The African megalopolis of Lagos, Nigeria, makes a perfect setting for mystery stories with a noir bent. Urban anonymity and alienation are key to noir, as are femmes fatales, con men, heist crews, crooked cops, and naive newcomers from the sticks. The sights, sounds, and equatorial heat of the big city heighten the tensions inherent in tales of robbery, murder, and other desperate acts. Crime is no respecter of class either, with stories set in the wealthiest, gated enclaves and the poorest of the poor shantytowns. The smell of local street food cooking over fires on every street corner is omnipresent
With its breadth of contributors, this latest volume in the publishers city noir series will satisfy both the fan of contemporary African fiction and the newcomer interested in discovering some new voices. Dan Forrest, Western Kentucky Univ. Libs., Bowling Green
Introduction
PART I: COPS & ROBBERS
What They Did That Night
Heavens Gate
Showlogo
Just Ignore and Try to Endure
PART II: IN A FAMILY WAY
The Swimming Pool
What Are You Going To Do?
For Baby, For Three
Eden
Joy
PART III: ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES
Choir Boy
The Walking Stick
Uncle Sam International Airport
Killer Ape
About the Contributors