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A SINFUL SAFARI is the third Jazz Age mystery by Michael Kilian. Sloane Smith works at Bedford Green’s art gallery. She has embraced the bohemian flapper mores enthusiastically. Her uncle Dixon Smith is going to Africa on safari to prove his masculinity to his new wife, Georgia. Georgia is a divorcee with her eye always on the prize i.e. a rich man with a title. Sloane convinces Bedford to accompany her to Africa to protect her uncle (one of Georgia’s husbands died in an accident involving guns). The British population in Africa is promiscuous drunks who attempt to “convert” Sloane and Bedford to their way of life. After antagonizing a large portion of the British population, Georgia is found murdered in a compromising position with another man. Dixon is the obvious suspect, so Bedford, at Sloane’s request, investigates. The police are looking to railroad a suspect, any suspect, and Bedford must find the real murderer quickly before more people are murdered. A SINFUL SAFARI was amusing. The book is not an in-depth expose of the mores of the British community or of Africa itself; it is a light enjoyable read or the perfect guilty pleasure. For the most part, the characters felt realistic and alive. Some of the titled characters blurred together because they were minor characters and not fully developed. The main characters were fleshed out and for the most part had individual voices. Both Sloane and Bedford are interesting characters. Sloane is a very vibrant interesting character, one who could be described as modern. Although Sloane is the reason the book takes place in Africa, Bedford is the character the narrator follows. Bedford manages to get himself into some real trouble with both the police and the women within this community. The exact relationship between Sloane and Bedford is not explained but left up to the reader to draw their own conclusions. Because Bedford starts to embrace some of the British “liberal” behaviors one can only hope they will only ever be friends. The other element that sticks out is the humor. The humor used has a very modern subtle bite to it. A lot of modern, i.e. current, humor and behaviors do stem from the Flappers and this book merely emphasizes this point. This use of humor helps make the book seem comfortable and familiar even though the characters and situations described are not part of the average person’s life. The book does not focus much on the actual hunting of animals but on the interactions of the characters. This helps make the book less confrontational and gritty. This lack also makes the book easier to step into especially since few readers have been on a safari. Michael Kilian has a strong foundation as a writer as apparent in this book. A SINFUL SAFARI is a light-hearted romp in a foreign time and place. This is a great book for escaping the harshness and grittiness of reality.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, June 2003
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