Oh Gods!

A cool sequel to The Brutal Detective, and The Brutal Detective is a high-quality representative of the genre.

If you are familiar with the first part, I recommend reading this one too. If you are not familiar yet, then it is more logical to start with it, but you can immediately start with “Mango Gods”, because the characters are the same, and the plot is in no way connected with the first part, here is a completely new investigation (and “The Brutal Detective” can then be read the prequel).

Badger and Badgercat leave their forest and fly to investigate the case of the disappearance of the giraffe Rafik in the Far Woodlands (read: to Africa). It’s already interesting how they fly - on a stork wedge, this is a local air carrier. For transportation, the birds professionally swaddle passengers so that they do not jerk, and hold them in their beaks. From the ground it looks like they are carrying babies - hence the stupid legend about storks.

On African territory the rule of the strong reigns, no one stands on ceremony, no sentimentality: the weak means you will be eaten. The borders of this world are locked, there is almost no connection with the mainland, you can only move under supervision and along beaten paths. Therefore, the partners are forced to go to the customers in the anaconda’s stomach. No, the snake didn’t eat them - it’s just that this is also such a harsh form of transport. We arrived with adventures.

And here is the residence of the customers - the Exquisite Giraffes, who are worried about the loss of their newborn son. Badger and Badgercat meet Giraffe, his wife and his mother. And here is a break in the patterns: giraffes (all three) are simply disgusting creatures! Yes, yes, not the sophisticated, sad ones, with eyelashes, soft horns and generally like plush toys, but disgusting, arrogant, rude, self-centered types.

But giraffes are large, which means they can control all the tops of the trees on which juicy fruits grow that can quench thirst during drought and feed the suffering. Thanks to this, the Refined Ones have subjugated the entire savannah, even the lions give in to them. Giraffes do not live behind high walls, do not know the need, and only come out to the people to feed them with promises and disperse the protesters.

This aristocratic family is torn apart by internal strife, and the forest is being cut down - the chips are flying, and our detectives will get it too, they will not be allowed to work in peace. And detectives also don’t have everything going smoothly in their personal lives. I won’t spoil it, but I will entice you by hinting that there is a secondary, but very interesting storyline - a love story! ;) And “everything is complicated” there.

There are a lot of events, you can’t be distracted from the plot, the psychological situation is tense - it’s very interesting to read!

A bit of a tin, but incredibly cheerful, well-cut and tightly sewn, well-written and unconventional tin. With twists, excellent humor, apt analogies with the human world. With integral characters, as if they came straight from the pages of the best classic detective stories.

The book is big, it's not that easy to read, but it's worth it.