Adam Oyebanji
Agent
Adam Oyebanji was born in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire. He recently took the big step of moving east to Edinburgh by way of Birmingham, London, Lagos, Chicago, Pittsburgh and New York: a necessary detour, because traffic on the M8 is really, really bad. A graduate of Birmingham University and Harvard Law School, 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.
Find Adam on his website.
Bibliography
- The Quiet Teacher MysteriesA Quiet Teacher (#1)Adam Oyebanji
- The Quiet Teacher MysteriesTwo Times Murder (#2)Adam Oyebanji
Canopus Award 2023 Finalist
StandaloneBraking DayAdam Oyebanji
Reviews
The Quiet Teacher Mysteries
A Quiet Teacher (#1)
“Imagine John le Carré attempting an Agatha Christie mystery . . . that mix is at the heart of this stunning novel . . . outstanding [and] a must for *both* Christie and le Carré devotees.”
“Well-plotted . . . the writing is sharp as Oyebanji demonstrates a confident and developed voice and style.”
“Oyebanji’s hero is complicated and sure to win readers’ sympathies.”
“Along the way to the satisfying ending, Oyebanji smoothly inserts commentary on topical social and political issues. Readers will eagerly await his next mystery.”
"This is an engaging mystery with a fascinating, conflicted but versatile main character."
"Greg Abimbola is a likeable, intriguing protagonist with some interesting tricks up his sleeve."
“A tense and topical thriller.”Mark Sanderson, The Times Crime Club newsletter
“A unique marriage between classic mystery (Agatha gets a few name checks) and thriller ... that succeeds on every level.”
“Adam Oyebanji has written a first class fair play murder mystery, where the excellently-drawn characters and their motives are only part of a much bigger picture.”Simon R. Green, New York Times bestselling author
Two Times Murder (#2)
"Oyebanji makes the unimaginable not only credible but compelling by exposing Abimbola’s rich inner life and setting it against the struggles of those who rely on him for help, most of whom can’t get out of their own way, but nevertheless command readers’ sympathy for their challenges. 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."
“A pleasure . . . a mix of John le Carré and Agatha Christie.”
“Greg remains a unique and appealing protagonist—a Black Russian with a keen eye for detail and conflicted feelings about his homosexuality—and Oyebanji utilizes him well, especially when Greg explains his deductions like a 21st-century Miss Marple.”
“The ending here is—what’s the Russian for chef’s kiss? Get this on your list!”
“Meticulously plotted, nimbly paced, and devilishly fair play, this second mystery featuring ex-spy and high school teacher Greg Abimbola has as many twists and turns as the streets of Pittsburgh.”Lauren Muñoz, author of Suddenly A Murder
“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 The New Home
“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
Standalone
Braking Day
“Oyebanji's brilliant debut [...] builds intrigue upon intrigue through the novel’s first half and pays off the suspense with a series of jaw-dropping revelations. Innovative worldbuilding, a plot packed with surprises, and Oyebanji’s nuanced exploration of social and cultural shifts make this a must-read for space opera fans.”
“This is a story of people who are their own worst enemies as groups fracture, danger ramps up, and options close in. It will appeal to fans of colony ship stories and coming-of-age tales.”
“If you’re after action, mystery, and mind-bending mega-structures, look no further than Adam Oyebanji’s “Braking Day.” Set on a vast generation starship, it follows engineer Ravi Macleod and his charmingly criminal cousin Boz as they discover a secret that changes everything they thought they knew about the voyage. It zips along with some wonderful world-building and a lot of unexpected turns. This is Oyebanji’s debut, so I look forward to what he does next.”
“Lovingly crafted characterization and world building, along with a satisfying twist, make BRAKING DAY a worthy entry in the (space)shipboard thriller genre exemplified by classics such as Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001 and Mur Lafferty’s Six Wakes.”
“This richly imagined, intricately plotted adventure is crammed with ideas, and has many surprises in store.”
“Oyebanji skillfully brings forth a story whose political themes emerge from the plot and setting to produce an adventure novel that examines the politics of social privilege, and the way in which an individual's context can influence or even dictate their perceptions of reality.”
"Oyebanji has taken a brilliant central concept and built a believable world around it, populated by detailed, relatable characters full of hopes and dreams, prejudices, preconceptions and all the everyday concerns and worries that you’d expect in real life.... All told, this is space-set science fiction at its best."
"Adam Oyebanji has a very complicated situation to reveal that eventually would mean life and death to the ships. This is a very exciting tale and I hope gets nominated for an award. Lots of fun.”Philadelphia Free Press
“This well-realised debut adopts a refreshingly pragmatic, hopeful stance, showing people overcoming division to secure a common goal.”
“A fast-paced, but still character driven story, full of action and compelling twists [...] I am very curious to see where his writing career takes him. I’m a fan.”
"...a lively read. Braking Day is an accomplished debut."
“Engaging, fast-moving, and inventive. The characters and the space environment feel totally real, as do the life and death challenges that never miss a step.”Jack Campbell, New York Times bestselling author of the Lost Fleet series
“Adam Oyebanji’s BRAKING DAY blows the airlocks off the science fiction mainstay of generation ships with a vibrant world within bulkheads that’s as convincing as it is fresh. The characters are fabulous, the world-building impeccable yet never in-your-face, and the plot is breathtaking. All I can say is this is the best SF novel I’ve read in decades and it may be the best I’ve ever read. This author is now a must-read for me, and I’m sure he will be for you. Bravo!!”Julie E. Czerneda, Aurora Award-winning author of IN THE COMPANY OF OTHERS
“Oyebanji crafts an amazing lived-in world aboard a sprawling generation ship, and a twisty mystery that’ll keep you guessing to the very end.”Dan Moren, author of the Galactic Cold War series
“BRAKING DAY is an outstanding debut novel that features exceptional world-building and a really well-realized generation ship society. Filled with twists and turns, it kept me guessing in the best way right up until the end.”Michael Mammay, author of the PLANETSIDE series
“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
“BRAKING DAY blends scintillating, imaginative worldbuilding and technology with a page-turner of a mystery, deftly wrapping the narrative in powerful questions about the trajectory of humanity. This is a must-read for fans of generation ship stories.”Ren Hutchings, author of UNDER FORTUNATE STARS
“Claustrophobic in the best way possible, Braking Day is a novel that's riven with tension, solid characters, excellent environmental world-building, and some truly mind-warping machines. A pure delight for space opera readers.”Jeremy Szal, author of Stormblood
"Adam Oyebanji’s Braking Day is a diverse, inventive story which breaths exciting new life into the genre mainstay of the generation ship. With vibrant world-building, well crafted characters, and a twisty mystery driven plot, Braking Day is a stand out novel from a wonderful new voice in science fiction."
"At its best, Braking Day captures the awe of deep space travel, but it remains a personal story about one engineer trying to better their life."
"Overall, I was very impressed with ‘Braking Day’ feeling that it combined the qualities of classic Golden Age science fiction with the social issues found in contemporary SF. Highly recommended."