Author: Pepetela
Translated by Elefanta Editor www.elefantaeditorial.com
Genre: Mystery, Crime
First published 2001
Book description: Set in modern-day Luanda, this satirical crime novel introduces readers to Jaime Bunda, an overweight, incompetent detective set on the trail of a murderer. Through misstep and mistake, Bunda finds himself embroiled in crimes of passion and international criminal networks as he stumbles through contemporary Angola. This mystery pokes fun at the James Bond genre while offering humorous insight into contemporary Angolan culture.
Review:
I did pick up the book in Spanish, there is a version in English it can be found in ebook and traditional format.
This is a debut work. It presents Jaime Bunda, a junior secret agent in Lunda Angola's capital. He is looked down on by everyone around him because he got his spot because he's the cousin of a high official in the agency.
This is meant to be a quirky, quick read. We have four different POV. We follow them as the police investigation takes place- the first crime is the murder of a young girl, the daughter of simple folk. The useless junior agent is given the task and he vents all his energy on the mission, he is hilarious- trying to follow fictional detectives in his real-life police investigation. He tries to follow clues, with hunches from fictional mysteries, but he comes off as kind of naive and selfish.
As he's investigating, he gets pulled into a political power struggle- his cousin asks him to help him find proof of what the Unnamable Man is doing. The cousin is sure the man will be made into the head of the agency and his hate for the man is driving his desperate investigation.
This is very comedic and it has a very different atmospheric novel. The type of humor wasn't mine, but I'm sure if it's your cup of tea then this will be very enjoyable.
This was used for challenges:
Around the world: The author is from Angola.
Translated work.
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