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"I don’t know what possessed me to open the Africa trunk. It had been locked for so long, longer than I have years; generations perhaps. Not a simple case of turning a key either, since I did not possess one. I went to work with a crowbar.
Was it boredom, induced by the incessant English rain? Or curiosity? Or a familial sense of duty? My parents were dead, the old house up for sale: against the grain to ditch something sight unseen.
The Africa trunk. A name. A thing. Part of the unquestioned terrain of childhood, of games of hide-and-seek on rainy winter afternoons in the boxroom, that musty depository of broken suitcases, school trunks, hockey sticks, fishing tackle, yellowed Penguins, nursery furniture and dead bluebottles.
Whatever the reason, open the trunk I did. And had my great-grandfather—whose name, along with the words, Soldier's Baggage, was painted on the side—divined that, of all people, a mystery writer would one day lift the lid on his secret, he could not have concocted a more mouth-watering surprise."
Praise for the mysteries of J.N. Catanach
Brideprice
"sophisticated whodunit....in a style that is detailed and subtle and in a tone that is quietly, beautifully haunting."
–Marilyn Stasio,The New York Times Book Review
"a rare sensitivity and understanding of Africa gained through keen observation and residence."
–The Drood Review
White Is the Color of Death
"Mordantly witty, extremely complicated and challenging, this is a first novel by an author obviously familiar with the setting....Catanach's debut offers rich entertainment..."
–Publishers Weekly
"sure-handed and evocative descriptions of the jungle locale; crisp, convincing dialogue; and varied characters drawn with a few witty strokes - including a certain Vellu, one of the zanier second fiddles of recent fiction."
–Aaron Elkins, Mystery Scene
"Catanach knows Malaysia, and especially the lovely Langkawi Islands - where the somewhat languid, yet entirely appropriate action takes place....he has a shrewd eye for both social and physical detail."
–Robin W. Winks, The Boston Globe
The Last Rite of Hugo T
"If you are looking for something different in the way of espionage novels, try The Last Rite of Hugo T... something of a fable, written with charm and sympathy."
–Newgate Callendar, The New York Times Book Review
"J.N. Catanach's care with language and his eye for detail are the strongest elements....It's these talents that enable the author to make Hugo's world, even as it nears death, come alive for the reader."
–Rex Burns, Rocky Mountain News
"an unusual thriller....Last Rite is rich in supporting roles, dense with the atmosphere of its two cities, and nicely layered in both style and content."
–Michael Harris, The Los Angeles Times Book Review
*Free shpping offer applies only to orders placed directly from The Hornbill Press. All books must appear together in shopping cart as a single order. US addresses only.
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