A cop from Wisconsin pursues a killer through the terrifying slums of Nairobi and the memories of genocide
IN MADISON, WISCONSIN, it s a big deal when African peace activist Joshua Hakizimana who saved hundreds of people from the Rwandan genocide accepts a position at the university to teach about genocide and testimony. Then a young woman is found murdered on his doorstep.
Local police Detective Ishmael an African-American in an extremely white town suspects the crime is racially motivated; the Ku Klux Klan still holds rallies there, after all. But then he gets a mysterious phone call: If you want the truth, you must go to its source. The truth is in the past. Come to Nairobi.
It s the beginning of a journey that will take him to a place still vibrating from the genocide that happened around its borders, where violence is a part of everyday life, where big-oil money rules and where the local cops shoot first and ask questions later a place, in short, where knowing the truth about history can get you killed.
IN MADISON, WISCONSIN, it s a big deal when African peace activist Joshua Hakizimana who saved hundreds of people from the Rwandan genocide accepts a position at the university to teach about genocide and testimony. Then a young woman is found murdered on his doorstep.
Local police Detective Ishmael an African-American in an extremely white town suspects the crime is racially motivated; the Ku Klux Klan still holds rallies there, after all. But then he gets a mysterious phone call: If you want the truth, you must go to its source. The truth is in the past. Come to Nairobi.
It s the beginning of a journey that will take him to a place still vibrating from the genocide that happened around its borders, where violence is a part of everyday life, where big-oil money rules and where the local cops shoot first and ask questions later a place, in short, where knowing the truth about history can get you killed.
"Nairobi Heat takes us to Kenya with a refreshing authority... Besides the usual fun and thrill of crime novels, what makes the book a delicious read is that it s also packed with engaged and relevant social commentary."
The New York Times
"If you're weary of the glut of Scandinavian crime fiction, take a trip to Kenya's teeming capital city. " The New York Post
"A fast-paced hard-boiled crime novel... We suggest you pick up a copy if you know what's good for you." Flavorwire
"Just as the works of James Ellroy and Carl Hiaasen dig beneath the glitter of Hollywood and South Beach, respectively, to reveal a nasty, fetid underside, [Nairobi Heat] rips away images of the Sahara and safaris and goes beyond nightly news pictures of deprivation." The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"Ishmael Fofona, Ngugi's detective, may not as yet have taken over from Kurt Wallander in our affections, but I'm hoping it's only a matter of time." The Telegraph (UK)
"Sizzling...an action-packed cross-cultural ride, crackling with detail garnered from the author's experience reporting on the African communities in which this story is set." Barnes & Noble Review
"An engaging insider's view of the cultural divide between Americans and Africans." Publishers Weekly
Ngugi s ability to weave a complex narrative, which connects crime and racial tensions in the US to an in-depth knowledge of Kenya and its nuances, to Rwanda and its genocide past within this African crime thriller, is nothing but the work of a genius craftsman and wordsmith. New African Magazine
Nairobi Heat s biggest triumph is the way it forces us to re-examine accepted narratives and received truths. The Mail & Guardian (South Africa)
"[A] welcome discovery." mysteryplaces.net
The New York Times
"If you're weary of the glut of Scandinavian crime fiction, take a trip to Kenya's teeming capital city. " The New York Post
"A fast-paced hard-boiled crime novel... We suggest you pick up a copy if you know what's good for you." Flavorwire
"Just as the works of James Ellroy and Carl Hiaasen dig beneath the glitter of Hollywood and South Beach, respectively, to reveal a nasty, fetid underside, [Nairobi Heat] rips away images of the Sahara and safaris and goes beyond nightly news pictures of deprivation." The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"Ishmael Fofona, Ngugi's detective, may not as yet have taken over from Kurt Wallander in our affections, but I'm hoping it's only a matter of time." The Telegraph (UK)
"Sizzling...an action-packed cross-cultural ride, crackling with detail garnered from the author's experience reporting on the African communities in which this story is set." Barnes & Noble Review
"An engaging insider's view of the cultural divide between Americans and Africans." Publishers Weekly
Ngugi s ability to weave a complex narrative, which connects crime and racial tensions in the US to an in-depth knowledge of Kenya and its nuances, to Rwanda and its genocide past within this African crime thriller, is nothing but the work of a genius craftsman and wordsmith. New African Magazine
Nairobi Heat s biggest triumph is the way it forces us to re-examine accepted narratives and received truths. The Mail & Guardian (South Africa)
"[A] welcome discovery." mysteryplaces.net
"Nairobi Heat takes us to Kenya with a refreshing authority... Besides the usual fun and thrill of crime novels, what makes the book a delicious read is that it s also packed with engaged and relevant social commentary."
The New York Times
"If you're weary of the glut of Scandinavian crime fiction, take a trip to Kenya's teeming capital city. " The New York Post
"A fast-paced hard-boiled crime novel... We suggest you pick up a copy if you know what's good for you." Flavorwire
"Just as the works of James Ellroy and Carl Hiaasen dig beneath the glitter of Hollywood and South Beach, respectively, to reveal a nasty, fetid underside, [Nairobi Heat] rips away images of the Sahara and safaris and goes beyond nightly news pictures of deprivation." The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"Ishmael Fofona, Ngugi's detective, may not as yet have taken over from Kurt Wallander in our affections, but I'm hoping it's only a matter of time." The Telegraph (UK)
"Sizzling...an action-packed cross-cultural ride, crackling with detail garnered from the author's experience reporting on the African communities in which this story is set." Barnes & Noble Review
"An engaging insider's view of the cultural divide between Americans and Africans." Publishers Weekly
Ngugi s ability to weave a complex narrative, which connects crime and racial tensions in the US to an in-depth knowledge of Kenya and its nuances, to Rwanda and its genocide past within this African crime thriller, is nothing but the work of a genius craftsman and wordsmith. New African Magazine
Nairobi Heat s biggest triumph is the way it forces us to re-examine accepted narratives and received truths. The Mail & Guardian (South Africa)
"[A] welcome discovery." mysteryplaces.net
The New York Times
"If you're weary of the glut of Scandinavian crime fiction, take a trip to Kenya's teeming capital city. " The New York Post
"A fast-paced hard-boiled crime novel... We suggest you pick up a copy if you know what's good for you." Flavorwire
"Just as the works of James Ellroy and Carl Hiaasen dig beneath the glitter of Hollywood and South Beach, respectively, to reveal a nasty, fetid underside, [Nairobi Heat] rips away images of the Sahara and safaris and goes beyond nightly news pictures of deprivation." The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"Ishmael Fofona, Ngugi's detective, may not as yet have taken over from Kurt Wallander in our affections, but I'm hoping it's only a matter of time." The Telegraph (UK)
"Sizzling...an action-packed cross-cultural ride, crackling with detail garnered from the author's experience reporting on the African communities in which this story is set." Barnes & Noble Review
"An engaging insider's view of the cultural divide between Americans and Africans." Publishers Weekly
Ngugi s ability to weave a complex narrative, which connects crime and racial tensions in the US to an in-depth knowledge of Kenya and its nuances, to Rwanda and its genocide past within this African crime thriller, is nothing but the work of a genius craftsman and wordsmith. New African Magazine
Nairobi Heat s biggest triumph is the way it forces us to re-examine accepted narratives and received truths. The Mail & Guardian (South Africa)
"[A] welcome discovery." mysteryplaces.net