Great African Reads discussion

Has anyone read good mysteries and thrillers by African authors or set in Africa? i like Henning Mankell, a Scandinavian author who sometimes sets his books in Africa, or partly in Africa, and who has interesting ties to Africa.

Off the top of my head there's A Good Man in Africa: A Novel by William Boyd, one of my favorite authors.

How about South Africa? Mixed Blood: A Thriller, Roger Smith.

The Book of Happenstance, Ingrid Winterbach.

I think this one fits the bill:
Tropic Moon, Georges Simenon.

I recently read Blood Safari by Deon Meyer, set in South Africa. Strong start, quite good in the end but with a middle that could have been better.

I listened to the audio version and, for once, it was read with a beautiful South African accent rather than a fake one. Very nicely done.

And, yes, Henning Mankell - The White Lioness has been sitting on my TBR shelf for ages, anybody read it?

Muphyn wrote: "And, yes, Henning Mankell - The White Lioness has been sitting on my TBR shelf for ages, anybody read it?"

I've only seen the television series based on his books but today I started listening to the first book in the Kurt Wallender series.

Anne, wow...those all look great.

I noticed that Deon Myer has other mysteries set in South Africa.

I haven't read any of the following:

Oil on Water: A Novel by Helon Habila. Same author has other mysteries set in Africa.

An African Affair: A Novel by Nina Darnton.

The Man from Beijing, Henning Mankell. And Kennedy's Brain: A Novel by Mankell.

A Beautiful Place to Die, Malla Nunn

Wife of the Gods: A Novel and Children of the Street by Kwei Quartey.

A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley. 1st in series of 4 books.

The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu, Michael Stanley 2nd in the series.

Wow, Anne, someone likes mysteries and thrillers! :-) Great suggestions!

I should check out some of Deon Meyer's other books. Really just stumbled on Blood Safari in the library.

Anne wrote: "I noticed that Deon Myer has other mysteries set in South Africa.

I haven't read any of the following:

Oil on Water: A Novel by Helon Habila. Same author has ot..."

Great list, to which I might add

Let the Dead Lie, by Malla Nunn (I have read this, and it is good)

Nairobi Heat, by Mukoma wa Ngugi (definitely on my wish list)

Muphyn wrote: "Wow, Anne, someone likes mysteries and thrillers! :-) Great suggestions!

I do like some mysteries and thrillers, but I was having a good time finding that last batch. I saw that a friend had one of the books shelved under "Africa" and "mysteries," so I raided her Africa shelf. From there I took advantage of the books listed at the side of the page that are similar to the book page. Several of them seem really interesting.

Anne wrote: "I do like some mysteries and thrillers, but I was having a good time finding that last batch. I saw that a f..."

Great approach, Anne, I should steal that off you! ;)

Muphyn, you are welcome to it.

Nina wrote: "Anne wrote: "I noticed that Deon Myer has other mysteries set in South Africa.

I haven't read any of the following:

Oil on Water: A Novel by Helon Habila. Same ..."

I will be reading Nairobi Heat in the next week or so. I am looking forward to it

Anne wrote: "I noticed that Deon Myer has other mysteries set in South Africa.

I haven't read any of the following:

Oil on Water: A Novel by Helon Habila. Same author has ot..."

I have read all of Helon Habila's books and have enjoyed all of the them. I so love his writing style and wish that he would publish books more frequently. Yes, I know all of the hard work that goes into writing first rate fiction. :)

Glad to see Oil on Water listed here but I guess I would not consider it a "mystery" in the more traditional sense, but saw the "mystery" of the story as the way to tell the story of the situation in the Niger Delta. But, I can see that many would.

Here is my review for Oil on Water:

Heading: Disillusioned and Disheartened

Oil on Water is the masterful third novel by Helon Habila, and once again the author tackles another timely topic, this time the deadly politics of oil in the Niger Delta. The wife of a British oil executive has been kidnapped by a group of militants, and this in itself is not necessarily newsworthy as it is a common enough occurrence in the region with its own rules for the exchange of monies and the release of the kidnapped person. As journalists are usually involved to help facilitate the process, Rufus, a young journalist, takes the assignment to find “the white woman”, as he senses this could be his big break. He is excited to work with his mentor, Zaq, a once-renowned journalist who has fallen from grace and now lives in an alcoholic haze. But, a seemingly routine event takes an unexpected turn which leads Rufus and Zaq on a life-threatening and introspective journey. Through this adventure, both Rufus and the reader will be often reminded of Zaq’s sage advice, “Remember, the story is not always the final goal.”

One of the strengths of this enthralling story is the unfolding of the tale through Rufus’ memory that is often patchy and hallucinatory matching it to the environment with its twists and turns in the river, and the hidden islands appearing and disappearing before your eyes. This provides a cinematic quality as the scenes are vividly painted for the reader, making the Niger Delta as much a character as Rufus and Zaq. The expert storytelling allows the reader to feel empathy for the characters that live in an environment where often who is the good guy and who is the bad guy is dependent on the breathtaking tricks of chance that can result in life or death in a second.

Using Rufus, as the detective in this mystery allows for the exploration of journalism as a vehicle for being the voice of the people, and showing the frustration of reining in the truth when political and money forces are spinning the tale to their own making. Through Rufus starts out searching for “the white woman,” he ends up finding something more transformative and profound, and the reader is right there with him feeling the potent mix of humanity with the sharp edge of nervous anticipation of the truth.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as it was part armchair adventure, part cautionary tale, and part social documentary. Oil on Water provides a portrait of the Niger Delta and the people who live there. The author deserves the accolades as he took an unsettling subject and captured it in a calming and haunting way that stays with me long after I have read the last page.

I recommend this book to readers of literary fiction and those who are interested in environmental and energy issues.

Reviewed by Beverly
APOOO Literary Book Review.

we can make dedicated threads anytime anyone wants to discuss a specific book! :D

i've been wanting to read "Oil on Water" but i'm not sure when i can get to it.

Just finished The Informationist by Taylor Stevens - nothing deep but a nice fast thriller set in west-central Africa.

I do like the Michael Stanley novels, although they are definitely light. I haven't read Kwei Quartey's new novel, but his first one was "Wife of the Gods" was really, really good. I'd like to read Nairobi Heat, too. Maybe when we get closer to Kenya on the list.

I got Oil on Water from work (like Zoo City, i couldn't believe we had a copy already!) and brought it home. i really really want to read it. i also noticed this weekend that Helon Habila will be at Fall for the Book! but it's not very convenient to me so i don't think i'll get to go to any of the events. :(

I think "The Taste of Fear" by Jeremy Bates fits the bill. Mostly set in terrorist-plagued DR Congo.

That is a new title and author for me. Thanks for pointing it out!

Oil on Water has been on my list for a while

Red Ink by Angela Makholwa. Since her Goodreads profile is not up to date here: http://panmacmillan.co.za/book-author... and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_...

What Hidden Lies and Hour of Darkness by Michele Rowe. Her profile is also a mess so here is a nice article on her.
http://bookslive.co.za/blog/2015/09/2...

Mike Nicol 's Revenge trilogy and other books. Payback is the first in the trilogy.

Margie Orford's Clare Hart series set in Cape Town. First one in the series is Like Clockwork. Word of warning: Mike Nicol and Margie Orford are not for the faint of heart. South Africa does not lend itself to cozy mysteries.

Bubbles is a fictionalised account of an old unsolved murder in Johannesburg. I loved it.

Unity Dow has written a few crime novels including Heavens May Fall. She is a Botswana judge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unity_Dow

Jassy Mackenzie's Jade de Jong series starting with Random Violence.

Sibanda and the Rainbird by C.M. Elliott is set in Zimbabwe and here's an article http://www.bdlive.co.za/life/books/20...

I'm going to mention Young Blood and White Wahalla, although both are more a description of the criminal side of it. Well worth reading. Young Blood won the Sunday Times (now Barry Ronge) award for best South African work of fiction when is was published.

Wessel Ebersohn has written about eleven crime novels set in Johannesburg including The October Killings.

The Honey Guide by Richard Crompton is set in Nairobi.

Tokoloshe Song is a combination crime and urban fantasy novel. Excellent. The assassin, Door, is one of my favourite assassins of all time.

Sarah Lotz also writes crime novels like Exhibit A

Thanks for this list!

Just to add to the lists of mysteries/thrillers, I just finished reading White Leopard, by Laurent Guillaume (in translation naturally!). I enjoyed the Malian setting.

I just read this Indie book by an author called Ben Hinson titled Eteka: Rise of the Imamba and my book club is now reading it. If you are looking for a well written, gritty action adventure with TONS of history set across a range of countries in Africa (and Asia/Europe/US) that also has some great insights on African development and some very colorful characters, this is the book to read. A truly amazing book with great pace, I finished it in a week because I enjoyed it so much.

I've just completed Death at the Voyager Hotel by Kwei Quartey which is set in Accra, Ghana. Novella length, it's a quick read, but with a satisfying mystery and interesting characters. Anne mentioned some of his other books in Message 9 and I'll keep an eye out for them.

I've just completed The Honey Guide which is set in Kenya during the 2007 elections. It has an interesting plot and captures the complexity of Kenya's tribal situation well. I enjoyed the cast of characters and the modern Nairobi setting. In the light of today's court decision on the current elections, it seems to have been a very timely read.

I should add to my list in message 24.

The Tannie Maria series which has since been published in South Africa. Recipes for Love and Murder is the first in the series. It is as cozy as a South African crime novel will ever be. Absolutely lovely cast of characters set in the Karoo with a bonus of some classic South African recipes as part of the plot.

I've also read Weeping Waters this year. This is a very well-written book with a complex plot that tackles a range of South African issues including land reform and farm murders. Very well worth the effort.

Carolien wrote: "I've just completed The Honey Guide which is set in Kenya during the 2007 elections. It has an interesting plot and captures the complexity of Kenya's tribal situation well. I enjoy..." Very timely! Hope it was good too :)

I just finished reading Honey Guide too....so relevant now that Kenya is going back to electioneering again.

Muphyn wrote: "I recently read Blood Safari by Deon Meyer, set in South Africa. Strong start, quite good in the end but with a middle that could have been better.

I listened to the audio version a..."

All Deon Meyer's books are great mysteries.

Muphyn wrote: "Wow, Anne, someone likes mysteries and thrillers! :-) Great suggestions!

I should check out some of Deon Meyer's other books. Really just stumbled on Blood Safari in the library."

All of Deon Meyer's books are good mysteries!

Marieke wrote: "Has anyone read good mysteries and thrillers by African authors or set in Africa? i like Henning Mankell, a Scandinavian author who sometimes sets his books in Africa, or partly in A..."

Marieke wrote: "Has anyone read good mysteries and thrillers by African authors or set in Africa? i like Henning Mankell, a Scandinavian author who sometimes sets his books in Africa, or partly in A..."

Not a mystery, but an amazing book set in Maputo by Henning Mankel (he ran a theatre in Maputo for many years) Chronicler of the Winds. An indictment of the effects of war on children, but uplifting along with intense sadness.

Nina wrote: "Anne wrote: "I noticed that Deon Myer has other mysteries set in South Africa.

I haven't read any of the following:

Oil on Water: A Novel by Helon Habila. Same a..."

Mukoma wa Ngugi's books set partially in Nairobi are very good, although the body count and methods of death are a bit gruesome.

Try James Kilgore's We Are All Zimabweans Now. Very political, almost too true to life, and a good mystery. Also his Prudence Couldn't Swim and Sister Mercy's Revenge - set in California with strong Zimbabwean and South African women characters.

Anne wrote: "I noticed that Deon Myer has other mysteries set in South Africa.

I haven't read any of the following:

Oil on Water: A Novel by Helon Habila. Same author has oth..."

Thanks for the suggestions, several I don't know but will try.

Parker Bilal's Makana series set in Cairo has a real flavour of parts of Cairo - it's a bit gruesome for me.

Colleen wrote: "Muphyn wrote: "Wow, Anne, someone likes mysteries and thrillers! :-) Great suggestions!

I should check out some of Deon Meyer's other books. Really just stumbled on Blood Safari in the library."

..."

Colleen wrote: "Muphyn wrote: "Wow, Anne, someone likes mysteries and thrillers! :-) Great suggestions!

I should check out some of Deon Meyer's other books. Really just stumbled on Blood Safari in the library."

..."

Colleen wrote: "Muphyn wrote: "Wow, Anne, someone likes mysteries and thrillers! :-) Great suggestions!

I should check out some of Deon Meyer's other books. Really just stumbled on Blood Safari in the library."

..."

Colleen wrote: "Muphyn wrote: "Wow, Anne, someone likes mysteries and thrillers! :-) Great suggestions!

I should check out some of Deon Meyer's other books. Really just stumbled on Blood Safari in the library."

..."

YES, I have read Henning Menkel.