The setting is rich, descriptive and made me fall completely in love with Kenya. The story is set in the made-up city of Sangui, Kenya, which isn’t a real city but was inspired by Mombasa and Nairobi.Ĭity of Saints and Thieves is a murder mystery and revenge story while being a contemporary refugee story. The originality of the setting is one of the qualities that sets this book apart. Tina is a multi-dimensional character and I felt genuinely attached to her. She is fiercely loyal to her little sister Kiki and she takes care of her to the best of her abilities. She will do anything to avenge her mom’s death and that’s exactly what brings her to the gang – Goondas – in the first place.

When she was five, her and her mom escaped from the Congo to Kenya because of the raging war. Tina is a strong, independent protagonist who has had to learn to survive on the streets after her mom’s murder. Tina is a refugee from eastern Democratic of the Congo. “If you’re going to be a thief, the first thing you need to know is that you don’t exist.” TRIGGER WARNINGS: rape, attempted rape, abuse But finally uncovering the incredible truth about who killed her mother-and why-keeps her holding on in this fast-paced nail-biting thriller. But as soon as she steps inside the lavish home, she’s overtaken by the pain of old wounds and the pull of past friendships, setting into motion a dangerous cascade of events that could, at any moment, cost Tina her life. It’s a job for the Goondas that finally brings Tina back to the Greyhill estate, giving her the chance for vengeance she’s been waiting for. With revenge always on her mind, Tina spends the next four years surviving on the streets alone, working as a master thief for the Goondas, Sangui City’s local gang. Greyhill’s personal study, she knows exactly who’s behind it. So when her mother is found shot to death in Mr. But Tina soon learns that the Greyhill fortune was made from a life of corruption and crime.

Her mother quickly found work as a maid for a prominent family, headed by Roland Greyhill, one of the city’s most respected business leaders.

After fleeing the Congo as refugees, Tina and her mother arrived in Kenya looking for the chance to build a new life and home. In the shadows of Sangui City, there lives a girl who doesn’t exist.

City of saints & thieves