THE MISTAKEN MULOZI

Two paths converge as a gofer for a corrupt African village general and an Indigenous woman of the forest embark on perilous journeys to solve unfolding mysteries.

Wilkie and Morelli’s richly textured story is brimming with vividly-etched characters, headed by 16-year-old Pumbafu—his name means “idiot,” but he’s sharp as a tack. When General Beaudoin, who holds court in Mama Dorkas’ Rafiki Bar in a Zaire village, sends him to find a boy called Sharpie, Pumbafu finds his quarry stabbed to death—and the Lebanese husband and wife who own the store where Sharpie’s body was found are missing. They will each suffer the general’s considerable wrath if Pumbafu doesn’t find some answers. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Toh’lee turns her back on her family and her clan to search for her mother, who was banished from her village after she was accused of being a witch. Along their journeys, Pumbafu and Toh’lee encounter several memorable characters before meeting and forming a partnership. One of the most impressive is Sister Anna, a nun who ministers selflessly to villagers. Her assistant feels sure “she is a saint. But none of the men in her order in Rome will ever see that, nor acknowledge its truth.” On the flip side of that coin are General Beaudoin and his son, Chai, who “is always causing some problem for himself or those around him.” Right now, the problem is that Chai is missing. This is a propulsive read, steeped in the cultural milieu of 1990s Congo. Wilkie and Morelli write with a vivid sense of place, an economy of exposition, and a poetic sensibility (“The road surface is as slick as potter’s clay”). A glossary at the end of the book translates African words and phrases sprinkled throughout the text, but they can be defined in context. A character roster is also helpful, but most of the players are impossible to forget.

The game is afoot with two unlikely sleuths; this looks like the beginning of a beautiful series.