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The Lingala Code
Stated first edition quarter bound in black cloth and cream colored boards. A VG+ copy in a Near Fine dust jacket. Heavy soiling to the edges of the book's upper page block. The dust jacket has a 1/2" closed edge tear at the upper left side of the front panel. Dust soiling to the panels. The rear panel has a vertical, 3" crease at its lower left corner. The author's first book and an Edgar Winner.
245 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1972
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 30, 2008
In my project of reading all the Edgar winners for Best Novel (in chronological order), I've reached 1973. (The Edgars are awarded in May each year for books published the preceding year, so this book came out in 1972.) It's interesting how many of the winners in the 60s and early 70s dealt in some way with espionage. The Lingala Code is one of those.
Author Warren Kiefer is a bit mysterious himself. Under the name of Lorenzo Sabatini, he directed Castle of the Living Dead, which gave Donald Sutherland his first big break and resulted in Sutherland's naming his son Kiefer. He directed and wrote screenplays for several other forgettable movies, and wrote 5 more novels after this one. It's tempting to think that he may have been a CIA agent like his protagonist, since there is so little information available about him.
The Lingala Code is set in what was then (the book is set in the early 60s) known as Congo-Leopoldville; earlier the Belgian Congo, later Zaire, and now the Democratic Republic of Congo. At the time the book takes place, the Belgians have departed, Katanga Province has seceded, and all is in flux. Michel Vernon, a French-speaking CIA agent, is attached to the US Embassy in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa) as is his dearest friend, an air attache. When the friend is killed in what appears to be a robbery attempt, Vernon is suspicious and begins his own investigation.
The book is a story about a murder, but it is also about espionage, cultures clashing, the birth pangs of a new African nation emerging from colonialism, and even a little romance. Kiefer tells all these stories very well, keeping the reader guessing until the last pages.
A major theme in the book is that in Congo, things which at first appear normal and straightforward are really anything but. This is brought out not only in major plot elements but also in atmospheric asides, such as the descriptions of a beauty pageant of prostitutes and Sunday afternoon zoo outings where parents and children enjoy taunting and teasing the starving animals.
It was not easy to lay hands on this book despite its award-winning status. You may have to go to interlibrary loan or pay $17 for a used copy online. Still, highly recommended.
Author Warren Kiefer is a bit mysterious himself. Under the name of Lorenzo Sabatini, he directed Castle of the Living Dead, which gave Donald Sutherland his first big break and resulted in Sutherland's naming his son Kiefer. He directed and wrote screenplays for several other forgettable movies, and wrote 5 more novels after this one. It's tempting to think that he may have been a CIA agent like his protagonist, since there is so little information available about him.
The Lingala Code is set in what was then (the book is set in the early 60s) known as Congo-Leopoldville; earlier the Belgian Congo, later Zaire, and now the Democratic Republic of Congo. At the time the book takes place, the Belgians have departed, Katanga Province has seceded, and all is in flux. Michel Vernon, a French-speaking CIA agent, is attached to the US Embassy in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa) as is his dearest friend, an air attache. When the friend is killed in what appears to be a robbery attempt, Vernon is suspicious and begins his own investigation.
The book is a story about a murder, but it is also about espionage, cultures clashing, the birth pangs of a new African nation emerging from colonialism, and even a little romance. Kiefer tells all these stories very well, keeping the reader guessing until the last pages.
A major theme in the book is that in Congo, things which at first appear normal and straightforward are really anything but. This is brought out not only in major plot elements but also in atmospheric asides, such as the descriptions of a beauty pageant of prostitutes and Sunday afternoon zoo outings where parents and children enjoy taunting and teasing the starving animals.
It was not easy to lay hands on this book despite its award-winning status. You may have to go to interlibrary loan or pay $17 for a used copy online. Still, highly recommended.
January 29, 2019
I read this one because I am reading all the novels that won an Edgar award for best mystery. It was pretty good, too, though the ending didn't stick with me too well. Easily the most atmospheric and vivid mystery I have ever read set in the Congo...
Our narrator works in the embassy while the African nation is on the brink of a civil war. A handful of his co-workers are aware that he also works for the CIA, and the embassy job is his cover. When a colleague and friend is murdered, how will he manage to solve the crime and fend off an attack on the embassy without blowing his cover.
Despite the award, this book became so obscure that the only format in which I could obtain it was remaindered-library-book. It doesn't deserve to be that obscure, though I will say that I have read some fine books in remaindered-library-book format.
Our narrator works in the embassy while the African nation is on the brink of a civil war. A handful of his co-workers are aware that he also works for the CIA, and the embassy job is his cover. When a colleague and friend is murdered, how will he manage to solve the crime and fend off an attack on the embassy without blowing his cover.
Despite the award, this book became so obscure that the only format in which I could obtain it was remaindered-library-book. It doesn't deserve to be that obscure, though I will say that I have read some fine books in remaindered-library-book format.
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March 4, 2019Synopsis: set in Zaire of the 1970s. A CIA agent gets involved when a friend dies during a robbery.
December 29, 2018
Bit confusing w vast array of characters but solid mystery w colorful portrayal of setting and era
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews