Fowl Murder: A Mystery in Contemporary Kenya

 I had reviewed Grevy Danger, a novella by Victoria Tait, on Goodreads. It's only available to subscribers of Victoria Tait's newsletter.  I very much liked the Kenya setting, and protagonist Rose Hardie's involvement with animals.  Rose is a veterinary paraprofessional, and strongly believes in the conservation of threatened wild species.  In Grevy Danger, this theme is very much front and center because the plot opens with a census of a rare type of zebra.   I was sure I would be interested in other books in this series.  So I applied for an advance reader copy of Tusk Justice, the upcoming second novel dealing with Rose Hardie's investigations in Kenya.  Victoria Tait wanted me to have read the first novel,  Fowl Murder, which I had purchased, but hadn't yet read due to my review commitments.  I told her that I would read Fowl Murder before Tusk Justice, and that's exactly what I did. 

 

                                       

                

The case in Fowl Murder seemed tied to another one in which Rose herself was accused of having shot a poacher forty years ago.  That earlier case and the way she feels about it illuminates Rose's character.   Rose's understanding of that poacher shooting changes over the course of the narrative, and that process transformed the way I viewed Rose as well.  This book represented a pivotal point in the protagonist's character development.  I can now see why Victoria Tait thought I needed to read it before Tusk Justice. 

Another character who grew in my estimation as I read this book was Aisha Onyango, a dear friend of Rose, and an attorney who had defended Rose in the poacher shooting case.  Aisha was the murder victim in Fowl Murder.  Through the investigation of Aisha's death, Rose comes to realize who her friend had been and her dedication to justice.

I also learned about Kenya's history through reading this book.  I had heard about the Mau Mau Revolt, but I knew nothing about it.  There was a mention in  Fowl Murder of the reparations issued by the UK to Kenyans who had been tortured by the British authorities during this revolt.  I was interested in how the reparations had come about.  So I located an article on the subject in the UK Guardian newspaper here .  Readers who want to know more can read it. 

Although I found the resolution of the murder case predictable, I was impressed by certain characters, their relationships and Victoria Tait's portrayal of Kenyan culture. So I look forward to continuing with this series by reading Tusk Justice.