This passionate, hard-hitting tale about disillusionment in independent Kenya begins with the mysterious murder of three African directors of a foreign-owned brewery. Petals of Blood is a fascinating study of a magnificent triple murder in upcountry Kenya that appears to be a deceptively simple tale. However, as the interwoven tales of the four suspects come to light, a horrifying image of a contemporary third-world country whose disgruntled citizens believe their authorities have repeatedly let them down emerges.This book was so controversial when it was first released in 1977 that the Kenyan government put its author in jail without any formal charges. Newspapers all around the world covered his incarceration because it was so scandalous, and writers, academics, human rights organizations, and authors including James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Donald Barthelme, Harold Pinter, and Margaret Drabble all voiced their opposition.