This is the third book in the Edinburgh Night Series, in which Tendai Huchu demonstrates his dexterity and imagination as a writer in taking up the fantasy genre and taking readers into a dystopian post-apocalyptic world. The series is set in a magical Scottish community, and we navigate this world through the narration of the main protagonist, Ropa, is a teenage ghost talker with magical prowess. In this third installment, Ropa Moyo arrives at Dunvegan Castle to attend a magical conference but is now tasked with solving a murder mystery when a dead body with a mystery scroll is unearthed.

Tendai Huchu, who now writes as TL Huchu, was born in Bindura, Zimbabwe. He studied Mining Engineering at the University of Zimbabwe but discarded the program to work various jobs while pursue his writing career. He made his literary debut in 2010 with “The Hairdresser of Harare” published by Jacana Media. In his debut, Huchu introduces us to Vimbai and through her narrative, the novel interrogates the social and political commentary on Zimbabwe at the time. His second novel, An Untimely Love (2012) was located in the United Kingdom, a story of a Palestinian suicide bomber who finds love in an unlikely and untimely place. His third novel, The Maestro, the Magistrate & the Mathematician (2014) was published by amaBooks and later Parthian Books (2015). In his third offering, he defers to the emigre genre as he chronicles the struggles of three men trying to forge an identity and belonging in Britain while grappling with love and life. The Edinburgh series was launched by Macmillan in 2021 with the Library of the Dead, the first in the series. This was followed by Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments (2022). Fans of the series can look forward to the fourth installment in 2024. Huchu is a podiatrist and is a resident in Scotland where most of his books are set. You can follow him on social media at @TendaiHuchu.

#ZimbabweLitMonth is curated by novelist Sue Nyathi. She is a published Zimbabwean author of four fiction titles: The Polygamist (2012), The Gold Diggers (2018), A Family Affair (2020), and An Angel’s Demise (2022). She also edited a nonfiction anthology titled When Secrets Become Stories, Women Speak Out (2021). You can visit her website here and follow her on Twitter at @SueNyathi