The Sun Is God

Colonial New Guinea, 1906. A small group of mostly German nudists live an extreme back-to-nature existence on the remote island of Kabakon. Eating only coconuts and bananas, they purport to worship the sun. One of their members, Max Lutzow, has recently died, allegedly from malaria. But an autopsy on his body in the nearby capital of Herbertshöhe raises suspicions about foul play. Retired British military police officer Will Prior is recruited to investigate the circumstances of Lutzow's death. At first, the eccentric group seems friendly and willing to cooperate with the investigation. They all insist that Lutzow died of malaria. Despite lack of evidence for a murder, Prior is convinced the group is hiding something. Things come to a head during a late-night feast supposedly given as a send-off for the visitors before they return to Herbertshöhe. Prior fears the intent of the "celebration" is not to fete the visitors--but to make them the latest murder victims.

About the Author :
Adrian McKinty was born and grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during the Troubles. His father was a welder in Harland and Wolff--the shipyard where they built the Titanic; his mother was a school lunch lady and secretary. Adrian went to Oxford University on a full scholarship where he studied philosophy. Emigrating first to America and then Australia he found work as a door-to-door salesman, a driver, a bookstore clerk, a barman, a high school English teacher, and a semipro rugby player. His debut crime novel, Dead I Well May Be, was shortlisted for the 2004 Dagger Award and was optioned by Universal Pictures. He is the author of more than a dozen crime novels that have been translated into over forty languages. He has won the Edgar Award, the Anthony Award, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, the Barry Award, the Macavity Award, the International Thriller Writers Award, and is a three-time winner of the Ned Kelly Award. His 2020 novel The Chain was a New York Times bestseller and appeared on twenty-five best-of-the-year lists. His 2022 novel The Island was an instant New York Times bestseller and made five best-of-the-year lists including those of the London Times and the New York Times. Adrian is a member of the Linnean Society and the National Audubon Society. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children. Gerard Doyle records everything from adult, young adult, and children's books to literary fiction, mysteries, humor, adventure, and fantasy. He has won countless AudioFile Earphones Awards, including for A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle, and was named a Best Voice in Young Adult Fiction in 2008. His audiobook credits include Clubland by Frank Owen, And Thereby Hangs a Tale by Jeffrey Archer, The Distant Echo by Val McDermid, and A Risk Worth Taking by Robin Pilcher. His career in British repertory theater includes many productions, most notably The Crucible, The Tempest, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Fiddler on the Roof. He has also appeared on television, including New York Undercover and Law & Order.

Review :
"In the early twentieth century, British lieutenant Will Prior is so traumatized by an inadvertent massacre at a South African prison camp, an incident for which he is highly decorated, that he plots his way out of the army and travels to New Guinea. Here, his military police service behind him, he lives contentedly with his servant girl. Then, in 1906, he's asked to investigate a curious death on the nearby island of Kabakon, populated by the Cocoivores, a small group of Western followers of August Engelhardt, who worships the sun by going naked and eating only coconuts...That the story of the Cocoivores is true makes it all the more fascinating and an intriguing frame for this entertaining and unusual historical mystery." -- "Booklist" "McKinty's gift for storytelling is evident as he creates a society that lives entirely on coconuts and bananas and rejects procreation even as their numbers are dwindling. Set in 1906 and based on a true story, his fascinating tale is rich in detail, and there's a most unexpected hero." -- "RT Book Reviews (41/2 stars)" "The characters and setting are phantasmagorical. Prior is one of McKinty's compelling, conflicted heroes: a sane man in an insane world. Gerard Doyle, whose narration of McKinty's magnificent Troubles trilogy set the standard for Irish audiobook mysteries, does a good job with the German, Melanesian, and English people who populate McKinty's departure from Ireland. Doyle's performance is always clear and well-paced...A good ride in a memorable location." -- "AudioFile"