<p></p><p>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 naïve 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… <br />With its breadth of
contributors, this latest volume in the publisher’s 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</p>