The Witchdoctor's Bones - Lisa de Nikolits - with a Giveaway!

4.5 Stars!

ABOUT THE BOOK -
A group of tourists gather in Namibia. Some have come to holiday, others to murder. The travellers follow their tour guide Jono, a Zimbabwean historian and philosopher, from Cape Town into the Namib desert, learning ancient secrets of the Bushmen, the power of witchcraft and superstition, and even the origins of Nazi evil. A ragged bunch ranging from teenagers to retired couples, each member of the group faces a unique challenge as third world Africa is pitted against first world greed, thwarted desire and murderous intent. With the bones of consequence easily buried in the shifting sands, a holiday becomes a test of moral character. Unpredictable, flawed, fun-loving, courageous, bizarre, weak, kind-hearted and loathsome; the individuals in this novel exist beyond the page and into real life. Seamlessly weaving history and folklore into a plot of loss, passion and intrigue, the reader is kept informed and entertained as this psychological thriller unfolds.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR -
Originally from South Africa, Lisa de Nikolits has been a Canadian citizen since 2003. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Philosophy and has lived in the U.S.A., Australia and Britain.
Her first novel, The Hungry Mirror, won the 2011 IPPY Awards Gold Medal for Women's Issues Fiction and was long-listed for a ReLit Award.
Her second novel, West of Wawa won the 2012 IPPY Silver Medal Winner for Popular Fiction And was one of Chatelaine's four Editor's Picks.
Her third novel, A Glittering Chaos, launched in Spring 2013 to much acclaim and is about murder, madness, illicit love and poetry. 

Visit her website - HERE

MY REVIEW -
Well my first book by this author started out with a bang! I really enjoyed this book!
This story was a great mix of - touring South Africa, murder mysteries and mayhem, and a total zany cast of characters. I have to be honest, this book kept me guessing all the way through. Everytime I thought I had it all figured out, I was wrong. Well I was right on a few things, but they were only the things the author wanted you to know.

This book starts out good and just keeps going all the way to the great ending. There is so much happening in here you don't have a moment to get bored. I thought the writing was excellent. I would definitely like to read another by this great author.

The character development was very good. There were a LOT of characters but I had no trouble keeping them all straight because the author did such a fantastic job. One thing I really liked was that you got to go into the head of a madman and see what he was planning all along. This part kind of reminded me of the movie "Mr. Brooks" with Kevin Costner.

Secrets, secrets, everyone has secrets! There are so many little mysteries to figure out. And so many little romances (and almost romances).

A few great lines -
"I would have kept him around as eye candy." Ellie said, flicking at a large ant.
"Too much candy causes cavities," Gisela commented. "To sustain you in life, you need real food."
"You got it," Helen agreed. "I need a good thick steak to sink my teeth into."
"Sounds rather painful for the steak," Richard commented idly.
Kate watched Helen turn towards him, her eyes widening and she smiled. "All depends on the technique," she drawled.

"There is no such thing as a truly civilized man in the way you like to think there is. We all have the potential to kill each other and sometimes, for reasons known only to ourselves, we do."

"I like to be happy," Kate told him, "even though it can be tiring at times. How foolish is that, to say that happiness can be tiring."
"Not foolish. It means you make the effort. Making an effort is always tiring, even if you badly want the reward of what you are making an effort for,"
All-in-all - A very good mystery, very well planned out. There are also a lot of great little facts about Africa, so if you are looking for a great easy-reading book about Africa that is also fun - this is a great choice!

Thank you "Partners in Crime" for sending me this book for my honest review!

Get your copy from Amazon - HERE

GIVEAWAY!!!
Two chances to win!
I am giving away one copy of this book -
Please enter using the form below.

For an extra entry, leave a comment with your answer to this question -
Why are you interested in reading an African mystery?




And another way to win! - A very cool giveaway!
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Comments

  1. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on this mystery novel with us. And what a terrific giveaway prize!

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  2. Africa has always been a mysterious country...my husband has always said the 1 place he would like to go back yo is South Africa .

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  3. I am interested in this African mystery, because I have never read one before and I want to see how they differ from a regular mystery. Thanks for having the giveaway.

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  4. I'd like to thank Wall-to-Wall books for this amazing review! I have posted and tweeted it everywhere! This book took more than six years to craft, there was a lot of hard slog involved and I am just delighted that you like it, thank you!

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  5. Because I haven't read one before

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