Dead of Night by Michael Stanley

I am delighted to be on the blog tour for Dead of Night by Michael Stanley. Michael Stanley is being published in paperback on 31 August 2018, but is available in ebook NOW!

Dead of Night
By Michael Stanley
Published by Orenda Books (e-book out now; Paperback - 31 August 2018)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher

Publisher's description

When freelance journalist, Crystal Nguyen, heads to South Africa, she thinks she’ll be researching an article on rhino-horn smuggling for National Geographic, while searching for her missing colleague. But within a week, she’s been hunting poachers, hunted by their bosses, and then arrested in connection with a murder. And everyone is after a briefcase full of money that may hold the key to everything…
Fleeing South Africa, she goes undercover in Vietnam, trying to discover the truth before she’s exposed by the local mafia. Discovering the plot behind the money is only half the battle. Now she must convince the South African authorities to take action before it’s too late. She has a shocking story to tell, if she survives long enough to tell it…

My verdict
There's nothing more satisfying than picking up a book, diving in and then coming up for air three hours later. Not ideal though, when it's around 26 degrees outside (and possibly even hotter indoors) and you're too engrossed to move, even though you're gasping for a drink (water, I should add). Dead of Night should come with a health warning - 'so addictive, it could lead to dehydration'.

Seriously though, I love Michael Stanley's Sunshine Noir. As many know, I'm a huge fan of the Detective Kubu series, which is also published by Orenda Books. Well, Dead of Night is just as brilliant, possibly even better (though I would struggle to choose between them so I won't, and instead I encourage everyone to read the Kubu series as well).

Dead of Night is set in three locations - mainly South Africa but also a little Vietnam and USA. It felt more brutal, graphic and harder hitting than the Detective Kubu series, but with the same amazing writing, vivid descriptions and insight into the African (and also Vietnamese, in this case) culture. While reading the African scenes, I felt like I was on safari, exploring the jungle and watching rhinos, elephants and more in their natural setting.

Dead of Night is a fast-paced thriller, filled with action and conflict, focusing on the politics, cultural clashes and violence associated with the rhino trade. I was totally gripped by the feisty and determined female protagonist Crystal Nguyen, an undercover journalist investigating corruption and bribery. I was also touched emotionally by so many of her scenes, just as shocked as she was by the cruelty she witnessed and the violence she experienced.

Yet again, as with many of the Orenda Books thrillers, I came away with important environmental messages in my head and having extended my knowledge of world politics, history and culture. I really do hope this is the start of a series as I'm now desperate for more!

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Dead of Night by Michael Stanley - Cover Reveal!!

Today, I'm delighted and excited to be hosting the cover reveal for Dead of Night by Michael Stanley, which is being published by Orenda Books in July 2018. This is a standalone from the authors of the brilliant Detective Kubu series. 

Dead of Night: Read the blurb

When freelance journalist, Crystal Nguyen, heads to South Africa, she thinks she’ll be researching an article on rhino-horn smuggling for National Geographic, but within a week she’s been hunting poachers, hunted by their bosses, and then arrested in connection with a murder. And everyone is after a briefcase full of money that she doesn’t want, but can’t get rid of...

Fleeing South Africa, she goes undercover in Vietnam, trying to discover the truth before she’s exposed by the local mafia. Discovering the plot behind the money is only half the battle. Now she must convince the South African authorities to take action before it’s too late, both for the rhinos and for her. She has a powerful story to tell, if she survives long enough to tell it... Fast-paced, relevant and chilling, Dead of Night is a stunning new thriller from Michael Stanley, author of the award-winning Detective Kubu series, introducing an intriguing new protagonist, while exposing one of the most vicious conflicts on the African continent...

LOVE the sound of this and can't wait to read it! 

I'm a huge fan of Michael Stanley's Detective Kubu series - not just because of the gripping plots and the fabulous Detective Kubu but also because the books teach me so much about South Africa. Dead of Night certainly sounds like it's another thrilling read, with a new protagonist (female this time). Yet again, it focuses on South African culture, politics and environmental issues. 

AND NOW.... *drum roll*

Dead of Night: View the cover

This is a striking cover! Just look at those colours and the detail!

As expected from Orenda, it will grab your attention from the book shelf!

  Wow!!!

Dead of Night: Read about the author duo Michael Stanley (Michael Sears/Stanley Trollop) 

Michael Stanley is the writing team of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip. Both were born in South Africa and have worked in academia and business. Their Detective Kubu series has been critically claimed and an international bestseller, picking up multiple awards since first publication. Dead of Night marks a new departure for the duo. 

Find Michael Stanley on Twitter - @detectivekubu

For ALL your Orenda news, visit the Orenda website and follow @OrendaBooks on Twitter.

Dying to Live by Michael Stanley

I am delighted to be today's stop on the blog tour for Dying to Live by Michael Stanley. Dying to Live is being published by Orenda Books on 12 July 2017.

Dying to Live
By Michael Stanley
Published by Orenda Books (12 July 2017)

Publisher's description

When the body of a Bushman is discovered near the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the death is written off as an accident. But all is not as it seems. An autopsy reveals that, although he's clearly very old, his internal organs are puzzlingly young. What's more, an old bullet is lodged in one of his muscles... but where is the entry wound? When the body is stolen from the morgue and a local witch doctor is reported missing, Detective 'Kubu' Bengu gets involved. But did the witch doctor take the body to use as part of a ritual? Or was it the American anthropologist who'd befriended the old Bushman? As Kubu and his brilliant young colleague, Detective Samantha Khama, follow the twisting trail through a confusion of rhino-horn smugglers, foreign gangsters and drugs manufacturers, the wider and more dangerous the case seems to grow. A fresh, new slice of 'Sunshine Noir', Dying to Live is a classic tale of greed, corruption and ruthless thuggery, set in one of the world's most beautiful landscapes, and featuring one of crime fiction's most endearing and humane heroes. 

My verdict
Dying to Live fits into the crime genre 'sunshine noir', thanks to its dark plots set in a sunny climate. The term 'sunshine noir' also describes how this series makes me feel. The stories explore the vile side of human nature, yet somehow still manage to lift my mood. Each time, it's like coming back to an old friend - slightly older and slightly wiser - with familiar places and familiar characters.

I always feel like I've learnt something about African culture by the time I've reached the end of a Detective Kubu book. Dying to Live is no exception, covering a diverse range of topics (yet again), including traditional medicines, HIV and AIDS, illegal drug manufacturing, local bushmen and rhino-horn smuggling, Fascinating stuff!

This Detective Kubu series is as much about the Botswana setting and colourful characters as the underlying plots themselves. While there's a lot of police procedural in these books, it's broken up perfectly with Kubu's personal life. Detective Kubu is a family man - not the usual damaged detective seen so often in modern crime fiction. His personal problems are very much family problems, which makes him not only realistic but also extremely likeable.

I can't recommend this series highly enough. This is sunshine noir at its best, with plenty of twists, turns and surprises. The next Detective Kubu book can't come soon enough.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher.

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