Nairobi Heat is a crime thriller that begins with the revelation of the death of a white woman in Madison, Wisconsin. Her dead body was found on the doorstep of an African professor, Joshua Hakizimana, who is famous globally for saving thousands of lives in the Rwandan genocide. This same professor now serves as the face of a multimillion-dollar charity to prevent future genocides.
Ishmael Fofona, assigned to this case, receives a mysterious phone call to go to Kenya when the charity is centred. On this trip, he meets David Odhiambo, called “O,” a local detective who becomes his sidekick in Nairobi, Kenya.
He explores the world of crime, illegal activity and violence while seeking the killer of the dead white woman.
“My hands are burnt, my heart died with my son, my tears will not bring him back, but for justice alone, I am happy to shed these tears.”
This short book explores the themes of crime and violence, greed, deception and corruption, racism, classism, rape and assault, justice, love and many more. In this classic case of a whodunnit, Mukoma uses flashbacks and witty chapter titles to engulf us in the element of suspense.
While the conversations in the books seem chopped with no real depth to the characters, the informal writing style with the occasional infusion of Swahili makes it an easy read.
Should You Read?
If you like short thrillers where the protagonist seems to be in the midst of an identity crisis, then you should pick this up sometime.