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Nairobi Heat (2009)

by Mukoma wa Ngugi(Favorite Author)
3.07 of 5 Votes: 1
ISBN
0143026178 (ISBN13: 9780143026174)
languge
English
genre
publisher
Penguin Global
review 1: I had grand hopes for this book. The author's father is a renowned Kenyan author, the book is set in Nairobi, and the major character has taken on the task of solving a very puzzling murder. I put the book on my Kindle prior to my trip to Kenya. I was really disappointed. The characters were not well developed, the plot was confusing, and it simply was not the page turner I had expected it to be.
review 2: Short but full of action, violence, and also incredulity. We have a black detective, Ishmael, from Madison, WI investigating the murder of young white woman on the doorstep of a visiting African professor who just happens to be a hero from the Rwandan genocide. Ishmael suspects the professor and there's the issue of identification of the victim-nobody kn
... moreows who she is. Ishmael gets a cryptic tip call telling him the answers are in Africa. So off he goes to Kenya and is transformed there from an officer who follows the rule of law to an officer who dispenses justice once he teams up with a local Nairobi constable named O. Ishmael survives several attempts on his life and you're wondering why are they trying to kill him. He doesn't know much. And just who is trying to kill him and why? The plot moves along and you are left wondering why is this happening. This is crazy. The whole premise for the murders is a little absurd. He has a tryst with a beautiful Rwandan woman who could be a suspect. But the big showdown takes place, justice is dispensed, but Ishmael is the not cop he was before the murder and you know big changes are ahead. It's sort of shocking to see the transformation of Ishmael but he has seen the light and been reborn. And thus a series is born too. The author is the son of the great Kenyan writer Ngugi Wa Thiong'o. less
Reviews (see all)
emily
Wow - really harsh reality of genocide and turmoil in Kenya - like no other mystery I've ever read
mss
I really liked parts of this book but the ending was too confusing/unbelievable.
Lindsay
Starts on a doorstep in Madison. Written by a UW graduate.
mansa
Let's give 3 and 1/2 stars for a thought provoking story.
Brittany
Good quick read, parts were implausible.
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