Night Runners

On Mollel's return from Hell's Gate he is put on duty in Dandora, a Nairobi slum infamous for its teeming rubbish dump - home to scavengers and shadowy rulers - and Night Runners, who are said to be possessed by the devil. While witnessing a near-riot, Mollel is approached by a young girl called Miriam who is refusing to speak to anyone other than the 'Masaai cop'. Miriam's sixteen-year-old sister Fatima has disappeared, and Fatima's school and father - an ambitious local councillor - seem to be covering something up.

So begins an odyssey into Nairobi's underworld which will take Mollel - aided by his streetwise son Adam - from rap clubs to voodoo healers, as the detective tries to find the missing girl and come to terms with his fractured past in a city where no one will tell him the truth.

“A compulsive whodunnit set in Kenya, where tribal politics can get you killed - Mail on Sunday[An] outstanding debut... The good news is that it is the first in a projected series - more, please - Guardian[Mollel] promises to be a fine addition to the ranks of fictional detectives - Sunday TimesA smashing debut, as fleet-footed as the warrior himself. It will make you long for the next instalment - Financial Times on THE HONEY GUIDE”

A compulsive whodunnit set in Kenya, where tribal politics can get you killed - Mail on Sunday

[An] outstanding debut... The good news is that it is the first in a projected series - more, please - Guardian

[Mollel] promises to be a fine addition to the ranks of fictional detectives - Sunday Times

A smashing debut, as fleet-footed as the warrior himself. It will make you long for the next instalment - Financial Times on THE HONEY GUIDE

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.

On Mollel's return from Hell's Gate he is put on duty in Dandora, a Nairobi slum infamous for its teeming rubbish dump - home to scavengers and shadowy rulers - and Night Runners, who are said to be possessed by the devil. While witnessing a near-riot, Mollel is approached by a young girl called Miriam who is refusing to speak to anyone other than the 'Masaai cop'. Miriam's sixteen-year-old sister Fatima has disappeared, and Fatima's school and father - an ambitious local councillor - seem to be covering something up. So begins an odyssey into Nairobi's underworld which will take Mollel - aided by his streetwise son Adam - from rap clubs to voodoo healers, as the detective tries to find the missing girl and come to terms with his fractured past in a city where no one will tell him the truth.

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