Out of Africa meets White Mischief

A Spear of Summer Grass
Deanna Raybourn
MIRA Books
April 30, 2013

It is Paris in 1923 and Delilah Drummond is in hot water- again. Twice widowed and once divorced before the age of 30, the circumstances of her latest husband's death have even Delilah's own scandalous mother horrified. Delilah's behavior is beyond the pale even for the wide-open flapper era. As a result Delilah is to be exiled to Kenya until the furor dies down. Since she is in imminent danger of losing her allowance from her wealthy American grandfather, she agrees and sets off to Kenya with only her mousy cousin Dora as a companion.

When Delilah and Dora arrive at Fairlight, her stepfather's Kenyan farm, she finds a house in decay, a farm lying fallow and an absent farm manager. Dora and Delilah immediately begin making Fairlight livable again. There is plenty of British ex-pat society as well, most of it decadent. Delilah falls right in with the group, as she knows most of them from her past. There is also Ryder White, a Canadian hunter and guide who is accepted into that ex-pat society, but somehow stands apart from it's worst excesses. Delilah quickly falls in love with Africa; it's heat, light, odors and especially it's people. When a murder occurs among the British group Delilah must choose what is really important to her.

Deanna Raybourn is one of my favorite authors. Her Lady Jane and Brisbane series is a must read for me and I also enjoyed The Dead Travel Fast. Raybourn has a wonderful ability to evoke places and times with her descriptions and A Spear of Summer Grass is no exception. The Africa of the early 1920's comes alive. Reminiscent of both Out of Africa and the notorious White Mischief murder case of 1940, A Spear of Summer Grass is a portrait of the Kenyan Colonial era and a splendid page turner.

Delilah herself is not- at least in the beginning- a likable character. She is spoiled, selfish and somewhat amoral. As the book progressed I came to understand why she is so hard-shelled. Her upbringing and the losses she has suffered have made her retreat behind a brittle shell. Africa, however, slowly breaks down her barriers. 

Thanks to Mira Books and netgalley.com for a digital review copy.

RATING- 4.5 stars