the ending was satisfactory. Using humorous language and sharp funny lines was also a plus in terms of writing.

This is a slow moving story but the setting is so unique that it absorbs the reader to end. Definitely a good read.

More at http://www.mysterytribune.com or @mysterytribune

[Suspense Magazine]

Graeme Kent’s new novel, the second featuring Sister Conchita and Police Sergeant
Kella set in the Solomon Islands, reflects his love of the lore and culture of the islands, where he served as head of the BBC Schools broadcasting for eight years.
It’s 1960 and the Solomons are becoming a tourist destination, though it’s not long since headhunters went on raiding parties and even shorter—seventeen years—from when the islands were liberated from the Japanese during World War II. Sister Conchita has been appointed as the temporary head of a mission school and convent on Marakosi in the western region of the Solomons. She pushes the three old nuns of the convent into having an open house, which is attended by almost everyone in the area. During the open house, she meets an odd American tourist named Ed Blamire who enquires about sanctuary within the mission. A short time later, Blamire is found dead.

Sergeant Kella is a man of the modern world yet is grounded in his tribal heritage. He’s educated with degrees from universities in both Australia and England, but he is also an aofia, a justice bringer and holy man. He’s dispatched to the western Solomons as well, tasked with finding out who’s trying to sabotage a logging operation on one of the islands.

Kella senses that his investigation is somehow connected with the death of Blamire. There are however, other players in the game, including a beautiful young island woman with dreams of political power, a former boxer and hereditary chief who’s always looking for ways to make money, and three tourists who are very interested in an incident during the war when a Japanese destroyer sank a PT boat under the command of John F. Kennedy, who’s now running for the US presidency.
It’s Sister Conchita though, who may hold the key to unraveling the mystery.

Kent’s depth of knowledge of the Solomons is displayed throughout the book. It’s part travelogue, part history lesson, all wrapped together in a very satisfying mystery.

Reviewed by David Ingram for Suspense Magazine

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between the easy-to-read prose, the clever plot, and the intriguing characters, One Blood feels like a solid new offering in a long line-up of mysteries featuring Sister Conchita and Sergeant Kella. I was surprised to see it's only the second.

Kella is on the Solomon Islands Police Force in 1960. He's caught between whitey's culture and his own island culture, both a cop and an aofia, that is a hereditary spiritual peacekeeper. While it's true that an exotic location and a cop or detective caught between two cultures is a well-worn set-up in the mystery genre, it's also true that it's often used because it can work really well. Kent makes it work, especially with the addition of the feisty Sister Conchita into the mix. Sister Conchita is the new leader of a mission that's become inward rather than outward looking, and she's got to shake up three elderly nuns who would prefer things stay the same.

Sergeant Kella is investigating sabotage at a logging camp, while Sister Conchita wants to know the truth about the death of an American who died suspiciously at an open house at the mission. He died soon after reaching out to Sister Conchita, and she knows she should have slowed down long enough to talk with him. The two cases are connected, of course. The fact that these were the islands where President John F. Kennedy's PT boat sank, leaving the future president and his crew to hide in the jungle from the Japanese, also plays a role in the story.

Another great book through the Goodreads firstreads program!

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sister Conchita has been sent to a mission in the Solomon Islands to deal with three awkward elderly nuns. She is just getting to grips with the situation when an American tourist is found murdered in the church. Meanwhile, Sergeant Ben Kella is investigating threats to a logging company. The two cases begin to converge, and the two friends once again find themselves joining forces to find a killer.

A very enjoyable mystery, with two likeable protagonists and a fascinating setting. This is a much pacier read than the first in the series, and the roles of Kella and Sister Conchita are better integrated into the story. My only gripe is that for much of the book they were working separately - I preferred it when the plots began to come together and they had to work as a duo - this could have happened earlier in the book.

Love the setting and all the cultural information - Kent really shows the effects of WWII on these remote islands, and the changing society of the 1960s. Looking forward to reading the third in the series.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

PT Boat 109 was sunk in the Western Solomon Islands in 1943. Seventeen years later, the captain in charge of the boat, John F. Kennedy, is running for the presidency of the United States. Not many people in the Solomons, a British protectorate, are interested in, or even aware of, the election. But a party of American tourists are spending time amid the islands where Kennedy and his crew hid from the Japanese. Police sergeant Ben Kella is assigned to investigate the vandalism of a lumbering project on a nearby island, although the Western Solomons are far from his home territory. He's also instructed in no uncertain terms to stay away from the accidental death of one of the tourists, at a mission open house. But Sister Conchita has temporarily been assigned to help the three elderly nuns at the mission, and she's sure the tourist was murdered. I loved this, though not as quite much as the first in this series, Devil-Devil, which is a book you all should read.

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

#2 in the Sister Conchita series set in the Solomon Islands. Reading Devil-Devil, the first in the series with the Mystery Book Group in April 2012. Reading this one before the discussion meeting on the 24th.

A good sequel to Devil-Devil. The story takes place during the run up to John F. Kennedy's bid for the Presidency in 1960. "Tourists" are turning up in the Islands looking for evidence surrounding the events after the sinking of PT-109. Sister Conchita has been sent to run a mission after the death of the Priest, and she and Kella are crossing paths and working together throughout the book. More than one death to investigate, other skullduggery, and much wonderful material about the history, feuds, and spiritual lives of the Solomon Islanders. I liked this very much.

[Andy Plonka · Rating 4 out of 5]

The setting of this book is the Solomon Islsnds in 1960. There are references back to 1943 when a P-T boat landed on one of the islands held by the Japanese. In 1960 an American tourist is murdered in a mission church. One of the nuns in the mission thinks it is because he saw something or knows something and feels compelled to investigate even though she knows better and has benn specifically told not to. Her contact on the police force is Ben Kella who is a native, but educated in Australia so speaks English as well as the native tongue. Pretty basic plot, but the descriptions of the setting and the characters are well done and you learn something about an obscure corner of the world.

[Hilary Tesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Ben Kella has to travel to the Western District of the Solomon Islands to investigate sabotage at a logging camp, his mana is weakened and, as the mystery widens and becomes more complex, he needs the assistance of Sister Conchita. She's struggling to cope with three elderly and obstinate nuns at a run down mission station, a situation that lends humour to the story. It's an enjoyable sequel to the first book, Devil Devil, again demonstrating the author's familiarity with the locality. I was also struck by the disregard for the environment, something typical of the time but horrifying to our modern ecological sensibilities.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the Solomon Islands in 1960, the strength of the book is its two detectives. Sister Conchita is a young nun who has been placed in charge of an out of the way mission. Her attempt to reach out to the community is thwarted when an American tourist is murdered in their church. Sergeant Ben Kella is the local police officer but also the aofia, the traditional bringer of justice to his island. Each, investigating on their own, discovers ties to an incident that took place on a nearby island during the war involving the sinking of an American PT boat. Setting, characters, and historical threads weave together worthwhile read.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sister Conchita and Sergeant Kella are likable characters in an interesting setting.

In the Solomon Islands in 1960, relics of WWII are still littering the countryside. The Islands were the scene of John Kennedy's PT109 misadventure, and he is now running for president. A group of disagreeable American tourists is causing trouble - one of them is murdered - and there is trouble brewing at a local logging operation as well. The local color and history are fascinating, and the plot moves along with some interesting twists.

[Phair · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is fascinating and unusual with its 1960s Solomon Islands setting. There is so much interesting cultural background with the varied religious beliefs in the islands. Also looks at dying colonialism and rise of nationalism as the Islands prepare for independence. This one brought in the PT 109 incident of WWII and present-day political shenanigans that connected to those events. I wish there had been a map as the action hops all over the islands so it was hard to keep track of things. Sister Conchita's future at the mission seem doubtful at the end - say it isn't so!

[Lemar · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delight to find a smart, well written mystery in the tradition of Tony Hillerman and Arthur Upfield. This novel has the cultural intrigue of Hillerman with an added dose of dry humor that made me fall for the two heroes, Sister Conchita and Sergeant Kella. The plot often hinges on tribal customs and these are cleverly introduced by Kent so that we are able to inform our impressions with this information only some of which proves relevant to solving the mystery. I can't wait for the next one, but wait I must.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspector Kella and Sister Conchita team up again to solve a several mysteries. A murder, a series of sabotage at a logging camp, and strange behavior of tourists may or may not be related, may or may not have something to do with JFK's service in the Solomon Islands, and may or may not be related to an Independence Movement.

This is a very engaging series. However, Sister Conchita began to grate on my nerves a bit in this book. That said, Kent does an excellent job immersing the reader in the culture of the Solomon Islands.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

The historical mystery genre...the mystery here is fine but the context, in the Solomon Islands protectorate in th dying days of empire makes it so much fun. Kella and several other Islanders have this wonderful critique of the colonial has beens that are hanging on to the last colonial jobs there are...they call some of them African retreads. And the Kennedy election of 1960...And the pagan vs Catholic faiths of Kella and Conchita. Quite delightful.