Nairobi Ndoto

Cavanaugh explores the unrealized dreams and second chances of expats in Kenya in her promising if uneven debut. Tilly, 42, an American, hopes to leverage her blog’s platform with a service to help other expats. Pauline, 37, a Canadian, is looking for a job, any job, to establish independence from her emotionally unavailable husband, Curt. Zara, 34, an American UNICEF worker who’s been shuttling between Mogadishu and Nairobi, hopes to settle down finally with an NGO in town. The three women meet in Nairobi and become friends. Drama ensues as Zara has an affair with Curt, unaware that he’s Pauline’s husband. Not only did Curt neglect to say he’s married but it turns out he’s hiding much more, and the violent third act involves a murder and a drug trafficking scheme. Meanwhile, Tilly perseveres in her service venture. The violent denouement brings in the Kenyan police, whom Cavanaugh flatly portrays as misogynists and disdainful of expats. The plot takes a bit too long to get going, and there’s not much buildup to the violence, but the yearnings of the three women feels palpable. The author shows promise. (Self-published)