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Three Complete Mysteries: Death in Kenya, Death in Zanzibar, Death in Cyprus
A collection of three novels by the famed British mystery writer features Death in Kenya, Death in Zanzibar, and Death in Cyprus.
646 pages, Hardcover
First published December 19, 1993
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About the author
M.M. Kaye
34 books579 followersM. M. Kaye (Mary Margaret) was born in India and spent her early childhood and much of her early-married life there. Her family ties with the country are strong: her grandfather, father, brother and husband all served the British Raj. After India's independence, her husband, Major-General Goff Hamilton of Queen Victoria's Own Corps of Guides (the famous Indian Army regiment featured in The Far Pavilions), joined the British Army and for the next nineteen years M. M. Kaye followed the drum to Kenya, Zanzibar, Egypt, Cyprus and Germany.
M. M. Kaye won worldwide fame for The Far Pavilions, which became a worldwide best-seller on publication in 1978. This was followed by Shadow of the Moon and Trade Wind. She also wrote and illustrated The Ordinary Princess, a children's book and authored a dozen detective novels, including Death in Kashmir and Death in Zanzibar. Her autobiography has been published in three volumes, collectively entitled Share of Summer: The Sun in the Morning, Golden Afternoon, and Enchanted Evening. In March 2003, M. M. Kaye was awarded the Colonel James Tod International Award by the Maharana Mewar Foundation of Udaipur, Rajasthan, for her "contribution of permanent value reflecting the spirit and values of Mewar".
M. M. Kaye won worldwide fame for The Far Pavilions, which became a worldwide best-seller on publication in 1978. This was followed by Shadow of the Moon and Trade Wind. She also wrote and illustrated The Ordinary Princess, a children's book and authored a dozen detective novels, including Death in Kashmir and Death in Zanzibar. Her autobiography has been published in three volumes, collectively entitled Share of Summer: The Sun in the Morning, Golden Afternoon, and Enchanted Evening. In March 2003, M. M. Kaye was awarded the Colonel James Tod International Award by the Maharana Mewar Foundation of Udaipur, Rajasthan, for her "contribution of permanent value reflecting the spirit and values of Mewar".
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 14, 2024
If you like old-fashioned mystery and romance set in an exotic locale, this trio from M.M. Kaye is fabulous. One of the great writers of her era, she is better known for epic and gorgeous tales, but her mysteries are very special. Her lush descriptions of exotic locales she and her husband visited as she followed the drum come alive once again in these atmospheric novels of mystery. Zanzibar, Kenya, and Cyprus are all remembered as they truly were, Kaye sharing her impressions of those magical places before time would change them or obliterate them forever.
DEATH IN KENYA —
In Death in Kenya young Victoria Caryll returns to a family estate in the Kenyan Rift Valley as it recovers from a bloody Mau Mau uprising. Eden Debrett is the man who left her for Alice. But Alice's murder will bring mystery and danger to the lush and romantic locale in this atmospheric M.M. Kaye tale.
DEATH IN ZANZIBAR —
Death in Zanzibar is a sentimental favorite of mine. It has a light and entertaining feel to the overall story and a very likable heroine in Dany Ashton. The characters are colorful and well-defined, and they blend perfectly with the time period. Death in Zanzibar very much feels like it belongs in another era, and takes you there like a time machine.
Lash is a young man-about-town, when young men-about-town were in every mystery. He slowly comes into his own while helping Dany perpetrate a ruse during their trip to Zanzibar and the House of Shade. The mystery of why her hotel room was broken into and her passport stolen deepens when a murder occurs. And then there is more.
Dany is sweet and endearing as she shows old-fashioned bravado during the course of the mystery. She will emerge from her mother's shadow and come into her own just as Lash does. There is, of course, an innocent and growing romance between the two. The reader knows how this will end long before they do, which is part of the old -fashioned charm of the read.
Kaye makes wonderful use of the exotic locale as we see it through the eyes of her heroine, who is also seeing it for the first time. While the beauty of the descriptive prose doesn’t reach the level of Death in Cyprus, it’s still quite lovely — this is M.M. Kaye, after all — and filled with charm because we as readers we are seeing it through the eyes of another.
Death in Zanzibar, while a bit lean, is a very fun and entertainingly old-fashioned mystery, with the values and mores of a bygone era. All of Kaye's mysteries fit this bill and this one is perhaps my sentimental favorite. If you're searching for something intricate and complex, this isn't for you, but if you like your mystery and romance firmly ensconced on the old-fashioned side, you will enjoy this greatly, just as I did.
DEATH IN CYPRUS —
M.M. Kaye set this most enjoyable mystery novel in an enchanting Cyprus that Kaye realized was too good to last. Years later when memories of places like Kyrenia had begun to fade, she made the sun shine one last time on the Cyprus she had seen and experienced in this marvelous mystery-romance.
Those who love the scope and beauty of Kaye's grander, heftier works will find much to love in this old-fashioned mystery and romance set in an exotic locale. M. M. Kaye made sure the sun would never truly set on exotic places such as Port Said, Fayid, Limassol, Nicosia and Kyrenia with Death in Cyprus.
Sunlit garden verandas, dinner tables overlooking a crystal sea of jade and emerald, and the breeze from silver-gray olive trees are described in such a manner you can almost see the former, and taste the latter like a fresh purple grape from the vineyards of Nicosia. The setting is ripe for romance and danger, and Kaye brings them together in Death in Cyprus, one of her finest mysteries. You will feel as though you have enjoyed a vacation fraught with excitement and adventure upon finishing this most charming and old-fashioned mystery. While you could say that of all of her mysteries, it is especially true of Death in Cyprus.
Young and lovely twenty-year-old Amanda Derrington boards the S.S. Orantares and begins to meet the people who will play an important part in her life in ways she could not have imagined. Before she leaves the ship for a stay in beautiful Cyprus a murder occurs which will reach the white-walled houses of Cyprus, shining bright against the sea. Due a cabin mix-up, only Amanda, and Stephen Howard — a painter who carries a gun and may be more than he seems to be — know that the death of Julia Blaine was actually murder, and not a suicide.
The romance of Stephen and Amanda — or Amarantha as he calls her — is a very-old fashioned one born of danger and mystery. It is the kind of romance and mystery that recalls the best of Hitchcock's British films, and very much has that feel. Jealousy and romantic strife all come into play as just beneath the surface smiles, much is going on.
Amanda is befriended by more than one person while having doubts about Stephen, and what his real purpose is in all this. A moonlight kiss only complicates matters, as will a second, unexpected murder, and an attempt on Amanda's life while in Kyrenia.
There is a terrific ending filled with both adventure and romance. It’s unlikely you will guess the killer, or the motive; Kaye has deftly given us the clues, however. The last few moments of Death in Cyprus are fraught with danger and excitement. Just when the reader believes all has been revealed, Kaye pulls the rug out from under the reader’s feet.
A fine and vividly realized assortment of characters enliven Death in Cyprus almost as much as the exquisitely described exotic locales. Grand beauty and old-fashioned romance amidst an ever-growing danger do the rest, making Death in Cyprus, and this entire collection, a memorable mystery romance rich and evocative of another time and place, and a different style of writing.
DEATH IN KENYA —
In Death in Kenya young Victoria Caryll returns to a family estate in the Kenyan Rift Valley as it recovers from a bloody Mau Mau uprising. Eden Debrett is the man who left her for Alice. But Alice's murder will bring mystery and danger to the lush and romantic locale in this atmospheric M.M. Kaye tale.
DEATH IN ZANZIBAR —
Death in Zanzibar is a sentimental favorite of mine. It has a light and entertaining feel to the overall story and a very likable heroine in Dany Ashton. The characters are colorful and well-defined, and they blend perfectly with the time period. Death in Zanzibar very much feels like it belongs in another era, and takes you there like a time machine.
Lash is a young man-about-town, when young men-about-town were in every mystery. He slowly comes into his own while helping Dany perpetrate a ruse during their trip to Zanzibar and the House of Shade. The mystery of why her hotel room was broken into and her passport stolen deepens when a murder occurs. And then there is more.
Dany is sweet and endearing as she shows old-fashioned bravado during the course of the mystery. She will emerge from her mother's shadow and come into her own just as Lash does. There is, of course, an innocent and growing romance between the two. The reader knows how this will end long before they do, which is part of the old -fashioned charm of the read.
Kaye makes wonderful use of the exotic locale as we see it through the eyes of her heroine, who is also seeing it for the first time. While the beauty of the descriptive prose doesn’t reach the level of Death in Cyprus, it’s still quite lovely — this is M.M. Kaye, after all — and filled with charm because we as readers we are seeing it through the eyes of another.
Death in Zanzibar, while a bit lean, is a very fun and entertainingly old-fashioned mystery, with the values and mores of a bygone era. All of Kaye's mysteries fit this bill and this one is perhaps my sentimental favorite. If you're searching for something intricate and complex, this isn't for you, but if you like your mystery and romance firmly ensconced on the old-fashioned side, you will enjoy this greatly, just as I did.
DEATH IN CYPRUS —
M.M. Kaye set this most enjoyable mystery novel in an enchanting Cyprus that Kaye realized was too good to last. Years later when memories of places like Kyrenia had begun to fade, she made the sun shine one last time on the Cyprus she had seen and experienced in this marvelous mystery-romance.
Those who love the scope and beauty of Kaye's grander, heftier works will find much to love in this old-fashioned mystery and romance set in an exotic locale. M. M. Kaye made sure the sun would never truly set on exotic places such as Port Said, Fayid, Limassol, Nicosia and Kyrenia with Death in Cyprus.
Sunlit garden verandas, dinner tables overlooking a crystal sea of jade and emerald, and the breeze from silver-gray olive trees are described in such a manner you can almost see the former, and taste the latter like a fresh purple grape from the vineyards of Nicosia. The setting is ripe for romance and danger, and Kaye brings them together in Death in Cyprus, one of her finest mysteries. You will feel as though you have enjoyed a vacation fraught with excitement and adventure upon finishing this most charming and old-fashioned mystery. While you could say that of all of her mysteries, it is especially true of Death in Cyprus.
Young and lovely twenty-year-old Amanda Derrington boards the S.S. Orantares and begins to meet the people who will play an important part in her life in ways she could not have imagined. Before she leaves the ship for a stay in beautiful Cyprus a murder occurs which will reach the white-walled houses of Cyprus, shining bright against the sea. Due a cabin mix-up, only Amanda, and Stephen Howard — a painter who carries a gun and may be more than he seems to be — know that the death of Julia Blaine was actually murder, and not a suicide.
The romance of Stephen and Amanda — or Amarantha as he calls her — is a very-old fashioned one born of danger and mystery. It is the kind of romance and mystery that recalls the best of Hitchcock's British films, and very much has that feel. Jealousy and romantic strife all come into play as just beneath the surface smiles, much is going on.
Amanda is befriended by more than one person while having doubts about Stephen, and what his real purpose is in all this. A moonlight kiss only complicates matters, as will a second, unexpected murder, and an attempt on Amanda's life while in Kyrenia.
There is a terrific ending filled with both adventure and romance. It’s unlikely you will guess the killer, or the motive; Kaye has deftly given us the clues, however. The last few moments of Death in Cyprus are fraught with danger and excitement. Just when the reader believes all has been revealed, Kaye pulls the rug out from under the reader’s feet.
A fine and vividly realized assortment of characters enliven Death in Cyprus almost as much as the exquisitely described exotic locales. Grand beauty and old-fashioned romance amidst an ever-growing danger do the rest, making Death in Cyprus, and this entire collection, a memorable mystery romance rich and evocative of another time and place, and a different style of writing.
April 14, 2021
I've heard that Death in the Andamans is Kaye's best mystery and wish I had started with that book. It was fun to read three mysteries together, but descriptions of the locales were always more fun than the plots.
February 19, 2017
It's been awhile since I read them, but I do know that they were each different. What I loved about them is you felt you were THERE. I could feel that cool breeze in Cyprus, smell the flowers in Zanzibar, and literally feel the tension in Kenya. The time period for each is around the 40s.
December 7, 2010
Enjoyed them but not as much as her other books.
February 11, 2011
this was actually my first collection of Kaye's works. I think the last one, Death in Cyprus is my favorite. Again I remember most the fall from the very high place.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews