Blessed are the Dead

by Malla Nunn

This story takes place in Apartheid South Africa.  A white detective is sent to investigate a mysterious death(murder?) of a black girl, daughter of a tribal Chief, in a rural area.  The circumstances are puzzling right from the start.  Why was the murder reported to the police in Durban, not to the local police? The call came from a white woman (judging from her voice and speech), how would a white woman be involved....

The detective takes along his assistant a Zulu.  They run into road blocks and evidence of racial conflict all along their investigation.  The local police seem disinterested if not incompetent and are glad to let the Durban police take the case. The local doctor is reluctant to do the autopsy, the girls family wants to take her body for burial, and how was the young boy from the farm where the young girl worked, the one who keeps running away from school and living in the hills, involved in the murder.

The story also describes native culture, burial ceremonies and the beliefs in spirits, black magic and superstitions.

This is another detective story where the detective is haunted by his past, including his military expereince.  Like the inspector in the Charles Todd books, this detective is haunted by a Scottish ghost, a military acquaintance.  It is also about a detective who is willing to go against instructions to get to the bottom of things.  Fortunately for him, his boss is willing to overlook his misdemeanors, as long as it does not impact badly on the boss.  The boss seems to be sympathethic to the detective and his partner.

I enjoyed this book, didn't want to put it down. The way the tension between the races was portrayed was interesting.  Also interesting was that the detective and his partner behave as expected in this world but also use the white cop/black cop roles to their advantage in dealing with people they interview.  The book was interesting  incorporating a traditional mystery format set in an unfamiliar culture.

How did the black evangelist know about the promise the detective made to his mother? Will the detective do anything to honour his promise to his mother to have a family.? I guess we'll find out in the next book.