Murder at Government House

They really don’t plot ‘em like they used to. Great intricate solution. The setting is very colonial, which some may not enjoy. Interesting though how East Africa seems like a global crossroads. One can’t help wondering if the pilot “Toots” was based on a real person!

Finely crafted "Dame Christie" type mystery. The twist is that Huxley sets the story in the imaginary East African colony of "Chania" which is clearly a pseudonym for Kenya. And nobody writes a colonial Kenya story like Elspeth Huxley. The setting, the characters, it's a beautiful between-the-wars period piece. It is a good mystery by itself, but even more fun if one is somewhat familiar with Kenyan history and landscape.

I liked this mystery set in Africa during the colonial period. I especially liked Vachell and Olivia working together to figure out who killed the Governor and why. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Murder on Safari.

A high official of an African colony is murdered just before an importance conference and a transplanted Canadian policeman (aided by an anthropologist) must sort out the various business and tribal clues to find a surprising solution. Pleasant and interesting for the glimpses into different cultures.