Two Times Murder - (Quiet Teacher Mystery) by Adam Oyebanji

About the Book

Greg Abimbola is many things. He's Black, British and fluent in Russian. He's a snappy dresser, a reasonable teacher, and an unenthusiastic sports fan. But most of all, he's exceptional at keeping secrets. Like, who he really is, and the things he's done. Determined to keep his head down after helping solve a murder in the school basement, Greg fears a trap when Sergeant Rachel Lev of the Pittsburgh police corners him in his apartment. Because his refusal to take credit isn't modesty, it's a survival tactic. But Rachel is here on another matter entirely. She needs his help. She's lead detective on the homicide of an unidentified man fished from the Allegheny River. With clues scant, and surrounded by colleagues who'd love to see her side-lined, Greg is her final roll of the dice. Greg has no choice. He knows more than he's saying about Rachel's mysterious corpse. To add to his troubles, a school trustee plunges to his demise after a heated board meeting. Both deaths come with potentially lethal consequences. If he doesn't find answers, and soon, Greg Abimbola might be the third man on the autopsy table"--

Book Synopsis

Meet Black British expat Greg Abimbola - a seemingly mild-mannered Russian language teacher with terrifying secrets - in this stunning mystery set in Pittsburgh, the City of Bridges: Agatha Christie meets John le Carré.

Greg Abimbola is many things. He's Black, British and fluent in Russian. He's a snappy dresser, a reasonable teacher, and an unenthusiastic sports fan. But most of all, he's exceptional at keeping secrets. Like, who he really is, and the things he's done.

Determined to keep his head down after helping solve a murder in the school basement, Greg fears a trap when Sergeant Rachel Lev of the Pittsburgh police corners him in his apartment. Because his refusal to take credit isn't modesty, it's a survival tactic.

But Rachel is here on another matter entirely. She needs his help. She's lead detective on the homicide of an unidentified man fished from the Allegheny River. With clues scant, and surrounded by colleagues who'd love to see her side-lined, Greg is her final roll of the dice.

Greg has no choice. He knows more than he's saying about Rachel's mysterious corpse. To add to his troubles, a school trustee plunges to his demise after a heated board meeting. Both deaths come with potentially lethal consequences. If he doesn't find answers, and soon, Greg Abimbola might be the third man on the autopsy table.

With its razor sharp themes of identity, diversity and culture wars, Two Times Murder is not just a pitch-perfect spy mystery, but also an incisive examination of contemporary America, written by a Black author who's lived on both sides of the pond.

Review Quotes

Compelling . . . Oyebanji's puzzles are well-crafted and his solutions ingenious, leaving readers with both a sense of satisfaction and an appetite for more. Not to be missed-- "Kirkus Reviews Starred Review"

A pleasure . . . a mix of John le Carré and Agatha Christie-- "Booklist"

Two Times Murder is an ingenious page-turner - a clever, intricately-plotted murder mystery wrapped in a tense spy thriller. Greg Abimbola is a one-off sleuth and Oyebanji's vivid characters are written with an original and compelling voice-- "Chris Merritt, author of Committed"

Meticulously plotted,
nimbly paced, and devilishly fair play-- "Lauren Muñoz, author of Suddenly a Murder"

A brilliant debut . . . Innovative worldbuilding, a plot packed with surprises. Oyebanji's nuanced exploration of social and cultural shifts make this a must-read-- "Publishers Weekly Starred Review of Braking Day"

A crystalline, dazzling debut, teeming with life and data and full of breathless, rip-roaring twists and turns. From its first pages, Braking Day grabs you and never lets you go-- "Lena Nguyen, author of We Have Always Been Here on Braking Day"

Engaging, fast-moving, and inventive-- "Jack Campbell, New York Times bestselling author of the Lost Fleet series on Braking Day"

Hooks you right from the opening, and ratchets up the tension all the
way to the unexpected finish - I couldn't put it down-- "Marsali Taylor, author of the Shetland mysteries"

A tense and topical thriller-- "The Times on A Quiet Teacher"

Along the way to the satisfying ending, Oyebanji smoothly inserts commentary on topical social and political issues. Readers will eagerly await his next mystery-- "Publishers Weekly on A Quiet Teacher"

Greg Abimbola is a likeable, intriguing protagonist with some interesting tricks up his sleeve. I don't know if he'll ever appear again, but, if he does, I'll be waiting-- "lesasbookcritiques.com on A Quiet Teacher"

If you're after action, mystery, and mind-bending mega-structures, look no further than Adam Oyebanji's Braking Day . . . I look forward to what [Adam] does next-- "The Washington Post on Braking Day"

Outstanding . . . A must for both Agatha Christie and John le Carr� devotees-- "Booklist Starred Review of A Quiet Teacher"

Oyebanji's hero is complicated and sure to win readers' sympathies-- "Kirkus Reviews on A Quiet Teacher"

Well-plotted . . . Oyebanji demonstrates a confident and developed voice and style-- "Library Journal on A Quiet Teacher"