A captivating mystery novel that captures the turbulent times of Cameroon in the 1990s

One day, the political journalist Zamakwe finds his beloved collection of jazz albums has been stolen. The next day, he discovers a dead body in his closet. As events continue to spiral rapidly out of control, Zam must solve not only the murder mystery but a larger conspiracy that is suddenly enveloping his life.

Love Killed Off by Too Much Sun is a wonderfully complex mystery and a gem of a novel by the celebrated Cameroonian author Mongo Beti. The first volume of an unfinished trilogy exploring the corruption, insecurity, state violence, and social injustice of 1990s Cameroon under dictatorship, it has not lost any of its verve and authenticity with time. Thrilling, farcical, and moving in equal measure, Beti’s novel draws in its readers up to the last page. It is, however, much more than a hard-boiled detective novel—it is a vivid and unforgettable depiction of life in a seething African city by one of Cameroon’s greatest authors.