Fire in the Tree

Toh-jay is a crafty resourceful and compassionate West African policeman. In Ghana he was Inspector Toh-jay. The Ghanaians had sent Toh-jay to Japan to become an expert in judo. When they decided that they could do without foreigners in their police he joined the national police force of his French-speaking home country. Although his new rank was the lesser one of Brigadier his young colleagues continued to address him as Inspector out of deference to his age and respect for his experience. Toh-jay taught judo at the police academy while he was learning French. Finally he had a modest command in a remote district. In these ten stories he and his team of three police officers confront African mysteries epidemics a charlatan who wreaks havoc on his victims disappearing children corrupt and deluded politicos reptiles that risk causing ethnic strife a village dispute resolved by the test of pain an unwilling exile a perplexing runaway a lovers quarrel gone very wrong and more.