City of Saints and Thieves

By: Natalie C. Anderson
Location: FIC AND
Genre: Mystery, Thriller- Vendetta

A thriller set in Nairobi! A young adult contemporary standalone set in modern day Africa is a great new addition to the Youth Fiction genre!

‘‘If you’re going to be a thief, the first thing you need to know is that you don’t exist.’’

Street-thief Tina breaks in to the luxurious house where her mother was killed to steal from Mr. Greyhill and nail him for her mother’s murder. She is caught red-handed.


Saved by Mr. Greyhill’s gorgeous son, Michael, the pair set in motion a cascade of dangerous events that lead them deeper into the mystery, and reveal dark and shocking secrets from Tina’s past.


Tina and her mother fled the Congo years ago as refugees, trading the uncertain danger of their besieged village for a new, safer life in the bustling Kenyan metropolis. The corruption and politics of the Congo, and the gangster world of Sangui City, are behind Tina’s mother’s downfall. Is Tina tough enough to find the truth and bring the killer to justice?

"There is so much to this story. There is Tina’s life as an orphaned refugee in Sangui City and the way she manages to survive. The bits from the past we’re slowly given that display the life Tina and her mother had as refugees in Kenya. The journey into the dangerous jungles of the Congo. The exploration of modern day Africa with gangs, militia, warlords, slave labor used to mine gold, and the war caused over the fights for these mines. It was powerful and unlike anything I’ve ever read. The beauty of Africa was so clear even among the darkest places. Eventually we even learn why Tina and her mother fled the Congo in the first place."- Laura