Black Star Nairobi

by Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ

Two cops—one American, one Kenyan—team up to track down a deadly terrorist.

It’s December 2007. The Kenyan presidential elections have gotten off to a troubled start, with threats of ethnic violence in the air, and the reports about Barack Obama on the campaign trail in the United States are the subject of newspaper editorials and barstool debates. And Ishmael and O have just gotten their first big break for their new detective agency, Black Star.

A mysterious death they’re investigating appears to be linked to the recent bombing of a downtown Nairobi hotel. But local forces start to come down on them to back off the case, and then a startling act of violence tips the scales, setting them off on a round-the-globe pursuit of the shadowy forces behind it all. A thrilling, hard-hitting novel, from the author of Nairobi Heat, a major new crime talent.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Africa, Kenya, Thriller, Noir, Mystery Thriller

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[LibraryReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A day before the explosion at the Norfolk Hotel, O and I stood in the middle of the infamous Ngong Forest, looking at the body of what had once been a suit-wearing tall black man. Devoured by the wild animals of Ngong, the man’s corpse looked more like an animal carcass. This was the worst kind of death–the victim barely resembled a human being.” From the start, Ngugi’s intense, albeit grisly, second Detective Ishmael novel (after NAIROBI HEAT) is a meditative, thrill ride featuring two–no, three–joint-smoking justice seekers caught up in a cross-continental conspiracy. Singing it to the world, folks. This is international crime fiction writing at its best.

Reviewed by: Miriam Tuliao, BookOps

[Hannes Spitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

ein klasse Thriller mit einem schwarzen Humphrey Bogart und einer krassen Lara Croft aus Ruanda, ein moralphilosophischer Exkurs über gut und Böse. Und einer irren Verschwörung... Für Ostafrika-Liebhaber ein Muss!

[John Rouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mukoma Wa Ngugi’s second crime novel is again about the adventures of the Kenyan-American detective, Ishmael and his Kenyan friend Odhiambo as this time they try to track down those responsible for the bombing of the Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi, a bombing that left ten Americans, five Europeans and fifty Kenyans dead. The fictional action takes place in 2007--at an interesting juncture in actual American and Kenyan history, just after the Senator Barack Obama’s announcement of his candidacy for the office of president of the US and at the outset of a brutal wave of inter-ethnic violence immediately following the disputed victory of Mwai Kibaki as the new president of Kenya in the same year.

Once I got used to the author’s use of the African American vernacular to narrate this crime thriller I found this crime thriller hard to put down, in spite of the improbability of some of the obstables the author puts before his hero to achieve his goal. Woven within the search for the killers, which spans three countries, the author manages to cover a variety of timely themes though not in any great depth, including racism from both a blackman’s and whiteman’s perspective; inter-tribal politics and violence in Kenya; global terrorism and the murky role that governments and their global advisory bodies (like the Trilateral Commission) play in combatting it; and the narcotic affect that violence plays in justifying actions.

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no recollection of how this book appeared on my shelf. I know I grabbed it because I was interested in reading a mystery that took place in Kenya....but this wasn't truly a mystery, but a commentary on the world that didn't make much of an impact.
This is the second book in the series of two private detectives (one works as a police officer on the side), O and Ishmael. Ishmael (the American) tells the story- the two men are best friends- and each have a partner. There is a bar for the good and evil and some extra players. They are sent to investigate a body that was found in the forest- on their route to go talk to some experts, they end up at a area of the city where a bomb goes off and they help pull people out of the debris.....of course both happenings are intwined- and they partner with the American Embassy to figure out how they are connected and who caused the bombing. This investigation takes them out of the city, Mexico, California and back.
My issue with this book- quite a few chapters- the reader finds themself pulled in without knowing how they got there and wondering if they missed a chapter. And....I couldn't help but wonder if the commentary that the author was trying to hint at....wasn't obvious enough for the reader. I enjoy reading books from different cultures, so I'll continue pulling them- but I would prefer to not feel like I am missing something.

Read if you want to head to Kenya and then back to North America.

[Francis Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Star Nairobi was life-changing and extraordinary, never have I read through a book so fastening and with such vigor, for it has made me see the world in lenses I have neglected to see through before. The transition from a murder victim in a forest to unraveling worldwide plot really provides the exhilaration I need to pass through my relatively mundane and docile life. A must-read for those willing to embark on a detective adventure against overwhelming odds from criminal malice and political divide alike.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I engaged with this thriller because of the real backdrop it is set against, the near civil war in 2006-7 in Kenya following the political elections. Many people died and yet it is something people have readily forgotten. There are some good references to historical facts. However, the writing this time is a little choppy, doesn't flow as much as in the first book. The side story of the characters in Mexico is a little unbelievable in the great scheme of the story.

[Vorik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Der Roman beginnt als ziemliche Räuberpistole und endet auch so. Dazwischen werden immer mal politische, gesellschaftliche und ethnische Konflikte eingestreut, die das Niveau der Geschichte stellenweise heben. Es liest sich zwar ganz zügig dahin, aber die Figuren wirken flach gezeichnet und die Erzählweise manchmal irgendwie ruckartig. Insgesamt hat das Buch etwas von einem Groschenroman, dessen Handlung lediglich von Rachedurst vorangetrieben wird.

[Can Ceylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doğu Afrika (Tanzanya, Kenya, Somali) edebiyatında ilk polisiye roman olma özelliğini taşıyan kitap, yerine göre akıcı yerine göre sıkıcı olsa da bir şekilde sizi içine çekiyor. Yazarın ve bağlı bulunduğu coğrafyadan polisiye tarzında ilk kez çıkan bir işe göre yazar ortalama bir eser ortaya sunmuş. Beklentiyi yüksek tutmadan okunacak bir kitap. O yüzden sana puanım 5\3 kanka.

[Emily Van Herik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a solid read throughout with a compelling mystery/espionage plot that moves fast, well drawn characters, and complex morality. But the ending really put this over the top. It’s a really great novel, and I’ll definitely be putting the first on my list.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very poorly written and boring book. Naive plot, the main characters running around the world like they are in a cheap action movie. Too long part of the book dedicated to a funeral of a non essential character.

[Meryll Levine Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

For mystery readers, Ngugi offers an intriguing plot that spans two continents and embroils the
reader in Kenyan and global politics. It's a page turner.

[Erik Wennermark · Rating 2 out of 5]

abandoned half way in - too much telling, not enough showing.

[Mary Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The action never stops.

[Moritz Michal · Rating 3 out of 5]

No literary revelation but very fun, very easy to read with a crazy pace once it picks up around 40 or 50 pages in. The guy who translated it into German sold it to me as a sort of fun cat-and-mouse adventure around the globe, so reading it, I was surprised at how violent and brutal it is. Then again, the whole globetrotting aspect of the story is enough over to top to counterbalance all this violence and makes it a nice read sitting comfortably between a fun James-Bond "we have to save the world" narrative and a much darker, fatalistic Noir-story.

Would give 3,5 if possible.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read.
Read it in one sitting. Enjoyed the twists and loved how the author took us to many places. I’d recommend it to everyone.

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nairobi Heat, the first book in this series by the son of Kenya's most famous writer (Ngugi wa Thiong'o), was a bit of a disappointment. The Kenyan setting was vivid, but the crime story was very weak. I picked this up hoping for a stronger story to carry me along.

Set against the 2007 elections, the book finds African-American expatriate Ishmael eking out a living of sorts in partnership with his Kenyan cop buddy from the first book. Living with his Rwandan refugee, slam-poetess girlfriend, he seems to work as a kind of freelance investigator for the police, in an arrangement that seems rather implausible. When an unidentified corpse is found in a forest outside Nairobi famous for being a dumping ground for murder victims, they are tasked with figuring out who he is.

As in the first book, their investigation leads them into the heart of a preposterous international plot to destabilize the country for reasons that I won't even bother trying to explain. While this fails to convince, it does provide a good excuse to dramatize the crisis and near descent into total ethnic warfare that happened after the 2007 election. If nothing else, the book brings home the news that Kenya is perhaps a more fragile political entity than we might realize.

However, despite some harrowing scenes here and there, the book again fails to really connect. Both writing and plotting just aren't that strong, and the story isn't helped by a lengthy interlude where the heroes have to fly to Mexico and sneak across the border to conduct some sleuthing in California. On the whole, another disappointment.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very random selection at the library. Influenced mostly by the fact that it's Melville House. But it ended up being somehow a way to still engage with the world of Sense8 (cancelled right around the time I read this book -- *sob*). I don't think I've read anything set in Kenya before -- so everything I know about Nairobi and the tribes of Kenya is pretty much from Sense8.

I know I said crime/mystery wasn't my genre when I reviewed another crime novel two books ago. It seems I read one or two a year. There is something lovely about a book where mysteries are solved, people pay for their crimes, and the clever prevail. This book may not end quite as neatly as some, but then, it blows up into a much bigger mess in the middle. What starts as a body in the woods is linked to a bombing in a hotel, which all links eventually to a massive government-toppling international conspiracy.

In the meantime this book turns an interesting lens on both white fetishism of African cultures in particular and racism and tribalism in general. Definitely an interesting read.

[David Kenvyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who thinks that Mukoma wa Ngugi has let his imagination run riot in this story of mayhem and murder should read Antjie Krog's "Country of my Skull" or Peter Haris' "A Just Defiance" to find out what really happened in Vlakplaas, South Africa, and how far people can be prepared to go in order to control events.

This is a story, but the political riots following the elections in Kenya in 2007 happened, and were as murderous as described in the book. Ngugi posits an idea about the cause which, but for Vlakplaas, would seem an unlikely hyperbole.

The story begins with a body being found in the Ngong Forest, near Nairobi, which is referred to Ishmael and O, two private detectives. Then there is a raid in which O's wife is killed, and this unleashes mayhem across two continents, as Ishmael and O track down the killers.

Ngugi's is spellbinding in the telling of this tale. It will not be long before you have finished reading.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Mukoma wa Ngugi’s second book and the sequel to his first book, Nairobi Heat. I read Nairobi Heat last year and really enjoyed it. So, I was very excited to read Black Star Nairobi. I started this book with great expectations and let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint. I was engaged and on the edge from beginning to end. This book was so well written, and the characters (already well established in the first book) were developed enough to refresh the memory of those who read book one and also to help those reading for the first time to understand what exactly is going on.

Wait...there's more! Click link below ⬇️
https://lindasbookreview.wordpress.co...

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, the second book in the series is even harder in content and Background as in the story itself. The political chaos in Kenya is the backdrop against which the two detectives try to solve a murder case. They are drawn into complex circumstances and their own lives are constantly put in danger, as are those of their loved ones.
I liked it, but I don't like the general understanding that it is ok to take the law into your own two hands. However, in the circumstances described it seems understandeable . Still, I don't approve and don't think it is necessarily the only way to go.
Hard-boiled detective novel in an interesting international political setting.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much death and destruction for me in this thriller! African American cop has followed Rwandan girlfriend to Kenya where she is presently living. Has a detective agency with a Kenyan cop. Bombs go off (unfortunately this part if very accurate) - the three of them go off to chase the bad guys. And are there every plenty of bad guys! Who shoot, kill, maim, knife, etc with great effectiveness and abandon. Always interested in reading about Africa (and by an African author too) - but this one was too much for me.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I checked this book out of the library because I'm trying to read more non Western mysteries. I did not realize the author has lived in the USA for many years and wrote this in English. I had wrongly assumed it was translated and the author lived in Kenya. The main character is also American. The setting is Nairobi, but I wasn't getting much of a feel for the country. As a final straw, the mystery itself was mediocre with middle-of-the-road writing. Not worth the time to finish it. Gave up after 60 pages.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the previous book by Mukoma wa Ngugi about his Nairobi detectives. Black Star Nairobi advances in time with the same characters and is just as well written. And while this is the continuation of the cultural adjustments from the perspective of an African American ex-detective living in Nairobi, Black Star is a much darker side of the politics of Nigeria, making it a much more difficult read. This is fair warning. While a good read, the read is not an easy one.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

First-Reads review.
This is a great detective novel with an eye opening look at African politics. The action takes you to Africa, Mexico, and the USA. The plot is interesting and, at times, very fast-paced. At other times it lost it's flow and had me flipping back a few pages. Because of the search features available on an e-reader, this book would have been much more enjoyable in the e-book edition.

[Lissa00 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a Goodreads Giveaway.

This novel follows a Detective team in Nairobi as they investigate the dead body of an American found in the Ngong Forest. One of the detectives is an African American from Madison, Wisconsin who has an interesting perspective to Kenyan crime and politics. The writing is just okay and it is a little slow at times. Overall, it was a good detective novel made more intriguing by its location and storyline.

[Liz Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and easy read with some explosive (pun intended) action scenes. The plot was relatively far fetched but the violence unfortunately isn't. As with many detective novels it's told in first person so we know the main character gets through but some of the hits come out of the blue. I haven't been to Nairobi and this doesn't exactly paint a safe picture of it but it is somewhere I'd like to go down the line. I'm looking forward to reading his first book and to reading more of his work.

[Joyce Yanney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fictional international (Africa, Mexico, and USA) crime story taking place in 2007. The author writes of racism from a blackmans' and whitemans' view. Politics and violence in Kenya. Terrorism worldwide. And the role the governments and their advisories play in combatting it. Narcotics help them give justification of their actions. A good crime novel.

[Rani · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mysterious death in the Kenyan forest sets detctive Ishmael and his partner O on the hunt for the killer. Its December, 2007, and Kenyan presidential elections are beginning while in the US, Senator Obama is campaigning for president.

[Debs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book deserves a 5 even though I ponder how a violent political thriller rate such a high score ? Because it's brilliant and funny and wise with characters you want to be friends with. Oh and BTW I used to live in Madison Wisconsin USA!

[Harri Junttila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smart but easy to read. Nice characters with lots of history. Decently violent for a crime fiction. I also liked the political plot. Reading it in Nairobi gave some extra twist. I know some of the places.