Grevy Danger by Victoria Tait

Grevy Danger is the fifth book in Victoria Tait’s Kenya Kanga Mystery series.

Mama Rose is mourning the death of her beloved husband Craig. Craig had a secondary complication due to polio and passed away after a series of strokes. Rose’s friends and well-wishers are doing their best to make sure Mama Rose doesn’t feel left out or all alone. She’s out meeting her friends at a local café when becomes a witness to a death – a young woman dies in her arms. The dead woman is none other than Rebecca, the resident of Roho estate. The estate is believed to be cursed. When Rebecca and her sister Eloise were teenagers, their parents meet with a freak plane accident. The remains of the plane were not found and the insurance people refused to settle claims and handover the estate to the daughters. Rebecca is in Nanyuki as her sister said there might be some progress in the case (the estate).

Rebecca’s demise is initially believed to be ‘death due to underlying (unidentified) health issues’. Mama Rose, Pearl and Chloe go on an endangered zebra expedition where another woman dies in Mama Rose’s arms under mysterious circumstances.

Another fantastic masterpiece by my favorite author Victoria Tait. Charming, engrossing and a complete entertainment package!

Note: Grevy Danger was initially released as a novella for Victoria’s newsletter sign-up. The current one is a full-length novel.

I am a huge fan of Victoria Tait’s storytelling. I have read all the books in the Kenya Kanga mysteries and absolutely loved it. Grevy Danger is a fantastic addition to the series. The previous book ended on a sad note – Rose’s husband of many decades, Craig, passed away due to secondary complications of polio. In Grevy Danger, we see Mama Rose trying to cope with his lose. The birds remind her of Craig – he was always interested in the colorful little things; There’s a scene where a zebra fowl refuses to be fed and Rose remembers something that Craig had told her about zebras – this scene is part funny, part awkward-ish (the way Mama Rose ‘feeds’ the zebra fowl.)

The recurring characters Pearl, Chloe, Thabiti, Commissioner Akida, Constable Wachira, Samwell and Kipto play a significant role in the story. Pearl and Chloe are now good friends and as the story ends, they decide on starting a new venture. We have Thabiti doing his best to make sure Mama Rose is looked after – he had promised Craig he would be there for her after Craig’s passing away. Wachira is writing her Sergeant exams while Akida has a new pain-in-the-you-know-where – meet coroner Rotich; she’s interested in fame and everything glam!

“What is The Great Grevy’s Rally?” asked Thabiti.

“It’s the conservation initiative to count the number of surviving Grevy’s zebra through an on-the-ground census,” replied Rose.

Chloe explained,” According to the email Dan forwarded to me, Grevy’s zebra are rarer than black rhino, and their numbers have dropped from fifteen thousand, in the nineteen seventies, to just two thousand today.”

“And I think most of those are in norther Kenya, with a few in southern Ethiopia,” added Rose.

The locals believe a curse caused Michael and Geraldine Munro’s death. When Rebecca dies in mysterious circumstances, the rumor of curse starts again. But a curse cannot be a reason for murder, right? With no proper evidence, it is difficult to prove Rebecca was murdered. When another woman dies in mysterious circumstances, Mama Rose wonders who is killing these people and why?

As a side story, we have a string of burglaries creating fear in Nanyuki. An old woman (a friend of Rose) is attacked in her house and the perps run away with some of her possessions. Dr. Emma, the vet whom Rose helps often, is looking for a property to expand her veterinary business. She consults a real estate agent and is brought to Rose’s house – the landlord said the tenant will move out soon and the house is for sale! Mama Rose learns this when Emma arrives and is shocked on hearing the news.

Grevy Danger is a new favorite in the series. I absolutely loved the setting, the characters and their side-stories and of course, murder mystery. 😀 I also learned a thing or two about endangered Zebras and… a plant named Desert Rose. The mystery behind the murders gets murkier in the second half of the story and the identity of the perp was shocking and unexpected. Mama Rose finds the missing link – something to do with the way the women were killed. The story ends on a happy note and I am looking forward to seeing how Pearl and Chloe get along on their new venture. Also, I have a feeling that things are going to get better for our dear Mama Rose.

If you love sweeping African landscapes, charming characters (I love Mama Rose!) and a mystery that keeps you guessing till the end, you have to give Grevy Danger by Victoria Tait a try. If you are new to the series, I highly recommend you to start from book #1 – Fowl Murder.

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Many thanks to Victoria for the ARC.

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