Esperance - by Adam Oyebanji (Paperback)

About the Book

"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"--

Book Synopsis

"[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 fast-paced, superbly plotted blend of mystery and science fiction" --The Guardian

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...

Review Quotes

Longlisted for Best Novel by the British Science Fiction Association
Shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Prize
A Locus Pick
A CrimeReads Best of 2025
A LitHub Best Sci Fi and Fantasy Pick
A GoodReads Pick
A Booklist Editors' Pick
A Library Journal Best Book of 2025
An LA Public Library Best Of 2025

"This excellent SF-thriller opens with Ethan Krol looking at three beings on the floor of his twentieth-floor Chicago apartment: a man, his son, and a barracuda...Fans of Charles Stross' near-future police procedurals will be drawn to this one." -- Booklist (starred)

"Lovers of sharp, fast sci-fi from the likes of Neal Stephenson will be right at home with Esperance. For this reader, it scratched about a dozen itches at once and then some. It's exciting, inventive and murky, an ocean worth the plunge." --BookPage (starred)

"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)

"Adam Oyebanji mixes the traditional trappings of a detective novel with science fiction tropes and adds his own Afrofuturist-inspired notes to create something fresh. Esperance is an engaging read because of the way Oyebanji blends these genres, as well as the thrill of learning who is behind the murders - and why." -- Locus

"[D]extrously blends genres in this suspenseful sci-fi mystery.... Rob Hart and Blake Crouch fans should check this out." -- Publishers Weekly

"A fast-paced, superbly plotted blend of mystery and science fiction" -- The Guardian

"In Esperance, critically acclaimed writer Adam Oyebanji boldly combines the genres of murder mystery and science fiction to produce a compelling novel--which alone is no easy feat--that explores social structures and cultural history." -- Science Magazine

"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 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." -- Michael Mammay, author of the Planetside Series

"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 police procedural genetically modified to include the best of science fiction, mystery, action, and suspense...this page-burner earns its moral heft." --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

About the Author

Of Scottish and Nigerian descent, Adam Oyebanji is an escapee from Birmingham University and Harvard Law School. Having spent many years in Chicago, IL and Pittsburgh, PA, he currently resides in Edinburgh, Scotland. IRL, Adam works in the field of counter-terrorist financing: helping banks choke off the money supply that builds weapons of mass destruction, narcotics empires, and human trafficking networks.