The Search for Othella Savage

When one of their own, after being abducted, is found seriously injured and unconscious in the boot of her car, Edinburgh's Sierra Leonean community is cast into a state of shock. And her death a few days later sparks a murder investigation.

Though Hawa Barrie lives on the fringes of that community, which revolves around the evangelical Lion Mountain Church, the disappearance of a second woman - her childhood friend Othella Savage - draws her in. Soon she's not just making the acquaintance of the church's charismatic pastor but renting a flat from him.

But as the police investigations drag on, Hawa grows increasingly suspicious of Pastor Ronald Ranka - and increasingly fearful for her friend. Desperate, she launches her own search, which will take her from Scotland to Sierra Leone and back again, revealing the true nature of Ranka's church and the sleazy underbellies of both countries she calls home.

A darkly compelling read inspired by a real incident, The Search for Othella Savage is an engaging and compulsive debut which explores the corrupting influence of dark religion and the enduring power of friendship.