English-speaking readers and critics are likely to identify the earliest mystery novels in the work of American and British authors Edgar Allan Poe and Willkie Collins. But Chinese scholars might differ. As CrimeReads observes, “The first Chinese proto-mysteries—that is, mysteries [with] some but not all of the elements of modern mystery fiction—were the “gong’an” (“court case”) stories. Told in the form of oral performances and puppetry shows, the gong’an began appearing during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) . . . Later, during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), gong’an plays and novels were among the most popular generic forms of Chinese literature.” Quibbles aside, fans of mystery fiction now can enjoy mysteries and thrillers written by authors all over the world. I’ve already posted reviews of the best I’ve read from Asia, India, and Russia. Now I’m listing the best mysteries set in Africa that I’ve read to date.
All but two of the novels that appear below are standalone efforts. One of the others—Robert Goddard’s—is part of a series that’s otherwise set in England. The other, by Kwei Quartey, is the first entry in one of his two series of detective novels set in Ghana. I’ve arbitrarily limited myself to including just one of his books. But I recommend them all.
In the list below, you’ll find the books listed in alphabetical order by the authors’ last names. Each title is followed by the headline of my review, linked to the full text.
The best mysteries set in Africa
The Mandela Plot by Kenneth Bonert (2018) 481 pages ★★★★★—A gripping novel about the anti-apartheid struggle
Martin Helger is the younger of two boys in a second-generation Jewish family in South Africa. Their parents are refugees from the Holocaust. The book opens in the late 1980s with the anti-apartheid movement at its peak. Martin is then a teenager, while his superstar older brother has enlisted in the South African Defense Force that helps enforce apartheid. When a beautiful young American woman named Annie Goldberg comes to live in their home, Martin’s life takes a turn into danger as she drags him into activism. The story comes to a head six years later, after Nelson Mandela has been elected president of the country and the African National Congress is in power. Then a threat a Mandela’s life enters the picture.
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (2018) 228 pages ★★★★☆—Two Nigerian sisters and three murders
This is a tale of two Nigerian sisters. Some time ago, under circumstances unknown to us at the outset, Ayoola has killed their abusive father. Since then, she has murdered two other men for reasons that are at first obscure. She acts unconcerned and unashamed. And when her older sister, Kobede, asks her to give up the knife she used in all three murders, she refuses. It looks as though the killings will continue. This is the setup in Oyinkan Braithwaite’s explosive new debut novel, My Sister the Serial Killer.
The Death of Rex Nhongo by C. B. George (2016) 321 pages ★★★★☆—A satisfying thriller set in Zimbabwe
A complex plot lies at the heart of The Death of Rex Nhongo. The complement of principal characters includes two expatriate families, one British, the other American, as well as an extended Zimbabwean family and a thug who works for the Central Intelligence Organization that terrifies the populace. The author skillfully draws together their numerous individual stories in a series of intersections that climax in a satisfying conclusion. The action takes place after the death noted in the book’s title, though the story manages to come full circle in the end. Naturally, the plot is contrived, but it’s a satisfying read.
Long Time Coming by Robert Goddard (2010) 420 pages ★★★★☆—A tale rooted in the brutal Belgian Congo
The story in this Edgar-Award-winning novel is rooted in the legendarily brutal Belgian empire in the Congo in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. But the action shifts back and forth from England to Ireland to Belgium, with episodes alternating from 1976 to 1940 and back again at regular intervals and concluding with shorter scenes in 1922 and 2008.
Long Time Coming tells the tale of Stephen Swan, a young English geologist relocated in 1976 to his home after a stint in the Texas oilfields, and his uncle, Eldritch Swan, who has suddenly appeared in Stephen’s life after 36 years in an Irish prison. Stephen’s parents had always told him his father’s brother had died in the Blitz, but Eldritch, to the young man’s chagrin, is very much alive. And he proceeds to involve his nephew in a perilous chase through London, Dublin, and Antwerp in search of proof that he was innocent of the charge that confined him to prison for more than a third of a century.
How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue (2021) 384 pages ★★★★★—Ecological catastrophe strikes an African village
Welcome to Kosawa. A village nestled in a lush valley somewhere in West Africa, Kosawa suffers from the singular ill fortune of sitting atop an oil field. For as long as the village elders can remember, ever since independence, an American oil company named Pexton has been tapping the oil. And although the villagers felt no effects for several years, toxic waste began despoiling the river and polluting their land once Pexton opened a new well. Now, years later, pipeline leaks and continuing runoff from the wells poison their lives. Crops are shriveling and children are dying although Pexton has sent “experts” who insist there’s nothing wrong with the water. It is long past time for someone to do something. But it’s a madman who will lead the way. This is the set-up in Imbolo Mbue’s eloquent lament about environmental devastation and latter-day colonialism, How Beautiful We Were.
The Missing American (Emma Djan #1) by Kwei Quartey (2020) 432 pages ★★★★★—A nitty-gritty view of Ghana today in this inventive detective novel
The “missing American” is Gordon Tilson, a retired businessman and widower in Washington, DC, who travels to Ghana to meet the lovely Ghanaian woman he’s met online and fallen in love with. But we don’t meet Gordon, or learn the story of how he became infatuated with “Helena” until long after becoming acquainted with the cast of characters in Accra who share the spotlight with him. They span the spectrum from the most senior reaches of the Ghanaian police to the sakawa boys who make their often opulent living by cheating Europeans and Americans through a variety of online scams. This novel was shortlisted for the Edgar Award for Best Novel.
The Seersucker Whipsaw by Ross Thomas (1992) 208 pages ★★★★★—A terrific novel for political junkies about Africa
An American campaign manager receives an immoderate sum of money to help elect a Big Man as president of a country resembling Nigeria. He’s a genius at dirty tricks—and the candidate’s advisers prove to be equally flexible about campaign ethics. For anyone with even the most casual experience in electoral politics, the ensuing campaign is a wonder to behold. But of course nothing goes according to plan. Bad stuff happens.
For related reading
Be sure to check out 30 top books about Africa.
You might also be interested in:
- The best mystery series set in Asia
- The best Indian detective novels
- The best Russian mysteries and thrillers
- 30 outstanding detective series from around the world
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