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The Elephant Dropping
Brian Nicholls believes his western education gives him an edge when he is employed by a bank in Kenya. But corruption like water always seeks the path of least resistance. Naive and enthusiastic he unknowingly stirs up an ants nest in an ongoing real estate fraud, becoming little more than a pawn to be exploited in an already established game. And as far as Africa is concerned his education has only just begun. ..."Patel picked out the passport and the work permit in glee. ‘Ha! In luck,’ he exclaimed, ‘look a husband for you,’ he teased Azizza. She took the passport from him. ‘No, he’s too white,’ reading the particulars, ‘and too short.’ Patel read through the bank documents. Fingering the key to the White Marlin apartment, he held it up. ‘Shall we keep this? They will give him a spare.’ ‘No, if it’s missing they will change the lock. I know that manager he’s German, very efficient.’ ‘Ok,’ he tossed it back into the briefcase, looking wistfully at the dollars and credit cards, ‘and the money?’ ‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘So, we just take the passport and the work permit right?'".... With authorities and criminals alike, out to do him harm and scant resources of his own Brian has to rely on a few streetwise and well meaning Kenyans, to help him survive.
500 pages, Paperback
First published January 28, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 5, 2013
Review Received from Don Meredith.
Bruce Trzebinski’s novel The Elephant Dropping, as the title implies, is set in Africa and more particularly in Trzebinski’s native Kenya.
Shifting between the capital Nairobi, Tsavo National Park, and Lake Naivasha: however much of his fast-paced
narrative takes place in the seaside resort of Malindi.
Trzebinski creates characters so vivid, real and full of life they might come alive in any environment, though anyone familiar with East Africa will recognize them in an instant: the good-hearted hooker, the smart but crooked businessman and his greedy accomplices, as well as a gaggle of corrupt cops are just a few who populate Trzebinski’s
intriguing tale.
Brian Nichol, recently arrived in Kenya from England, is hired to audit the books of the branches of a Nairobi based Kenyan bank. A routine task for a skilled auditor you night think.
But the naïve Nichols, unfamiliar with the country and its ways, is in for a series of surprises that eventually
educate him about the wiles of those around him and the ways of Africa. Alas, his first mistake is to choose the
Malindi branch in which to begin his work.
Here he finds himself enmeshed in an elaborate real estate scam reaping millions for the unscrupulous businessman Patel. There are pawns in Patel’s scheme, the Malindi bank manager Evans Njugu and Patel’s assistant the beautiful Swahili Azizza, both of whom Patel plans to leave holding the bag while he skips out of Africa with the swag.
Determined to stall Nichol’s audit, this unholy trio first embroil him with police accomplices on Patel’s payroll, then put hit men on the Englishman’s trail in an attempt to murder him and take him out of the picture forever.
With authorities and criminals alike out to do him harm and few resources of his own, Nichols must rely on street-smart and well-meaning Kenyans to help him survive; the beautiful hooker Lucy, Nichol’s mechanic Doug and his girlfriend Gem.
There are precedents for Trzebinski’s in a tradition of good suspenseful crime novels, but Trzebinski’s book stands above the others. Bruce Trzebinski’s rich, suspenseful The Elephant Dropping with its breathtaking moments and comic turns is sharp, intelligent and imaginative, with an ending that will catch you flatfooted and agog.
In his diverse, highly satirical account of the world we live and die in, Trzebinski fashions places, people and things that matter and is a master storyteller.
This breathtaking novel, line by line, is a pure pleasure to read.
Bruce Trzebinski’s novel The Elephant Dropping, as the title implies, is set in Africa and more particularly in Trzebinski’s native Kenya.
Shifting between the capital Nairobi, Tsavo National Park, and Lake Naivasha: however much of his fast-paced
narrative takes place in the seaside resort of Malindi.
Trzebinski creates characters so vivid, real and full of life they might come alive in any environment, though anyone familiar with East Africa will recognize them in an instant: the good-hearted hooker, the smart but crooked businessman and his greedy accomplices, as well as a gaggle of corrupt cops are just a few who populate Trzebinski’s
intriguing tale.
Brian Nichol, recently arrived in Kenya from England, is hired to audit the books of the branches of a Nairobi based Kenyan bank. A routine task for a skilled auditor you night think.
But the naïve Nichols, unfamiliar with the country and its ways, is in for a series of surprises that eventually
educate him about the wiles of those around him and the ways of Africa. Alas, his first mistake is to choose the
Malindi branch in which to begin his work.
Here he finds himself enmeshed in an elaborate real estate scam reaping millions for the unscrupulous businessman Patel. There are pawns in Patel’s scheme, the Malindi bank manager Evans Njugu and Patel’s assistant the beautiful Swahili Azizza, both of whom Patel plans to leave holding the bag while he skips out of Africa with the swag.
Determined to stall Nichol’s audit, this unholy trio first embroil him with police accomplices on Patel’s payroll, then put hit men on the Englishman’s trail in an attempt to murder him and take him out of the picture forever.
With authorities and criminals alike out to do him harm and few resources of his own, Nichols must rely on street-smart and well-meaning Kenyans to help him survive; the beautiful hooker Lucy, Nichol’s mechanic Doug and his girlfriend Gem.
There are precedents for Trzebinski’s in a tradition of good suspenseful crime novels, but Trzebinski’s book stands above the others. Bruce Trzebinski’s rich, suspenseful The Elephant Dropping with its breathtaking moments and comic turns is sharp, intelligent and imaginative, with an ending that will catch you flatfooted and agog.
In his diverse, highly satirical account of the world we live and die in, Trzebinski fashions places, people and things that matter and is a master storyteller.
This breathtaking novel, line by line, is a pure pleasure to read.
April 23, 2024
This book starts out strong as an intriguing mystery of lives entwined on the Kenyan Coast. It is fun to be immersed in the region, especially for those familiar with Malindi and Mombasa, and the story bumps along at a good pace.
Yet, while the first 300 pages of this book positively flew by, the last hundred were a total drag. New elements and mysteries kept being introduced, which I suppose were meant to be 'twists', but ultimately added too much weight to a narrative framework that was never going to be strong enough to hold up. This point was particularly evident in terms of the characters. Two-dimensional characters are fine when they serve mainly to deliver plot points in a mystery-thriller, but if this their design then they should remain that way: attempts to interject new complexities of character during the story's sunset just didn't work or really make sense.
I confess I was confused about the racial politics of this book, at least until I realised its author is a scion of one of Kenya's oldest settler-colonial-society families. From this perspective, the disdain evident for both foreign wazungu and Kenyans alike makes sense and, upon reflection, is actually one of the texts's most interesting features. Overall, if you find yourself lounging on a beach in Watamu or nestled in the Taita hills, this quick read delivers probably exactly what you need.
Yet, while the first 300 pages of this book positively flew by, the last hundred were a total drag. New elements and mysteries kept being introduced, which I suppose were meant to be 'twists', but ultimately added too much weight to a narrative framework that was never going to be strong enough to hold up. This point was particularly evident in terms of the characters. Two-dimensional characters are fine when they serve mainly to deliver plot points in a mystery-thriller, but if this their design then they should remain that way: attempts to interject new complexities of character during the story's sunset just didn't work or really make sense.
I confess I was confused about the racial politics of this book, at least until I realised its author is a scion of one of Kenya's oldest settler-colonial-society families. From this perspective, the disdain evident for both foreign wazungu and Kenyans alike makes sense and, upon reflection, is actually one of the texts's most interesting features. Overall, if you find yourself lounging on a beach in Watamu or nestled in the Taita hills, this quick read delivers probably exactly what you need.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews