Book Review – Sibanda And The Black Sparrowhawk

by C.M. Elliott (Jacana) ISBN: 9781431402632

If you have not yet met Detective Jabulani Sibanda and his trusty sidekick Sergeant Thadeus Ncube, this book is a good place to start.

What starts as a routine murder investigation escalates when more young women start disappearing. Soon bodies are appearing all along the railway line deep into Matabele territory.   Sibanda and Ncube realise that they are on the trail of a serial killer.

However, Sibanda has to tread carefully as he is undermined by his own superior, and puts many a nose out of joint at the Gubu Police Station. Adding to his problems, he crosses paths once more with Berry Barton, for whom he harbours some rather strong romantic feelings.

Ncube on the other hand, while not eating too much, takes to improving his vocabulary by trawling the Oxford English Dictionary for inspiration, in order to impress Sibanda.

In their trusty Land Rover, Miss Daisy, Sibanda, and Ncube travel the railway line, tracking an elusive and dangerous psychopath.

Sibanda And The Black Sparrowhawk is a rollicking read that has a great balance of comedy and crime-story set in a magnificent African landscape.

Merissa Himraj
4/5

Find out how we rate our books here: The Writers Write Book Review Format