Publication Day!!

Thursday - Michael Stanley 

Orenda Books releases Facets of Death today in the UK and the rest of the world (except North America, where it was released fifteen months ago just before COVID shut us all down).

It's a prequel to the other six Detective Kubu novels and starts on Kubu's first day on the job as a rookie detective. He's thrown straight into the fire because he's been made Detective Sergeant without ever having to walk the beat. His colleagues are not impressed and are out to make his life miserable.

His immediate boss, Assistant Superintendent Mabaku, gives him what appears to be a simple case to cut his teeth on - suitcases that have been scanned as they are put on flights from Botswana to various international destinations fail to arrive. The owners are livid.

Just as he's getting into the case, 100,000 carats of uncut diamonds are hijacked from the world's richest diamond mine (Jwaneng). The heist has huge political ramifications and even rookie Kubu is pulled in to help. The problem becomes even more puzzling when the hijackers are assassinated. However, the diamonds are still missing.

Eventually Kubu persuades his superiors to set a trap to identify the brains behind the heist. And a strange trap it is. The problem is that if it works, Kubu and his boss will be heroes. If it doesn't....

It's been very exciting - over the past month the book has enjoyed a comprehensive blog tour, mainly in the UK, but also in Argentina and on the Continent. To say we're thrilled with the reception would be a huge understatement. It was reported that Michael was seen to blush.

'The landscape of the characters is painted so cleverly, it’s like being in a rich tapestry, and I absolutely loved the book. It’s full of atmosphere and grit and you will be holding your breath for the next turning.' -Books 'n' Banter blog

'You really don’t need to know a lot about Botswana to feel like you are in the heart of this story. The authors have created such a sense of place that you feel every moment of the oppressive heat and understand the power of the local culture and the superstitions which make the locals, including the Detective, believe in black magic.' - Jen Med's Book Reviews

'It is such a challenging novel to try and solve yourself and that was one of the reasons that I loved it. If you like a crime novel that keeps you on your toes, then look no further – this one kept me up half the night as I just had to know the truth! ' - On the Shelf Books blog

Reviewers not on the blog tour also liked it. Such as LoveReading's review.

In fact, Orenda Books does a great job with marketing their books. Take a look at this short trailer for Facets of Death:

We've also been delighted that Orenda Books has worked with the Isis Audio, a division of Ulverscroft to produce a terrific audiobook of Facets of Death read by Ben Onwukwe, best known for his role as Stuart 'Recall' MacKenzie in London's Burning. You can listen to a short excerpt below. It is not as good as the original because I had to record from my computer, then convert it into a movie.

If you haven't read any of the Kubu series before, this is a good place to start. 

For those readers who live in North America, you can see the Sourcebooks version here. 

So it's up to the readers now. If you decide to give it a go, we'd love to know what you think. You can get in touch with us through our website, where you can also sign up for a regular (but occasional) newsletter. Happy reading!