Today's Africa is no longer a place of open plains dotted by tiny villages. Africa has large cities with all the elements of modern life - global connections and instant communications, high rise buildings, world-class sports and entertainment. They also have the same modern problems - poverty, homelessness, dangerous areas and violent crime. Murder and mayhem are part our world and Africa has more than it's share. In this SDG we will explore this dark side of the people and culture of Africa through seven distinguished crime novels set in five African countries; Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Botswana and Kenya. This is a fourteen week SDG but we will only meet in Westwood every other week to discuss the dark side of the dark continent.
Weeks 1 & 2 - My Sister the Serial Killer Oyinkan Braithwaite (Nigeria) Korede is a nurse who repeatedly cleans up when her beautiful but deadly sister Ayoola, murders her boyfriends. She faces a dilemma when Ayoola sets her sights on the man Korede secretly loves. This book was the 2019 Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller and was long listed for the 2019 Booker Prize.
Weeks 3 & 4 - The Missing American Kwei Quartey (Ghana) This book follows P.I. Emma Djan as she searches for Gordon Tilson, an American widower who disappeared after traveling to Ghana to meet a woman he fell in love with online. The path leads her through the dark underworld of internet scams, fetish priests and the deadly secrets of Accra's digital underworld. This book was nominated for the 2021 Edgar Award for Best Novel and the 2021 Shamus Award for Best First P.I. Novel.
Weeks 5 & 6 - Thirteen Hours Deon Meyer (South Africa) This thriller follows Detective Benny Griessel as he races against the clock. An American tourist is on the run after her friend is killed and Griessen has just thirteen hours to find her before the killers do. Thirteen Hours won the 2011 Barry Award for Best Thriller and was a finalist for the 2011 Sunday Times Fiction Award.
Weeks 7 & 8 - A Carrion Death Michael Stanley (Botswana) After a corpse is discovered devoured by hyenas, Detective Kubu Bengu follows a trail that leads to powerful figures in the Botswana Cattle and Mining Company who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets. A Carrion Death was selected for the 2010 Reading List Award by the American Library Association.
Weeks 9 & 10 - Lightseekers - Femi Kayode (Nigeria) Psychologist Phillip Taiwo is hired to find the truth behind the brutal murder of three university students. His expertise in crowd behavior and violence leads him into a world of corruption, cults and hidden loyalties. Lightseekers was the winner of the UEA Crime Fiction Award.
Weeks 11 & 12 - Nairobi Heat Mukoma wa Ngugi (Kenya) A Black cop from Wisconsin investigates the murder of a young White woman found dead on the doorstep of an African peace activist. Detective Ishmael pursues the truth through the dangerous and corrupt slums of Nairobi.
Weeks 13 & 14 - Easy Motion Tourist Leye Adenle (Nigeria) British journalist Guy Collins witnesses the discovery of a mutilated woman's body and finds himself detained as a suspect. He is rescued by Amaka a mysterious woman who acts as a protector of Lagos'vulnerable women. Together they unravel the complex mystery involving corruption, organ trafficking and cult practices. The book was winner of the French 2016 Prix Marianne.
All book titles above are linked to their Amazon listing and are generally available.
List in the Weekly Topics section.