Juba Good

Ray Robertson #1

by Vicki Delany

Juba, South Sudan.

RCMP Sergeant Ray Robertson has spent eleven and a half months serving with the United Nations in the world's newest country. He's tired of the chaotic traffic and jostling crowds that fill the narrow streets. Tired of the choking red dust that blows into the capital from the desert. He can't wait to get back to his wife and kids--and back to policing a world he understands.
But when a young woman--the fourth in three weeks--is found dead at the side of a dusty road with a thin white ribbon wrapped tightly around her neck, Robertson fears that a serial killer is on the loose. In a country plagued by years of extreme poverty, civil war and the struggle to establish a functioning government, the policeman realizes that it's up to him and his Dinka partner, John Deng, to find the killer before they can strike again.

Genres: Mystery, Africa, Young Adult, Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller

122 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2014

About the author

“It’s a crime not to read Delany,” so says the London Free Press.

Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most varied and prolific crime writers.

She is the author of four cozy mystery series: The Tea by the Sea series from Kensington Books, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series from Crooked Lane and the Year Round Christmas series from Penguin. Under the pen name of Eva Gates she writes the Lighthouse Library Series.
Visit Vicki at www.vickidelany.com , www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor, and twitter: @vickidelany

Vicki is part of Mystery Lovers Kitchen (http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com) and Killer Characters (http://www.killercharacters.com)

Visit Vicki at www.vickidelany.com

Reviews

[George Ilsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished this book. It's written like this. Short sentences. Choppy. Sometimes really choppy.

This is a "rapid reads" novella set in South Sudan, from the perspective of a Canadian RCMP officer who is part of a UN mission. The basic story elements are interesting, but the nature of such a novel (in the publishing world, this book probably qualifies as "high/low" — that is, high in terms of challenging adult content, but low in terms of the demands placed on the reader) means that it feels rushed and superficial.

However, I am not the target reader (another term used for the audience for such books is "reluctant readers"). Rounded up to 4 stars, based on the achievement in the category, rather than my personal enjoyment.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good voice. I liked all the Vancouver/BC references. Ending felt a bit rushed and crime motive felt a little underdeveloped, but I enjoyed the story and the setting.

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

For what it is, this is a good book.

The fast (i.e. rapid reads) format did definitely leave something to be desired- there really wasn't enough time to flesh out all of the aspects of the book like characters, plot setting, etc. just because the book was so short. In paperback it's 119 pages which is already short but on my ebook the font was small so it was only 84 pages. A positive to this was that the plot did truly feel fast paced and like exciting things were happening, mostly I think because there just wasn't any time for the meaningless filler that usually occupies long and winding stories.

My one actual gripe about this book was that at the end the murder mystery was all just a bit too rushed. The main character didn't even do real detective work, it all just sort of happened by a sneaking intuition, luck, and a whole lot of happenstance. Not that the he was actually even a detective! There's an unusual twist for you in the whole cop mystery-murder trope. But I thought the way it ended, if somewhat unsatisfying in a narrative sense, was realistic none the less. In a situation where not many people actually cared about getting justice for the girls murdered, the killer couldn't just have been arrested and jailed for the rest of his life.

He was there as a UN peacekeeping force there to train the police officers of the newly formed (2011, three years before this book was published) South Sudan. This is the part I most wish the author had gone more into- how people like Ray in the UN actually function in these situations and his role as a trainer, as well as explore more ethnic groups, especially the Dinka which is the tribe John Deng was a part of. But ultimately I'm not too mad at it because I know that wasn't really within the scope of the novel nor what the author was trying to accomplish. I'm just happy with little culture and descriptive setting we got.

All in all, this was a quick read with a quick plot that I really enjoyed. I'm not really sure about my rating just yet because for the genre it's in it was really good but it doesn't really compare to what I usually read... I think I'm just going to go with 3.5 and round up for a goodreads rating.

[Wendy]

Sergent Ray Robertson is usually an police officer with the RCMP. But, he is part of the UN's training mission helping the new nation of South Sudan. He has been teaching and training for almost a year and is counting the days he can finally go home.

In Ray's thoughts and actions we get but a glimpse of South Sudan. Its people, lands and struggles as a new country precariously on the edge.

There have been 4 murders of South Sudanese women. Here, there is no crime tape, or forensics, The people are afraid of anyone in uniform. With very little time before he leaves Ray us determined to find these women justice.

A book of mere 113 pages. This is the only crime fiction based in South Sudan. that I know of. It was a simple story, but I really wanted more.

Checks out for my World Book Challenge

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is short fiction, something you can finish in about an hour. It’s an interesting mystery with a promising plot and wonderfully detailed scenery. I think I would enjoy this book more at full length because the author really tried her best to create an interesting mystery, sympathetic characters, dastardly villains, and to educate the reader about South Sudan. She seems to care deeply for the people there, and that did show through clearly. Still, it was a tall order to fill in a small amount of space. I hope she will write more about her protagonist in a longer form so more of these elements can be fully drawn. I like this authors style, and I plan to read more of her fiction soon.

[Holly Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was my first Vicki Delany book, short somewhat easy read, and a good place to start off with a new author. Short synopsis of this book is In a South Sudanese town someone is killing women, tying a white ribbon around their necks. Ray Robertson is a Canadian R.C.M.P. Officer doing a year long stint with the U.N. to teach proper policing to the fledgling Sudanese police force in the town of Juba Good. Miss Delany did a good job of keeping me guessing until the end as to who the killer was. Looking forward to reading more from her.

[Tricia V · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actual rating: 1.5 stars

While I understand the appeal of a rapid read, this one fell flat to me. The mystery didn't feel like a real mystery as it was solved by happenstance rather than good detective work.

[Michelle]

Hard to rate because I didn't realize it was an 'easy reader' book.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well described and well told story in very few words - really well done! Definitely wished it had been longer because I was enjoying it so much.

[Me · Rating 1 out of 5]

ugh

[alexis michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not get into it dnf’d half way through

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a small book,119 pages of fairly big font. However, I found it most interesting. It took me to South Sudan, Africa, a place I will probably never visit and placed me in the lives of the local residents and a Canadian Mounted Police UN peace trainer t trying to convince everyone that a serial killer is doing damage.. Though I would consider this a short story, I found it quite interesting and I really liked the ending. Would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick but very good read.

[Alison Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been interesting, however, due to the formatting of a rapid reads novel, does not get in depth enough to do the topic justice.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bonus star for setting.

[Julie sims and books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crime plot, slow at first, but second half good and next two rated higher. Short.