Facets of Death by Michael Stanley

Happy Wednesday! Today I'm a stop on the Random Things Tours for the latest Michael Stanley mystery, Facets of Death. 

It's Detective David Bengu's (aka Kubu) first day on the job and it appears he'll be delving into an exciting case of missing luggage. 

But then, an armored vehicle is reported stolen. 

Shortly after it goes missing, the vehicle is found. Two of the employees of the shipping company have been shot, a third is missing. And the cargo—a case from a local diamond mine—has disappeared. 

The case is one that fascinates the new detective and it's his first opportunity to work out in the field. The company usually transports their diamonds via plane but just that day the plane in question caught fire, landing the pilot in the hospital. And so an emergency plan was enacted: three identical cases would be loaded onto three different armored transport vehicles. Two of the cases are filled with gravel and the third is filled with uncut diamonds. No one is to know which case has the actual diamonds until they arrive at their destination. 

It's supposed to be a foolproof plan and one that only a small number of people know the details of. Obviously, the plan isn't as foolproof as believed and someone has been carefully planning this heist for some time!

I think that it would be safe to say that this is the book every Michael Stanley fan has been waiting for! 

Back in 2008, the authors made their debut in the series with A Carrion Death, but there were hints about Kubu's early days as a detective. Facets of Death is a prequel to the series, set before A Carrion Death. Which also means it's a great starting place for anyone who isn't familiar with the South African detective series!

Kubu comes across a bit like a Columbo in this one. His mind is always going and his very different track to detective—recruited rather than working his way up the ranks—means he has a different approach to the investigations at hand. Not that that's always a great thing! He's called out after questioning the airfield employee and pilot for not quite asking the right questions!

It's fun to see Kubu learning his way into the role! And as always, I enjoy the peek inside a culture and country that are so literally foreign to me!