Strange Gods: A Mystery

Vera and Tolliver #1

by Annamaria Alfieri

In early 20th century British East Africa, there are rules for the British and different ones for the Africans. Vera McIntosh, the daughter of Scottish missionaries, doesn't feel she belongs to either group; having grown up in Africa, she is not interested in being the well-bred Scottish woman her mother would like her to be. More than anything she dreams of seeing again the handsome police officer she's danced with. But more grisly circumstances bring Justin Tolliver to her family's home.

The body of Vera's uncle, Dr. Josiah Pennyman, is found with a tribesman's spear in his back. Tolliver, an idealistic Assistant District Superintendent of Police, is assigned to the case. He first focuses on Gichinga Mbura, a Kikuyu medicine man who has been known to hatefully condemn Pennyman because Pennyman's cures are increasingly preferred over his. But the spear belonged to the Maasai tribe, not Kikuyu, and it's doubtful Mbura would have used it to kill his enemy. Tolliver's superior wants him to arrest the medicine man and be done with it, but Tolliver pleads that he have the chance to prove the man's guilt. With the help of Kwai Libazo, a tribal lieutenant, Tolliver discovers that others had reasons to hate Pennyman as well, and the list of suspects grows.

Annamaria Alfieri's Strange Gods is the first in a new series. Romantic and engaging, this mystery captures the beauty and the danger of the African wild and the complexities of imposing a culture on a foreign land.

Genres: Mystery, Historical, Historical Fiction, Africa, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook

288 pages, Hardcover

First published June 24, 2014

About the author

Annamaria Alfieri is the pen name used by author Patricia King for her mystery novel City of Silver, set in 1650 in the wealthy Peruvian (now Bolivian) city of Potosi.

Reviews

[Carolien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in colonial Kenya in the early 1900's, this is a well plotted mystery with an interesting cast of characters. There is a strong focus on outsider status: Vera McKintosh is the daughter of a Scottish missionary who feels more at home in Africa than cold, rainy Scotland; Justin Tolliver is the second son of an earl who chose to become a policeman in Kenya; Kwai Libazo, police constable who is half Kikuyu and half Maasai and belongs to neither tribe. Famous characters of the era have supporting roles and adds to the setting. I really enjoyed the book and am glad I have the second in the series on my e-reader.

[Susan in NC · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars for me - this was a wonderful book, part historical murder mystery, part romance. I've never read this author before but saw the sequel Idol of Mombasa at my local library; once I realized there was a first book in the series I knew I had to start with Strange Gods (I always like to read series in order).

The setting is British East Africa in 1911, and the novel opens with native workers discovering the dead body of a popular Scottish doctor face down among the coffee plants, a native spear sticking out of his back. We also meet our heroine, Vera McIntosh, daughter of Scottish missionaries, in the first scenes; she is neither fish nor fowl, expected by her proper mother to act like a Scottish maiden living among the upper classes of Glasgow society, but having been born and raised in Africa, she deeply loves the country and her native "nanny" and the people she has grown up with. She is a memorable, delightful character, as are her father and Justin Tolliver, the second son of an earl who has joined the police force and subsequently seen his social capital severely depleted among the snobbish settler class (policing is unacceptable for even a second son, apparently, and he finds himself neither fish nor fowl also).

But perhaps my favorite character is Justin's native constable Kwai Libazo, half Kikuyu and half Masai and accepted by neither tribe as a warrior because of his mixed blood; the POV shifts between Vera, Justin and Kwai, and being inside the constable's head as he tries to make sense of British mannerisms, laws and social habits is funny, fascinating and touching - and extremely well done.

Stunning, colorful East Africa is also a star of the story - Vera and Kwai, being natives, love it and feel the reverence for the land as their home; we soon see Justin is clearly falling in love with Vera and Africa at the same time, and Alfieri's descriptions of the land are absolutely enthralling. She also delivers on one of my favorite aspects of my favorite genre - teaching the reader about a time, place and people I've not encountered often in my fiction reading.

I was afraid the mystery would get less attention than the romance, but Alfieri gives the reader a solid, satisfyingly deep and dark puzzle and creates an evocative setting with fascinating characters, then allows it all to come together in quite an exciting, gobsmacking ending! In all fairness I suspected about halfway through what the horrid motive might be, but the author delivers the details with such an emotional punch that I found it all quite satisfying and well done, and all that a historical mystery buff could ask for! Highly recommended.

[Dana McNeely · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give this book 8 out of 5 stars. It is an extraordinary read. The story moved quickly and I wanted to race through it to find out what the wonderfully engaging characters would do next. But then the gorgeous images of a wild and exotic Africa in the early 20th century would capture me as if I watched the scene play out in technicolor, and I would have to slow down and read each word. I hated, just hated to see it end.

Vera McIntosh, born in Africa, is the daughter of Scottish missionaries. Her mother is determined to raise a proper young lady, but all she wants is a bit of adventure--to be allowed to go on safari with her younger brother Otis. And she dreams of waltzing with the handsome police officer, Justin Tolliver--neither of them wearing gloves. :)

When Vera's handsome uncle is murdered, the Masai spear in his back points to native involvement. But young Tolliver is not convinced, as is his superior, that the local witch doctor has killed the brilliant Scottish Doctor out of "professional jealousy". The tension notches up while Tolliver races to find the real killer while the witch doctor, after putting a curse on Tolliver, sits in prison awaiting execution.

Lots to love in this book - the scene where Tolliver fights off the advances of the lush Lucy Buxton is priceless. As is the scene where he is at the mercy of Nurse Freemantle. Tolliver's translator Kwai Libazo, half Masai, half Kikuyu, is a man without a tribe. Nevertheless, he provides sometimes deep, sometimes humorous insights into the minds of both Masai and Kikuyu. He made me laugh with his dissection of the English word "exasperating".

"Strange Gods" has been touted as "Out of Africa meets Agatha Christie". I would agree. It seemed a classic, as I read it, a bigger book somehow than I would expect from a novel published as recently as 2014. If you enjoy historicals, mysteries, adventures, insight into other lands and cultures, books that read like epic movies, or books that should be made into epic movies that will win awards, I highly recommend "Strange Gods" by Annamaria Alfieri.

[Connie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annamaria Alfieri is a true successor to Edith Pargeter (Ellis Peters) in the genre of historical mysteries. Strange Gods is set in Kenya a few years prior to the outbreak of WWI. The story is peopled with characters who straddle two or more worlds and who are struggling to discover who they are and where they belong. Although the novel contains three primary characters, Kenya and the Kikuyu people play as important a role as any of these three. Fortunately, this novel is the first of a series so we will be able to follow Vera McIntosh, Justin Tolliver, and Kwai Libazo as their knowledge of themselves and each other deepens and they solve some mysteries along the way.

[John Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book because it was set in colonial East Africa (1911). The book tells the story of Vera McIntosh, a young missionary daughter who has returned back to her childhood home and Justin Tolliver, a policeman in the colonial police force. The two are drawn to each other and part of this book is this romance; the other part of the book centers around the killing of Vera's uncle with a spear. At first, it is thought to be one of the African locals, but both Vera and Tolliver (as he is called in the book) suspect it may be other people. Eventually, they work together to help solve this crime. I thought the book captured the time period and geography well and the characters are interesting. However, I found the use of some real life colonial figures who played roles in books like OUT OF AFRICA, played far too big of a role in this story. They seemed to be there to draw in readers from books like that one.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars. This book had elements that were interesting: place and time: British-controlled East Africa in the early 1900’s; characters: well-developed, complex, diverse. However, the fact that it was about a strong female protagonist on a large coffee plantation made it seem, at least on the surface, derivative (Isak Dinesen.) I admit I haven’t read OUT OF AFRICA…yet!
This was the first in a series, so would I read the second book? Yes, I would. First, the descriptions of the land and the native peoples were so very detailed and enticing. The main characters definitely have potential as interesting series leads. Last but not least, though it is a paperback, it was physically a lovely book, from cover to cover, chapter to chapter, even the page numbers. Beautiful format, which I appreciated each time I picked up the book.
Well done, FELONY AND MAYHEM PRESS.

[Apostol Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cartea „Zei Străini” ne va aduce în față personaje fascinante, cu povești personale pe măsură, o ea crescută în sălbaticul Africii alături de băștinași și un el dornic să descopere aceste tărâmuri candide, totul condimentat cu misterul unui omor ce lasă gust amar, și apoi cu o direcție plăcută ce va reuni un final destul de palpitant cu o iubire ce sper că va trona încă mulți ani de acum în colo!
Recomand cartea cu drag!

Link blog: https://vorbepentrusuflet.blog/2021/0...

[Paula Brand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this romance thriller, the first part of the Vera and Tolliver series. The love story is heart-warming, and the murder mystery has an unexpected ending. You can really feel the emotion of the main characters and the descriptions made me feel as if I was back in Africa myself. The attention to historical detail and context is remarkable.

[Ioana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5

Zei străni de Annamaria Alfieri este o combinație exotică între genul polițist și cel romantic, pe fondul unei ambianțe splendide a Africii din secolul al XX-lea. Mi-a plăcut tare mult faptul că scriitoarea newyorkeză a adus puțină diversificare printre lecturile actuale, propunând cititorilor o poveste simplă și delicată, dar cu influențele unui caz misterios de crimă.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is almost more romance than mystery. Vera is the daughter of Scottish immigrants and Justin Tolliver is an English police officer. Both love Africa, and both help to solve the death of Vera's uncle who was the local doctor. Best part about the book is the setting!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to read historical fiction that gives me a true sense of the place and time without being preachy or teachy. This mystery does a great job of bringing early 1900s East Africa to life, with a few clever twists of plot along the way.

[Sara Leigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf at 57%
I finally figured out why I have this book. My sister passed it along to my other sister, who passed it along to me. She didn't like it either, so I gave myself permission to quit. Too many other books waiting to be read on my TBR stacks.

[Wiebke Kuhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in British East Africa (then Rhodesia?), this is the story of outsiders who can see things differently because they don't have to follow all the rules. Love story is ok, murder mystery is interesting because of how it is breaking taboos.

[Pat Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

After a slow start (to me), it did pick up, but I struggled with the British ex-pat mannerisms. I am sure the author was true to the period, though, I just don't enjoy reading about it.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Africa at the turn of the last century, this is a love story and mystery. It is engaging as both, and good entertaining read.

[Peg · Rating 3 out of 5]

East Africa in the 1920s--mystery/romance.

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

It dragged in places. But atmosphere excellent as a period piece.

[Judi Losh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read! Looking forward to reading others in the series!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vera's uncle is the doctor at the Scottish mission where Vera lives.  His body is found with a Masaai spear in his back.  The colonial government wants a suspect in custody rapidly and seizes upon a local witch doctor who has been highly critical of the white doctor.  The African people know that he would never have done this in this manner.  A cursory investigation points at several English suspects but this is not acceptable to the local authorities.

Vera, Justin Tolliver an English policeman, and Kwai Libazo, a half Masaai/half Kikuyu policeman are left to investigate on their own if they want to get the real killer before an innocent man is executed.

This book captures an era where British landowners were running roughshod over the local tribes in Kenya.  There were African police employed by the British but they were not allowed to be seen having any authority over Europeans.  They weren't allowed to speak in meetings about cases.  Police investigations did not bother to interview Kikuyu people who may have information about crimes.  The goal was to show that this was a safe place for British people and to keep Africans subjugated.

Vera was born in Africa to Scottish parents.  She was raised by her Kikuyu "second mother".  She understands the unfairness of British rule and the resentments of the African people but can't do anything about it because of her sheltered status as an unmarried European woman.

Justin has come to love Africa.  He is the second son of an Earl but his local status fell sharply when he joined the police.  Now he is ostracized from society in Nairobi.

Kwai wants to learn about how the British investigate crimes but is seen as a traitor because he works for the occupiers.  He has never fit in anywhere because of being half Masaai.  He has never been fully accepted by either tribe.

There is a casual racism throughout this book that was probably typical of the time.  Even characters who are supposed to be enlightened are dismissive of most Africans.  Attempts are made to include the Kikuyu point of view but I'm not sure how effective it is.  They seem a bit too passive for everything that is happening to them. This may be because we are only hearing the stories of Africans who have chosen to work closely with the British.This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I am always on the lookout for good mysteries set in foreign locales, I was delighted to recently find myself seated next to Annamaria Alfieri at the Agatha Awards banquet. Her historical mystery series set in British East Africa in the early 1900s sounded just like something I would enjoy. And enjoy I did. Strange Gods is chock-full of interesting, well-developed characters. The setting is culturally intriguing and the history only vaguely known to me.

Vera McIntosh is the daughter of Scottish missionaries but is no demure Scottish lass. She has a deep understanding of the native culture and language which often clashes with the colonial mentality of the ruling class. Justin Tolliver, the second son of landed gentry, is likewise straddling two worlds. He has done the nearly unspeakable and become a police officer instead of a farming settler. When Vera's uncle, a fine doctor but an abysmal human being, is found murdered with a native's spear in his back Justin and Vera are thrown together to solve the crime.

Unfortunately, I will have to wait until fall to read what happens next in their lives when the second book in the series is released. Until then I plan to read Ms Alfieri's three previous stand-alones set in South America. I have no doubt they will be just as well done and entertaining as Strange Gods.

[Charty · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5. A solid historical mystery. I enjoyed the setting in British Africa and felt like the author did a good job at depicting the tensions between the different Native tribes and the British interlopers, particularly the attitudes and entitlement of the British settlers. She also did a nice job of painting the beauty and natural mystery of the landscape and animals.

The mystery was solidly done and I didn't guess the murder right away. The main leads, Justin Tolliver, a second son and policemen and Vera McIntosh, daughter of a Scottish missionary both seemed to be grounded in the historical culture while also being believable enough as outsiders who are also questioning of the typical British norms. The only thing I didn't care for was the sudden romance that went full throttle past believable the last part of the book. I also felt like the Finch Hatton character was dropped abruptly from the narrative with no explanation, and that a rather horrifying injustice ended up happening off-stage, which felt a bit like a copout on the author's part. Aside from those quibbles, a perfectly fine read.

[Leslie Roper · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a well-written mystery of early 20th century Africa; for the most part that is. The love story was a bit much. The novel mixed historical characters with the fictional. If you have read Out of Africa or West With the Night you will probably enjoy this. The description of Africa is loving and vivid.

[Garryvivianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young Vera McIntosh, daughter of Scottish missionaries in British ruled Africa, feels she belongs to neither the British or Scottish group. She was born in Africa & loves everything about it. She has met police officer, Justin Tolliver & is much infatuated with him. He has what she knows is honor & justice for all peoples.

Her uncle's body is found with a tribal spear in his back. Tolliver & his lieutenant, Libazo, a tribal officer, set out to find the actual murderer, as Tolliver's supervisor is quick to arrest the medicine man whom everybody knew did not like Vera's uncle. As her uncle, being a doctor, practiced medicine very unlike the medicine man's "medicine".

Book is lovely, show-casing Africa in it's danger & splendor.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in Nairobi in 1911, the author rather boldly moves into territory to be shortly occupied by such daunting authors as Karen Blixen and Elspeth Huxley. The strength of the book lies in its three main character, each in their own way misfits. Though of Scottish descent, Vera McIntosh was born in Africa and raised by a Kikuyu nanny and knows that she will never be a proper Scottish maiden. Justin Tolliver is of aristocratic descent but, as a second son, has no financial resources and has declassed himself by becoming a policeman. His native constable Kwai Libazo has a Kikuyu mother and a Maasai father and is accepted by neither tribe. The plot is a tad awkward, but the setting vividly portrayed.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This mystery, set in early 1900s East Africa, offers a view of colonial era Africa. A young British police officer, Justin Tolliver, is investigating the murder of a Scottish doctor working out of a missionary hospital. Although his superiors want to prosecute a local medicine man for the murder, he thinks that the culprit might be one of the White settlers. To complicate matters he finds himself attracted to the victim's attractive niece.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much of everything, not enough of anything. The murder mystery? I didn't care who done it. The romance? Generally unsatisfying. And the descriptions of Africa? Left me wanting more. There is a reason Agatha Christie left romance out of her stories.

[Jen Well-Steered · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this with a rather large grain of salt, as she appears to have made up some of her facts. For example, she makes the claim that the UK Prime Minister has to be an Anglican and that's why Tony Blair didn't convert to Catholicism until he was out of office. Wrong on both counts!

[Mary G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really nice mystery. Very much like the golden age of mysteries.

[James Hockenberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very poignant portrayal of Caucasian influence in Africa in history and in human behaviors. Details are exquisite. You feel as if you are there, right there...Enjoy!

[KelleReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seems well set up to be an interesting series. Good characters and an interesting setting- 1911 East Africa.