Mma Ramotswe meets Guido Brunetti

That's my take on Michael Stanley's new "A Carrion Death," the first in a proposed series featuring the absolutely cuddly Detective Kubu. But even if Kubu (a nickname that means "hippo" in his native Setswana) loves opera, good food, and his wife, a la Donna Leon's Venetian detective, his Botswana is hardly the gentle place of Alexander McCall Smith's "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency." An enthralling start to what should be a great series, this book pubs in April, and my full Globe review will run then. Worth checking out!