Roar!
Disclaimer: ARC provided by the publisher Open Road Media via Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. Thank you!
One of my all time favorite television shows is Heat of the Sun which was shown in the United States as part of Mystery (now Masterpiece Mystery). It starred Trevor Eve as a London policeman who was re-assigned to Kenya in between wars. He clashed not only with his superior but also with the upper crust. Luckily for him, he had a good Sergeant who was a dead shot, and a pilot who was also his romantic interest. In short, the three stars were great.
It’s why I requested this book when it popped on Netgalley. The first episode of Heat of the Sun seems to draw on this murder.
White Mischief is a two part story. The first concerns that of Jossyln Hay, Lord Erroll and his murder. This part covers the trial of the man accused of the murder as well as Kenya at the time. The second part is Fox chronicling his investigation into the case, an investigation done with Cyril Connolly, for newspaper/magazine investigative journalism piece.
The first half of the book is the strongest. Hay was a womanizer, and Kenya’s Happy Valley set was decedent. Think soap opera. Think Downton Abbey with more panting, drugs, and liquor.
And lions.
This part is told as straight forward narrative. Part of the charm is the drop in guest stars – Karen Blixen appears more than once, Beryl Markham and others make appearances. Fox does his best to make Erroll if not likable at least acceptable as a human being. The reporting tone allows for distant and the story is compelling, most because the people are truly characters. There is the woman with the pet lion, the feather game, and the social clubs.
Did you know that mayor of Nairobi was a woman at this time? Neither did I. And wait until you hear about the woman who tried a murder/suicide.
It isn’t all gossip mongering. It isn’t gossip mongering at all. What Fox is doing is setting the stage, allowing the reader to see the people, the characters, for who they really were, or at least seemed to be.
This is necessary because the second part of the book depends on these character studies and gossip stories. The second part is weaker; in part because of the discussion of the investigation doesn’t necessary take place in a strict narrative order. There is a bit of jumping around and at times there are digressions. Some of these digressions are interesting, some not so much. One of the most interesting is the appearance of Antonia Fraser and her comments about the case. The writing style also changes slightly. It is less engrossing, more laid back. There also is a bit too much hero worship of Connolly, though considering Connolly’s reputation perhaps this is understandable. What Fox does very well in this section (almost better than proving his thesis of whom the murder was) is make Connolly sound like a man I wish I could met.
Fox‘s proving of his thesis is well done and logical.
Recommended for those interest in murder mysteries, true crime, literature, and In the Heat of the Sun.
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