Synopses & Reviews
In the grit of contemporary Nairobi, a bedeviled detective pursues an unusual killerIn Nairobis Uhuru Park, the police have recovered the body of a local prostitute: a Maasai woman, brutally murdered. Its hard to discern what went wrong. Was this a female circumcision gone awry? Was she the victim of a pimp, or maybe of one of her customers?
Detective Mollel, himself a former Maasai warrior, is assigned to the case. Like all great heroes in crime fiction, Mollel is complicated, even flawed. His scars and stretched earlobes, the hallmarks of the Maasai, make him conspicuous on the streets of corrupt contemporary Nairobi. Worse still, he cant seem to leave well enough alone, no matter what the consequences.
As Mollel pursues the death of the prostitute, he begins to suspect something far more extensive than an ordinary murder. But are his warriors instincts—which have never failed him—as true as they feel? Or will all his convictions about the case be turned on their head? As the investigation devolves into chaos, the outcome becomes more personal than he could ever have imagined.
With the sophistication of Ian Rankin and Colin Harrison, and set against the backdrop of Kenyas turbulent 2007 elections, Richard Cromptons The Honey Guide brings Nairobi and its citizens vividly to life: gritty and modern, with an extraordinary blend of tribal and urban elements. In this dark thriller, tradition and power collide to a shocking, unforgettable end.
Review
“A spectacular fiction debut . . . Instantly elevates the author, now a Nairobi resident, to the first rank of African crime writers.” —Publishers Weekly [starred review]
“[Hour of the Red God] combines a sinuous plot, a wonderfully complex and tragic protagonist, and a remarkable portrait of a city that is simultaneously exotic yet familiar . . . All fans of international crime fiction will want to follow Mollel through Nairobis mean streets.” —Booklist
“Former BBC journalist Cromptons debut features a unique voice, an in-depth look at diverse Kenyan rites and political chicanery, and a hero who, one hopes, is just at the beginning of his fictional career.” —Kirkus Reviews
“[Hour of the Red God] is not the first mystery novel to be set in Kenya, but it must be the first in which the cop hero is a Masai warrior . . . Mollel, whose wife was killed in the 1990 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, investigates the brutal murder of a prostitute. He is drawn into nasty local politics and corruption as Kenya holds its 2007 general elections and faces the violence that follows. National events and Mollels family problems are blended into a good plot and an interesting cast of characters.” —The Times (London)
“In Richard Cromptons hands, Nairobi makes for an exotic and exciting setting, a multilayered city pulsing with intriguing chaos. Its the characters, though—especially the steadfast and scarred Mollel—and the hope and fear the citys people experience and inspire, that elevate Hour of the Red God and keep you turning the pages, full of hope and fear of your own.” —Bill Loehfelm, author of The Devil She Knows
Review
“A compulsive whodunit set in Kenya, where tribal politics can get you killed.”—Ian Rankin
“Spellbinding and grimly fascinating.”—The Christian Science Monitor
“An impressive novel...full of the indigenous sights and sounds we crave in such a work.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Its an unusual feeling for a mystery fan to get in on a new series this good from the first book....Richard Cromptons debut Detective Mollel novel is a fantastic read, an exotic hard-boiled noir with heart and a fascinating, troubled hero.”—The Cleveland Plain Dealer
“From the moment we meet Mollel...we enter an entirely fresh world....This is a smashing debut, as fleet-footed as the warrior himself. It will make you long for the next installment.”—Financial Times (London)
Synopsis
The Maasai believe in two gods. Enkai Narok, the Black God, is benign. Enkai Nanyokie, the Red God, is the god of anger, vengeance, and death.Nairobi, 2007. In Africas sprawling megacity, a small elite holds power over an impoverished, restless majority. Corruption, exploitation, and ethnic rivalry are part of everyday life. Amid claims of vote rigging and fraud, the presidential elections could be the spark that sets this city ablaze.
With chaos looming, few care about one dead prostitute. But Detective Mollel does. For Mollel is a former Maasai warrior, and the dead girl was a Maasai, too.
As he ventures from slums to skyscrapers, from suburbs to sewers, Mollel begins to realize that there is more at stake than just this murder. But even as he is forced to confront his turbulent past, he begins to doubt his warriors instincts.
Can Mollel manage to find the killer and solve the case before the Red God consumes all?
With the sophistication of Ian Rankin and Colin Harrison, and set against the backdrop of Kenyas turbulent 2007 elections, Richard Cromptons Hour of the Red God brings Nairobi vividly to life: gritty and modern, with an extraordinary blend of tribal and urban elements. In this dark thriller, tradition and power collide, arriving at a shocking, unforgettable end. And in the Maasai hero Mollel, a new detective icon is born.
One of Publishers Weekly's Best Mystery/Thriller Books of 2013
Synopsis
A Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Best Mystery/ThrillerNairobi, 2007. In Africas sprawling megacity, a small elite holds power over an impoverished, restless majority. With Kenyas presidential elections looming on the horizon, tensions in the city have reached an all-time high. So when the body of a prostitute is discovered inside Uhuru Park, the police are too preoccupied to care. But Detective Mollel does, and deeply. He is a former Maasai warrior, and the dead girl was Maasai too. As he ventures from slums to skyscrapers, from suburbs to sewers in search of the killer, Mollel is forced to confront his turbulent past—and the terrifying realization that this homicide is anything but typical.
Richard Cromptons Hour of the Red God is a dark, thrilling, and vividly imagined mystery, with a hero as complex as Nairobi itself.
About the Author
Richard Crompton lives in Nairobi, Kenya, with his wife and their three young children. A former BBC journalist, Crompton left London several years ago when his wife, a human rights lawyer, was offered a job in Rwanda helping to prosecute the perpetrators of genocide.