The Honey Guide

The Honey Guide

by RichardCrompton (Author)

Synopsis

Nairobi 2007. In the lead up to the presidential elections, this is a city poised on the brink, a place where the divisions between ethnic groups run deep and where a small elite has vast power over the poor majority. It will only take one spark for the whole city to ignite. Amid this unrest, Mollel, a former Maasai warrior whose wife died in the bombing of the US embassy, is called to investigate the brutal murder of a prostitute in a public park. Regarded as something of an outsider by his police colleagues, he is also struggling to maintain custody of his son. As riots sweep through the city following claims of vote rigging and corruption, Mollel suspects there is more to the case than he thought. But are his warrior's instincts-which have never failed him-as true as they feel? And can Mollel ever truly find justice for one poor girl who trusted the wrong people?

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Edition: First ediiton
Publisher: W&N
Published: 14 Feb 2013

ISBN 10: 0297867954
ISBN 13: 9780297867951
Book Overview: Richard Crompton will do for Nairobi what Ian Rankin does for Edinburgh - the first in a powerful crime series featuring a former Maasai warrior turned police detective.

Media Reviews
A compulsive whodunnit set in Kenya, where tribal politicscan get you killed -- Ian Rankin * MAIL ON SUNDAY *
[Crompton] has done something near-miraculous and madethe figure of the incorruptible loner-detective fresh again * DAILY TELEGRAPH *
Smashing . . . It will make you long for the next instalment * FINANCIAL TIMES *
Outstanding * GUARDIAN *
The Honey Guide introduces Mollel, a former Maasai warrior...an intriguing figure, famous as the man who pulled dozens of survivors from the wreckage of the US embassy after it was bombed in 1998...Mollel's vulnerabilities gradually unfold, revealing a damaged but determined character who promises to be a fine addition to the ranks of fictional detectives -- Joan Smith * THE SUNDAY TIMES *
This is a smashing debut, as fleet-footed as the warrior himself. It will make you long for the next instalment * FINANCIAL TIMES *
a good plot and an interesting cast of characters -- Marcel Berlins * THE TIMES *
Crompton brings the streets of Nairobi to life, Mollel and Kiunga, his investigation partner, are strong characters and with the traditions and history of the country integral to the plot, this is an excellent crime series in the making * CHOICE *
Good news for fans of exotic police procedurals, crime fiction's first Maasai detective makes his debut here in what promises to be a series to watch. It is 2007 and Mollel, an outsider in a mostly Kikuyu force, investigates the murder of a woman as riots sweep through Nairobi following claims of corruption and vote- rigging in the Kenyan elections * TIMES SOUTH AFRICA *
A fascinating debut novel set against the turbulent Kenyan 2007 election in which more than 1,500 were killed in riots, this is the first in a series that will bring Nairobi and its colourful citizens vividly to life -- Myles McWeeney * IRISH INDEPENDENT *
This outstanding debut... a vivid and sensitive depiction of an alarmingly volatile situation, riven with tribal divisions, in a place where glittering tower blocks and shopping malls sit cheek-by-jowl with tin shacks. This, however is more than mere local colour, with traditions, beliefs and conflicts being properly defining factors in the characterisation of a strong cast... The good news is that it is the first in a projected series - more, please -- Laura Wilson * THE GUARDIAN *
[Crompton] successfully incorporates the regions many customs and difficulties within his characters, giving readers a real insight into what makes Nairobi and its citizens tick. The Honey Guide is the first in a planned series of crime novels featuring Mollel, and, if it is anything to go by, we are in for an enjoyable ride * TRAVEL AFRICA *
Ever since the success of tartan noir and the Scandinavian crime wave, publishers have been searching for the next sleuth and location. Now, Richard Crompton, a former BBC journalist, offers us Mollel, a Maasai detective in Nairobi. Mollel is a good character, with a credibly tragic past, and an even more credible inability to give his young, motherless son the attention he needs... virtuous and brave but domestically careless, a rule-breaker who always gets his man... The setting feels authentic and the glimpses of Mollel's tribal past are sparing and well drawn, as are the murderous tensions in the Nairobi slums -- Natasha Cooper * TLS *
A compulsive whodunnit set in Kenya, where tribal politics can get you killed -- Ian Rankin * THE MAIL ON SUNDAY *
Crompton's thrilling African mystery is accomplished, atmospheric and engrossing. * Good Book Guide *
Author Bio

Richard Crompton is an ex-BBC journalist who moved to East Africa several years ago with his wife, a human rights lawyer who worked on the Rwanda genocide trials. Richard won the DAILY TELEGRAPH Short Story Award in 2010.

http://richardcrompton.com/about/
https://twitter.com/racrompton/