This is the fourth in M.M. Kaye’s Death In… mystery series, although the books can be read in any order as they each stand entirely on their own. Like the other novels in the series, this one, Death in Kenya (originally published in 1958 as Later Than You Think), is set in one of the many locations in which Kaye herself lived for a while with her husband, an officer in the British army. In the 1950s, Kenya was still a British colony but the Mau Mau Uprising had been causing unrest across the country throughout the decade and this forms the backdrop for Kaye’s story.
The mystery takes place in and around Flamingo, an estate in Kenya’s Rift Valley which belongs to Lady Emily DeBrett, an eccentric elderly woman who has lived there for many years. When some mysterious, inexplicable events begin to occur at Flamingo – and rumours of a ghost begin to circulate – Lady Em acknowledges that she needs help and sends for her niece in England, Victoria Caryll, to come and join her as companion and secretary. Victoria is tempted by the invitation: Kenya is where she grew up and she longs to return to the country she loves so much, but she knows that Em’s grandson, Eden DeBrett also lives at Flamingo with his wife, Alice – and Eden is the man Victoria was once engaged to, before he ended their relationship with no explanation and broke her heart.
Torn between going and staying, the pull of the Rift Valley eventually wins and Victoria finds herself boarding a plane for Kenya. But when she arrives, she discovers that she has much more than an old lover and a jealous wife to worry about. A murder has been committed and the estate is in turmoil. Will the murderer be found before he or she kills again? Do the people of Flamingo face danger from the Mau Mau leader known as General Africa? And what is the significance of the haunting piece of music called the Rift Valley Concerto?
The mystery aspect of the book is quite enjoyable. I didn’t guess who the murderer was so I was surprised when the truth was revealed, although looking back I feel as though I should have guessed – we were given enough clues to be able to work it out, I think. The descriptions of Kenya are wonderful too, of course; it helps that Kaye lived there herself so could draw on her own experiences and memories when writing the book. I’ve read about the Mau Mau Uprising before, in Leopard at the Door by Jennifer McVeigh, so I already had some basic background knowledge, but that is a recent historical novel whereas Death in Kenya was a contemporary one, so the authors are looking at the same events from different perspectives and from different points in time. Kaye’s sympathies here seem to be more with the white European settlers, which is interesting because that’s not always the case in her novels – as anyone who has read The Far Pavilions or Shadow of the Moon will know, she usually takes a much more balanced view when writing about colonialism. However, she does state in her author’s note that “the opinions voiced by my characters were taken from life and at first hand.”
Although Death in Kenya has the same elements as the previous three books – an interesting, atmospheric setting, a courageous young heroine, a murder mystery to solve and a touch of romance – I found this one slightly different. While the others followed a similar formula (with the heroine actually being on the scene at the time of the murder and falling under suspicion herself), in this book Victoria Caryll doesn’t enter the story until some of the key events have already been played out. This makes Victoria feel somewhat like an outsider and no more or less important to the story than any of the other characters. That lack of one strong, central character to really focus on and connect with probably explains why I felt less engaged with this novel than I did with some of the others, particularly Death in Kashmir and Death in Cyprus.
I still have the last two books in the series – Death in Zanzibar and Death in the Andamans to read – and as they are set in two places I know nothing at all about, I’m looking forward to reading them and learning more!
She Reads Novels 
I have got these books on my lists and hope to get to them. The Mau Mau rebellion was quite a historical event which I have read about in other historical novels, so this sounds interesting to me. I am on a mystery kick right now as part of my healing from the flu. I read a Daniel Silva one the other day and have started the latest Sara Paretsky. The best kind of books to take my mind off other troubles!
I hope you’re feeling a lot better now, Judy – I agree that reading mysteries can be a good way to escape from your troubles for a while!
Thank you for reminding me about this series, I feel as if I have read one of Kate’s Death in… books but it was years ago and I can’t remember which it was. I also read The Far Pavilions many moons ago, and the first two volumes of M M Kaye’s autobiography. These sound right up my street.
Yes, I think you might like these books. I thought the first one, Death in Kashmir, was particularly good. I will have to read Kaye’s autobiography one day too.
Thanks for this I have only read Death in Kashmir and Death in the Andamans but I enjoyed them both and hope to eventually work my way through the others
Death in Kashmir is my favourite so far, I think. I hope you enjoy the rest of the series!
I just finished reading WARLIGHT by Michael Ondaatje which you recommended. I’m so glad you did! Quite a story, isn’t it? Somehow, I had always assumed that, once the War was over, that was it, never realizing all the classified documents still to be catalogued, partisans interrogated, clandestine operations cleaned up.
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed Warlight! I haven’t actually read it myself yet, but I will soon. 🙂
I haven’t heard of this series, but think I would enjoy them – thank you
They are great books and I think it’s a shame they’re not more popular!
Helen, I have a feeling this is a series I need to check out 😉
I think it’s a great series – the books are quite similar to Mary Stewart’s but maybe a bit darker. I would also recommend MM Kaye’s historical novels, particularly The Far Pavilions.
I think my wish list is going to be growing 😉
I like the premise of this one, as I did the other’s, even if you point out that you found this mystery less engaging than the previous two. Perhaps I should put them on my wishlist for some day.
It was good, just not as good as some of the others in the series. I would definitely recommend putting them on the wishlist, particularly Death in Kashmir.