Fowl Murder by Victoria Tait

Rose wants to enjoy her semi-retired life with her husband Craig. She meets her long-time friend Aisha. Aisha was in Nairobi for years and has returned to Nanyuki for reasons unknown. Rose gets to meet Aisha’s children – Thabiti (son) and Pearl (daughter). Pearl is currently dating Francis – a young government employee.

Rose receives an invitation for a party at Aisha’s house. Rose arrives early and a few minutes later, the housekeeper finds Aisha dead. The police are called in and Aisha’s death is now investigated as murder. Dirty politics come into play and the commissioner is forced to declare Aisha’s death an accident.

Rose and Thabiti, with the help of the commissioner, want to solve the case and bring Aisha’s killer to justice.

Fowl Murder is the first book in the Kenya Kanga Mystery series by Victoria Tait. In the past couple of years, I have come across a variety of cozy mystery themes. Crafting, staging, dressage, diners, bakeries and cafes. Now welcome a brand new theme to the cozy group – a charming mystery featuring a fifty-something; bright and colorful Kangas, beads, fowls and of course, a murder.

I absolutely enjoyed reading Fowl Murder. Let me first talk about the setting. Kenya – the land of bright and beautiful wooden jewelry and handicrafts, the colorful Kanga cloth and wild animals. I have never been to Kenya but I have heard a lot about the country from my aunt. She and her family lived in Nairobi for over three decades before moving back to India for good.

I remember my aunt telling me about the level of corruption and poverty in the country. Victoria Tait has done an excellent job in portraying life in Kenya – poor and hungry people, corruption at almost all levels in government, burglary in broad daylight and much more.

Very well portrayed characters. Be it Rose, Thabiti, Pearl, Craig, Frances or the household helps, each one’s personal story is beautifully amalgamated into the murder mystery. Rose is sweet, kind and dedicated. Aisha helped her forty years ago and now Rose feels she owes it to Aisha’s children to find their mother’s killer and bring them to justice.

Thabiti, Aisha’s son, is smart and caring. He’s currently suspended from the university for a crime he did not commit. Although he’s bogged down by the grief of his mother’s death, he and Rose go sleuthing – from disguises at dinner parties to catching the killer red-handed, these two form an impressive sleuthing pair.

The mystery behind the murder keeps one guessing till the end. The forty-year-old case comes back to haunt Rose and she finally learns a thing or two about why Aisha helped her back then. The identity of the killer was well-hidden with plenty of red herrings. The ending was pretty impressive too.

Excellent storytelling, likeable and well-portrayed characters, a murder mystery that keeps one guessing until the end and a marvelous setting make Fowl Murder one of the must-read books of this year.

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There’s a giveaway for this tour – a signed copy of Fowl Murder and a beautiful tray. Giveaway details are here.

Many thanks to Lori for the blog tour invite.