Easy Motion Tourist

Set in Lagos, this roller-coaster ride of a thriller from Nigerian short story writer Adenle offers an abundance of characters, ubiquitous corruption and violence, and several graphic scenes of torture. Guy Collins, a clueless hack journalist from England, has come to Lagos to write about an upcoming election. He makes the mistake of going to a club for a drink and later stepping outside where the mutilated body of a young woman has been deposited. The police arrest Guy after questioning him at the scene, though it’s unclear why they do so, since no evidence links him to the crime. To his surprise, he’s rescued from jail by Amaka, a beautiful woman who has become a respected advocate for prostitutes. Assuming he’s well connected, Amaka wants Guy to write an expose of the dirty world she inhabits. Eventually, the pair get on the trail of the young woman’s killer. While not for every taste, this relentlessly paced tale of people at cross-purposes and uncertain loyalties provides a searing look at how power corrupts. (June)