Believers And Hustlers

by Sylva Nze Ifedigbo

Overview

Ifenna, a young journalist, takes the job of reporting on a popular megachurch in Lagos but veers off-script to investigate the death of a priest during the construction of the church. The article offends the young and powerful Pastor Nicholas, who runs the church, and Ifenna gets fired from his job. Down and out of luck, Ifenna becomes a blogger to expose the corruption and hypocrisy of the men of God, and his path crosses with Pastor Nicholas wife, Nkechi, who is investigating the misdeeds of her husband.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781957810027
Publisher:	Iskanchi Press
Publication date:	10/28/2022
Pages:	380
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.95(h) x 1.02(d)

About the Author

Sylva Nze Ifedigbo writes fiction, creative non-fiction, and socio-political commentaries. He has published a novel, My Mind Is No Longer Here (2018), a collection of stories, The Funeral Did Not End (2012), and a novella, Whispering Aloud (2007). His short stories have appeared in various publications, including Prick of the Spindle, African Writer, Maple Tree Literary Supplement, Saraba, Kalahari Review, True Africa, AFREADA, and Thrice Fiction Magazine. Sylva believes the calling of a writer is to study humans explicitly and document this in simple, memorable stories. He lives in Lagos, Nigeria.

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/26/2022

Nigerian author Ifedigbo (My Mind Is No Longer Here) brilliantly captures the politics and culture of his country in this enthralling mystery. Ifenna, an idealistic newspaper journalist, is assigned to report on the opening of the Heaven’s Gate Cathedral, the new global headquarters of the Rivers of Joy Church, in Lagos. A passing reference to a tragedy leads him to investigate the church’s charismatic leader, Pastor Nick (aka Daddy Founder). When another cleric, Pastor Felix Azinge, was visiting the cathedral during its construction a year earlier, he’d fallen to his death. The official story was that Azinge died accidentally after stepping on a loose platform, and Pastor Nick informed the media, including Ifenna’s employer, that he didn’t want the death to be covered. While riding in a private passenger van, Ifenna overhears a stranger suggest that there was more to the death and that Pastor Nick had engaged in a coverup, Ifenna’s pursuit of that angle gets him fired, but he continues to dig into it as a blogger. The complex plot complements the vividly rendered setting. Fans of crime novels centered on wrongdoing in powerful religious institutions, such as Mette Ivie Harrison’s books, will be riveted. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

The complex plot complements the vividly rendered setting. Fans of crime novels centered on wrongdoing in powerful religious institutions, such as Mette Ivie Harrison’s books, will be riveted”
- Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)

“Author Ifedigbo isn’t simply out to provide entertainment. In his bio, he says “the calling of a writer is to study humans explicitly and document this in simple, memorable stories.” He’s done that well. Believers and Hustlers is a study of the desperation caused by political, social, and economic corruption.”
- Andrew Diamond, writer at Mystery & Suspense Magazine

“Quite a compelling thriller that got me gripping my tablet.”
- Ekila Bontole - Bookseller

“The name Believers and Hustlers, by Sylva Nze Ifedigbo, is absolutely the perfect description for this book! While this book was written about Nigeria, it's also a perfect commentary on the celebrity pastors and the megachurches around the U.S. and the world.”
- Jill Tatter

“This was my first novel by a Nigerian author and I enjoyed it. The author adopts a teasing yet indulgent tone towards his characters, and towards the culture as a whole, their foibles and eccentricities, describing the easy manner in which people pick up foreign accents…I highly recommend this one.”
- Cynthia Rodrigues

“The book is well balanced on humor, mystery and culture. The author did a wonderful job of pacing the book and character development.”
— Ancillar Grace

From the Publisher