Death in Kenya by M. M. Kaye
The colonial Kenya setting here is difficult. Death in Kenya is set at the tail end of the Mau Mau Uprising and focuses entirely on the British, how they live, how they view the people and land of Africa, and their ambitions, which makes sense given the author's background (see below). That portion of the story has not aged well.
Aside from that, the setting is lovely and exotic, beautiful and dangerous. Victoria Caryll receives a letter from her Aunt Em asking her to return to Flamingo, her aunt's plantation in Kenya where she spent her childhood. Victoria, of course, leaves right away for Kenya but when she arrives, she learns that someone in the household has been murdered.
The mystery was well done with plenty of suspects among the local British farmers and managers. I know that we often say mysteries have twists we didn't see coming, but this one did catch me off guard. I was surprised by who the...
