Tefuga: A Novel of Suspense

Description

In this evocative tale of suspense from CWA Gold Dagger winner Peter Dickinson, a British diplomat's wife in Nigeria inadvertently precipitates a senseless tragedy, and six decades later, her son becomes caught up in a maelstrom of violent political corruption Filmmaker Nigel Jackland has come to northern Nigeria to work on a new project: a documentary based on the personal diary entries of his mother. Sixty years have passed since Betty Jackland first accompanied her husband, Ted, to this colonial African backwater, resolving to be a perfect helpmate and wife to Britain's district officer in the emirate of Kiti. But Betty's fascination with the local Kitawa tribe, innate sense of justice, and irrepressibly independent spirit mean she could never turn a blind eye to the suffering of oppressed women-particularly the abused wives of the ruling emir. She never imagined that her strong words and actions could have violent consequences in the shadow of Tefuga Hill-or that the echoes of the tragedy would resound dangerously in the life of her own son many years on. Linking two stories separated by more than half a century and relating them in alternating chapters, Tefuga is an enthralling, evocative, and suspenseful tale of corruption, imperialism, race, and murder. A master of both style and substance, Dickinson brilliantly re-creates times and places in stunning detail, transporting readers to an Africa so remarkably realistic they can almost feel the equatorial winds on their faces.

Peter Dickinson was born in Africa but raised and educated in England. From 1952 to 1969 he was on the editorial staff of Punch, and since then earned his living writing fiction of various kinds for children and adults. His books have been published in several languages throughout the world. The author of twenty-one crime and mystery novels for adults, Dickinson was the first to win the Gold Dagger Award of the Crime Writers' Association for two books running: The Glass-Sided Ants Nest (1968) and The Old English Peepshow (1969). Dickinson was shortlisted nine times for the prestigious Carnegie Medal for children's literature and was the first author to win it twice. Dickinson served as chairman of the Society of Authors and was a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2009 for services to literature. Peter Dickinson died on December 16, 2015, at the age of eighty-eight.

"[An] amusing and elegantly structured tour de force." -The New York Times "Comparisons with Isak Dinesen are inevitable and Tefuga does not suffer by such comparisons." -Houston Chronicle "For sheer storytelling power, Tefuga is wonderful. The characters are alive, the setting dazzles, and the blazing Africa sun almost brings a rash to the back of your neck." -The Washington Book World "Stunning . . . [Dickinson's] descriptions are extraordinarily vivid . . . and his climax is obliquely told yet an unforgettable moment of horror." -Time "Peter Dickinson's technique is dazzling, and he writes as though there were witchdoctors present at his christening." -The Guardian "The works of Peter Dickinson are like caviar-an acquired taste that can easily become an addiction." -Time