the ghosts of happy valley by juliet barnes

[archersangel]

no, it's not a horror story.

it's about the area in kenya that between world wars that was the home of rich, white mostly british expats who lived, loved, partied hard & died.
the author is a white woman who's family has leived near the area for at least 3 generations & she explores the history of the place though the old houses of the major & minor players in happy valley of the 1920s & 1930s. along the way she tries to solve the biggest mystery of that time; who killed the earl of erroll in 1941? the case exposed more than a few secrets and was covered in james fox's white mischief.

she is helped by a local man with a passion for the environment who's considered crazy by just about every kenyan for trying to protect the forests & local wildlife.

the book also touches on kenyan independence & the mau mau uprising.

i liked the book and the stories she uncovered.