Two Times Murder by Adam Oyebanji

Adam Oyebanji returns to the word of spy turned Russian teacher Greg Abimbola in Two Times Murder, his follow up to A Quiet Teacher. Once again Oyebanji manages to deliver a clever (if slightly contrived) mix of espionage thriller meets amateur sleuth shenanigans.

Readers learnt in A Quiet Teacher that Greg Abimbola was a Russian agent who turned double agent for the British and was later placed in witness protection as an English teacher at an upmarket private school in Pittsburgh. In that book, Abimbola’s past, in the form a rogue GRU agent called Morosov, caught up with him and he managed to navigate his way safe while also solving a murder at the school. Two Times Murder (as the name suggests) pulls a similar feat. When the book opens, more GRU operatives have found Greg and want him to find out what happened to Morosov, while a police detective wants his help solving the murder of an unknown man found in the river. Not long after this, his colleague (and the only other Black member of staff at the school) asks him to investigate the apparent suicide of a Board member of the competing local private school.

All of which makes Two Times Murder feel a little over stuffed and a bit far-fetched but Oyebanji makes it work. The key to this series is in just enjoying the way Abimbola investigates the murders while keeping his cover and managing to explain away hints to his other life. Abimbola is a great central character and he is ably supported by a fascinating cast of side characters, including a few of his students (yes, he fixes some of their problems too). Along the way, Oyebanji gets to dig into issues of misogyny, racism, religion, sexual identity and the anti-diversity push in American schools.

Continually returning to the scenario of an amateur detective in a limited environment is a tough one, but one that can be navigated with the good will of the reader (or viewer – Only Murders in the Building has now gotten away with it now for four seasons). After a murder at his school and a murder at the school next door, it is hard to imagine that Abimbola will have to deal with more school-based murders. But he has now developed a relationship with the local police and is still living under threat of being exposed as a former spy so there is plenty for Oyebanji to play with in a potential next entry in this enjoyable series.

Two Times Murder by Adam Oyebanji

7.5

7.5/10