I recently enjoyed Annamaria Alfieri’s latest historical murder mystery: Strange Gods.
Set in 1911 British East Africa, a murder entangles a cross-section of expatriate and local characters into a complex but well constructed whodunit. And we get a love story as a bonus. Beyond the murder mystery and romance, Ms. Alfieri also illustrates the consequences of universal social ills and the challenges of those who must navigate through them.
I will leave the specifics for you to discover since I do not wish to slip into spoilers.
But, if you ask me, this book cries out to be expanded to film. Think of the scenery! The costumes! The culture and character contrasts! The discovery of dark secrets and passions! This could be both grand entertainment and worthy of critical acclaim.
Wouldn’t it be great to see some serious money poured into this project rather than another Transformers rehash?
Dare we hope?
When Ms. Alfieri has a break in her book promotion schedule and writing her next tale, maybe we can get her back here for another interview.
Have you read Strange Gods yet? Do you have any questions you would like me to ask of her? What do you think about putting it on the big screen?
In the meantime, I am observing certain recurring themes in my Long Ago & Far Away reading. I will explore those in a near-future post.