Fear of Landing: An Abner Dueck Mystery (Abner Dueck Mysteries)

It's the early 1980s. Even as President Suharto violently stifles dissent, the islands of Java and Bali are under the million-dollar development schemes of Western governments. Canadian veterinarian Abner Dueck wanted a mundane job. But when some cows die under mysterious circumstances, Dueck's life changes abruptly. Soon after, two of his friends are murdered. To unravel the mysterious deaths, Dueck must first understand the long shadow cast upon Indonesian life by the 1966 massacres; the complexities of their music; the demands and intrigues of love and conspiracy, death and mystery; and of course, the stories behind Indonesia's cultural heritage and personal identity.

On the islands of Java and Bali in the early 1980s, Western governments are pouring millions of dollars into development schemes even as Indonesian strongman President Suharto violently stifles dissent.
For Canadian veterinarian Abner Dueck, the spice islands are an exotic locale for the seemingly mundane work of examining dead cows and working with old friends. Duecks life changes abruptly when some of the cows die under mysterious circumstances, and he meets a mysterious young Chinese woman; soon after, two of his friendsone Canadian and one Indonesianare murdered.
Mennonite Dueck, marshalls the energy to battle Indonesian politics and the attempts of local businessmen, military rulers, and international advisors to manipulate development projects to their own ends.
And to unravel the mysterious deaths of both cattle and people, Dueck must first understand the long shadow that the 1966 massacres cast on Indonesian life, as well as the complexities of their music, and the demands and intrigues of love and conspiracy, death and mystery, and of course, cultural heritage and personal identity.

Publishers Weekly

Set in the repressive Indonesia of the early 1980s, Waltner-Toews's compelling debut introduces an unlikely detective, Canadian veterinarian Abner Dueck. Dueck's investigation of the suspicious contents of a dead cow's stomach appears to result in the deaths of two friends and puts the vet in the uncomfortable position of trying to find out who killed them in a country where asking questions can lead to a quick burial. The list of possible suspects is endless, from whoever is poisoning cattle with strychnine to Dueck's own colleagues, skillfully characterized during a tour de force of a party scene. Constrained by threats to his life, Dueck never gets easy answers as he becomes enmeshed in a complex web of alliances and murder theories provided by people with their own interests at heart. Readers will be surprised to find descriptions of animal autopsies as intriguing as political schemes in this powerful and highly original portrait of a particular time and place. (Feb.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Canadian veterinarian Abner Dueck travels to Indonesia in the 1980s for a project examining dead cows. When some cows and two friends die under mysterious circumstances, Dueck must try to find the truth. He will first need to understand the culture and the effect on Indonesian life of the 1966 massacres Canadan Mennonite veterinarian Abner Dueck battles Indonesian politics and the attempts of local businessmen, military rulers, and international "advisors" to manipulate development projects, as he unravels the mysterious deaths of both cattle and people.