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The Honey Guide
On sale
14th February 2013
Price: £12.99
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?
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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Reviews
[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
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
A compulsive whodunnit set in Kenya, where tribal politics can get you killed
[Crompton] has done something near-miraculous and madethe figure of the incorruptible loner-detective fresh again
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
Crompton's thrilling African mystery is accomplished, atmospheric and engrossing.
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
A compulsive whodunnit set in Kenya, where tribal politicscan get you killed
Outstanding
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
Smashing . . . It will make you long for the next instalment
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
This is a smashing debut, as fleet-footed as the warrior himself. It will make you long for the next instalment
a good plot and an interesting cast of characters
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