Longlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2014.
One of our Books of the Year 2013.
With sharply plotted storylines and interesting locations ex BBC journalist Richard Crompton’s debut novel, described as Alexander McCall Smith meets Ian Rankin, has some real appeal. It is the first in a powerful crime series featuring the engaging and unforgettable hero, Mollel, a former Maasai warrior turned police detective. Set against the backdrop of the turbulent 2007 elections in Kenya in a country where corruption, exploitation and ethnic rivalry are part of everyday life The Honey Guide brings Nairobi and its people vividly to life. It captures the spirit and energy of a city poised on the brink of change. Can Mollel every truly find justice for one poor girl who trusted the wrong people? This is an accomplished crime thriller, with a new character, Mollel, who will do for Nairobi what Ian Rankin’s Rebus did for Edinburgh.
Meet Mollel, a former Maasai warrior whose beloved wife died in the bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi. Mollel has been assigned to the investigation of the brutal murder of a local prostitute. Despite the resistance of his colleagues, Mollel soon begins to uncover something more far-reaching. But are his warrior's instincts, which have always served him so well, correct? Or will his convictions about the case be turned on their head? The investigation will become more personal to him than he could have possibly imagined...Set against the backdrop of turbulent elections, THE HONEY GUIDE brings Nairobi and its citizens vividly to life, and introduces a truly unforgettable leading character in crime fiction.
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.
