“Nairobi Noir takes readers into the enigmas that haunt Kenya’s most populous city through the deft storytelling of a stellar cast of writers, which includes Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Stanley Gazemba, Makena Onjerika, Troy Onyango, and others.”
—Brittle Paper, one of 50 Notable African Books of 2020

“Nairobi is a city of 3 million souls, so it makes sense as a setting Akashic Books’ famed noir series. 14 new stories fill a collection with Nairobi old and new; authors range in age from 24 to 81, and many layers of the city and its complex subcultures will be revealed as the reader makes their way through. Perfect for the armchair traveler!”
—CrimeReads, included in CrimeReads’ Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2020

“In Nairobi Noir, [Kimani’s] assembled a diverse set of Kenyan authors to take a hard look at their city.”
—The Big Thrill

“[Nairobi Noir] is a successful collection, which brings together a truly distinct set of new and old voices. Calling Nairobi layered is an understatement, and this collection starts peeling back the surface by attempting to harness the volatile energies of a complicated city that hides more than it reveals.”
—New Frame

“Nairobi Noir presents itself in this regard as an anti-postcard that reveals the other side of the story, or an anti-travel guide that can only be sold to tourists in search of social realism and a narrative of bruised humanity of the Dark Tourism type. All the stories gathered cultivate a pronounced taste for sordidness, the despair born of social injustice and deep poverty, the scandal of corruption.”
—Africa in Words

“This collection of short stories features some of Kenya’s best writers and manages to capture the beauty, horror, and mystique of Nairobi. Everyone has a story and pulsating through the collection are the role of colonialism, the experience of women, the class divide, and the power of language.”
—African Arguments, One of the Top African Books of 2020

Included in Publishers Weekly’s Mysteries & Thrillers Adult Announcements for Spring 2020 and African-American Interest Adult Titles, 2019–2020

Included in CrimeReads’s February’s Best International Crime Fiction roundup

“Racial, religious, and class divides are acutely observed in the 14 new stories from Kenyan writers . . . Crime fiction fans will find much to savor.”
—Publishers Weekly

“The teeming diversity of Nairobi, a metropolis of more than 3 million people, is reflected in this anthology, illustrated by a map of the city that shows a different neighborhood location for each story, the neighborhood’s name mischievously overlaying the white silhouette of a corpse. The highlights are as diverse as the city itself.”
—Kirkus Reviews

Included in African Book Addict’s 2020 New Releases Preview!

“A book that leaves an indelible impression on you from just the opening sentences of the very first story.”
—Exclusive Magazine

“These stories take you down into the dark parts of town where you get down and dirty. You meet prejudice, racism, the moneyed and the poor. You meet corrupt police, criminals, and the innocent.”
—Journey of a Bookseller

“Kimani is quite a well-known African author, who obviously knows Nairobi intimately, and after I read his story ‘Blood Sister,’ I realized that he was the perfect person to edit the book.”
—The Cyberlibrarian