Devil-Devil

November 29, 2010
Set in the Solomon Islands in 1960 when the country was a British protectorate, Kent's intriguing if uneven debut introduces Sgt. Ben Kella, whose position as aofia, or tribal spiritual peacekeeper, tends to bring him into conflict with his superiors in the British-run police force. Fresh from a case that earned him an official reprimand, Kella stirs up a new hornet's nest with his discovery of a skull with a bullet hole in it—which young American nun Sister Conchita is surreptitiously trying to bury. No sooner has he identified the victim as a long-missing Australian beachcomber than someone starts taking pot shots at Kella and the equally headstrong nun. As rumblings of a tribal uprising increase along with the body count, some readers might wish that Kent—who served eight years in the Solomons as head of BBC Schools broadcasting—had put more effort into maximizing suspense than exploring the islands' exotic indigenous culture.

December 1, 2010

A maverick police sergeant meets his match in a single-minded American nun.

In the Solomon Islands of the 1960s, young Sister Conchita realizes that she may be in over her head only when she's paddling, seemingly for dear life, in a dugout canoe as waves crash over her. This brush with death doesn't prevent her from standing up to coarse Australian plantation manager John Deacon when he tries to intimidate her. Not far away, rugged police sergeant Ben Kella has a similar showdown with a tribal magic man who's trying to interfere with a murder investigation. Kella's status is unique; a native of the Lau people, he has the rare tribal authority of the aofia, or peacekeeper, a responsibility that's sometimes hard to balance with his more bureaucratic law-enforcement duties. As Kella is a headache to Chief Superintendent Grice, his boss on the Australian mainland, so Sister Conchita is more than a handful for local supervisor Father Pierre. So when Kella is tasked to find the missing anthropologist Professor Mallory, is it any wonder that he tangles with the righteous nun, or that she noses her way into the investigation? Are two bulls in a china shop better than one?

The fiction debut of prolific Kent (The Little Book of Boxing, 2010, etc.) is also a series debut. The mystery takes a back seat to his knowledge of the exotic location and the combustible chemistry of his protagonists (the oddest couple since The African Queen), which add immensely to his story's charm.

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January 1, 2011

In this debut mystery series set in the Solomon Islands in the 1960s, Sgt. Ben Kella lives between two worlds. As a police officer, he works with British officials. But he is also an aofia--a native islander who acts as a peacekeeper for tribal conflicts. He is constantly called on to resolve issues between the British, visiting foreigners, and the indigenous people. Kella must use his contacts in both worlds to find a missing American, solve a murder, and break up an artifact-smuggling ring. He is aided in some of his investigations by a young American nun, Sister Conchita, who is working at the Catholic mission. Her willingness to break with convention makes her a very useful ally. Kent's thorough research on the history of the Solomon Islands is reflected in his descriptions. He worked in the Solomon Islands for eight years, and his use of pidgin dialect adds authenticity, flavor, and color. VERDICT This will attract readers who like cozies with a foreign setting as well as those who enjoy historical mysteries.--Jean King, West Hempstead P.L., NY

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2011
Kents first mystery is the beginning of a new and promising series set in the early 1960s in the Solomon Islands and featuring Sergeant Kella and Sister Conchita. Kella is an educated native and seen by both the British colonials and his own people as a leader of the future; as a result, he feels free to do what he thinks is best, regardless of the rules. Sister Conchita is a newly arrived missionary from America who is both ambitious and willing to question authority. After an anthropologist goes missing, the sergeant and the missionary team up to solve what eventually becomes a series of murders. The troublemaking duo proves unstoppable, despite the fact that no one quite trusts them. The atmosphere and setting are integral to both character and plot and lend a unique note to this solid mystery. Definitely a series to watch.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)