Esperance

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What to expect

The history-bending speculative fiction from Adam Oyebanji, award-winning author of BRAKING DAY. A Booklist Book Of The Year!


An impossible death: Detective Ethan Krol has been called to the scene of a baffling murder: a man and his son, who appear to have been drowned in sea-water. But the nearest ocean is a thousand miles away.

An improbable story: Hollie Rogers doesn't want to ask too many questions of her new friend, Abi Eniola. Abi claims to be an ordinary woman from Nigeria, but her high-tech gadgets and extraordinary physical abilities suggest she's not telling the whole truth.

An incredible quest: As Ethan's investigation begins to point towards Abi, Hollie's fears mount. For Abi is very much not who she seems. And it won't be long before Ethan and Hollie find themselves playing a part in a story that spans cultures, continents . . . and centuries.

An extraordinary speculative thriller about the scars left by the Atlantic slave-trade, by a master of the genre.

Critics Review

A fast-paced, superbly plotted blend of mystery and science fiction
The Guardian
A tightly wound plot told from two divergent points of view that will keep you guessing in the best ways. If you're a fan of SF mystery, Esperance merges the best from both genres
Mike Mammay, author of Planetside
A gripping, intricately plotted mystery which unravels its themes of justice, choices and consequence with huge assurance and flair
E. J. Swift, author of The Coral Bones
A cleverly-crafted mystery, great characters, fast action, humour in the writing and serious considerations under the fun. The cover quote calls Esperance a 'tour de force', and I heartily agree - I enjoyed it hugely
Promoting Crime
The mystery begins with three bodies in an apartment and a heartsore detective but wait - Esperance is nothing so ordinary. One of the bodies belongs to a barracuda and our detective isn't the only one after the killer. A hunter arrives from another world even as more people drown on dry land. The race is on to stop the murderer, awesome alien tech versus clever police procedural but wait again. In this brilliant story, Oyebanji makes the reader question perceptions of guilt and innocence, of vengeance and justice, of time itself - all the while asking what makes us truly human. A tour de force and most highly recommended
Julie E. Czerneda, author of To Each This World
A police procedural genetically modified to include the best of science fiction, mystery, action, and suspense. With plot lines rooted in Africa, Britain, and North America-all three legs of the brutal Triangular Trade- this page-burner earns its moral heft by engaging with one of the ugliest mass human abuses in the history of our planet and considering what enslavement might have looked like through another planet's eyes.
Donna Glee Williams, author of The Night Field
A gripping mystery about an impossible murder combines with a marvellous story of a strange, possibly alien, odyssey around our present-day world, with all its problems and heritage. Guess the murder solution and you're a better reader than I, though the solution is both satisfying and resonant. Thrilling and sparky writing, extremely readable: a gem of a thriller.
Adam Roberts, author of Lake of Darkness
[D]extrously blends genres in this suspenseful sci-fi mystery . . . Rob Hart and Blake Crouch fans should check this out
Publishers Weekly
This mixture of mystery, SF, and historical fiction is highly recommended for readers who love intricately blended genre stories that ask big questions. Those who fell hard for Rivers Solomon's The Deep or Leslye Penelope's Daughter of the Merciful Deep will find a kindred story here.
Library Journal (starred review)
A fast-moving thrill ride of a story
The Peterborough Telegraph
Excellent
Booklist
A tightly wound plot told from two divergent points of view that will keep you guessing in the best ways. If you're a fan of SF mystery, ESPERANCE merges the best from both genres
Mike Mammay, author of PLANETSIDE

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