Toni Kan’s The Carnivorous City makes CrimeReads’ best new crime novels list

Toni Kan’s The Carnivorous City was listed among CrimeReads international crime fiction

Barely 24 hours after The Carnivorous City by Toni Kan made its American debut on May 15, the prestigious CrimeReads magazine has listed the book as one of the best crime novels around the world for May 2018.

Consider this your go-to spot for the finest and most anticipated crime imports from around the world, the magazine said of the list.

Of Toni Kan’s book it said, “This is a story both universal and specific—an ordinary man is pulled into a life of violence by circumstances beyond his control, à la The Man Who Knew Too Much, but the unique circumstances of the novel could only take place in modern-day Lagos, quickly becoming a centre for crime fiction with the support of Cassava Republic Press.

“Read this one if you enjoyed last year’s Easy Motion Tourist by Leye Adenle, also set in Lagos, and also featuring a dynamic, pop-art cover design,” the article stated.

Set in sprawling Lagos, Toni Kan’s The Carnivorous City follows a young man in search of his missing brother, who may have gotten in too deep with the city’s thriving organized crime.

READ: Lagos govt begins urban regeneration of Ikoyi, VI, Ikeja GRA

Other books that made the list are Fuminori Nakamura’s Cult X, Ivory Pearl by Jean-Patrick Manchette, Victor del Arbol’s A Million Drops, The Shadow Killer by Arnaldur Indridason and Gene Kerrigan’s The Rage.

We’re indeed in the midst of the globalisation of crime fiction as CrimeReads rightly noted.

“The cross-Atlantic currents have always been strong in crime and mystery, but now the trade winds blow across the world. There’s never been another period with such fluid borders and exchange, as each month new mysteries from Scandinavia, the Mediterranean, Korea, South Africa, and dozens of other noir hotspots come to our shores (not to mention the many and macabre crime shows and miniseries coming through the Netflix pipeline).

It can be hard to keep track of everything new, but well worth your while,” CrimeReads said while promising to round up the best international crime fiction coming to the US every month.