Death in Kenya
15. M. M. Kaye, Death in Kenya
When Victoria Caryll receives a letter from her Aunt Em inviting her to Kenya, she is nervous about accepting the offer. Although she spent her childhood in Kenya and loves the country, she once had a relationship with Em’s grandson Eden that ended badly. Despite feeling uncomfortable about seeing him again, Victoria decides to make the trip. But when she arrives in Kenya, she promptly finds herself in the middle of a tragedy: Eden’s wife Alice has just been murdered. Suspects abound, both among the local African natives and among Victoria’s new circle of friends. But as mysterious events continue to occur, Victoria becomes increasingly frightened as everyone wonders who will be the next to die.
I’ve enjoyed all the M. M. Kaye mysteries that I’ve read, and this book is no exception. It does follow a pretty standard formula of cozy mystery plus romance plus exotic setting - but if you like that kind of book, I think you’ll enjoy this! Be warned, though, that if a pro-colonial outlook bothers you, there are a few passages in this book that you really won’t like. One of the sympathetic characters delivers a short rant about how the British colonization of Kenya was a good thing, and several other characters use derogatory language when they talk about the African servants. So if that’s likely to enrage you, I wouldn’t recommend this book. Otherwise, I enjoyed it a lot, and I’d definitely recommend it to Agatha Christie fans.