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A tense standalone sci-fi thriller, this electrifying procedural throws you into an action-packed race to solve a series of impossible murders In the vein of Blake Crouch, Andy Weir, and Neal Stephenson, but grappling unflinchingly with issues of racism, intergenerational trauma, and justice, Ethan Krol is a white cop in Chicago with the misfortune of landing an impossible crime. In an apartment on the twentieth floor, a father and son are found dead--their lungs full of sea water, their fingernails covered in ceiling plaster. There are no other signs of a struggle, and the wife is drugged unconscious, but otherwise unharmed, in the bedroom. Similar murders in Lagos, Nigeria and Providence, Rhode Island put Ethan on the trail of a mysterious Yemi. He has seemingly no past beyond nebulous ties to Nigeria, but what he does have is superhuman combat skills, a brilliant tactical mind, an arsenal of advanced technology, and a growing body count left in his wake. But Ethan’s not the only one hot on Yemi’s heels. Abidemi Eniola has arrived in Bristol. . . but she’s clearly not from around here. She claims to be Nigerian, but she speaks English like John Wayne stepped out a western, yet she can use the primitive technology around her with miraculous results. For some local guidance, she enlists Hollie Rogers, a young woman eager to be swept away on a continent-hopping adventure, and then it’s off to the races. As Ethan, Abi, and Yemi speed toward collision, they all have to face a harsh reality: in this world, there may be no such thing as true justice.
About the author
Adam Oyebanji
Summary
"[D]extrously blends genres in this suspenseful sci-fi mystery.... Rob Hart and Blake Crouch fans should check this out." — Publishers Weekly
"Lovers of sharp, fast sci-fi from the likes of Neal Stephenson will be right at home with Esperance." —BookPage (starred)
A whip-smart thriller in the vein of Blake Crouch, Andy Weir, and Neal Stephenson, Esperance plumbs the depths of a seemingly impossible crime rooted in racism, intergenerational trauma, and an inhuman concept of justice
Detective Ethan Krol is on the twentieth floor of a Chicago apartment building. A father and son have been found dead, their lungs full of sea water—hundreds of miles away from the ocean.
Abidemi Eniola has arrived in Bristol, England. She claims to be Nigerian, but her accent is wrong and she can do remarkable things with technology, things that her new friend, Hollie Rogers, has never seen before. Abi is in possession of a number of heirlooms that need to be returned to their rightful owners, and Hollie is more than happy to go along for the ride.
But neither Abidemi Eniola nor her heirlooms are quite what they seem. Abi is a target of Ethan Krol’s investigations, and Hollie’s life is about to become far stranger than she bargained for. In a clash of cultures, histories, and different ideas about justice, the consequences will be deadly…
