Girl Number 8, Janice Okoh
Girl Number 8, Janice Okoh
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Girl Number 8

Author: Janice Okoh

Narrator: Janice Okoh

Unabridged: TBD

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 01/19/2027


Synopsis

“Girl Number 8 is a propulsive and atmospheric debut thriller from a talented storyteller.”
—Karin Slaughter, #1 New York Times bestselling author

In bustling and class-divided Nigeria, a strong-willed female detective is called to the mansion of a wealthy politician to investigate the disappearance of a house girl’s daughter.

Several girls are already missing.

Now house girl Olori’s four-year-old daughter, Frieda, has vanished while in the care of the house mistress, the wife of local politician Samson Buzugbe. Olori suspects they know more than they’re saying.

What begins as a missing child case takes a turn when Detective Sola Adeyemi is called to investigate. Sola heads up the Department of Ritualistic Murders and Human Sacrifice, a police unit focused on crimes influenced by local superstitions. Sola knows Frieda’s light green eyes put her in particular danger, and she starts to believe the missing girls and the upcoming election are somehow connected.

As the election looms and Sola’s personal life unravels, her investigation leads to a shocking discovery: The crime may just reach her country’s highest levels of power. It’s up to her to find Frieda before time runs out.

Fans of Tana French and Oyinkan Braithwaite will be captivated by this electrifying exploration of maternal guilt, systemic corruption, and the deadly price of superstition.

About The Author

Janice Okoh is a multi-award-winning playwright and radio dramatist and has penned over 17 original plays and adaptations. Her second theatre play “Three Birds” won the Bruntwood Playwriting Prize in 2011 and was turned into the critically acclaimed and award-winning TV show ‘Just Act Normal’. In 2025 Janice won the Women in Film and TV award for best writer and in 2026 was nominated for a BAFTA. Janice lives in London with her son. When she’s not writing she enjoys the gym, swimming, improv classes and group meditation. Girl Number 8 is her debut.


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Praise for Girl Number 8

“Girl Number 8 is a super-taut, high-stakes read that transports the reader effortlessly to the heart of rural Nigeria. With its five-star plot full of complex characters, each so distinct I feel I know them, the story had me in its clutches from page one. If this isn’t hailed as a crime debut of the year, I’ll be very surprised. Okoh is a clear new voice in fiction, most definitely one to watch.”
—Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal

"I flew through the pages of Girl Number 8. Janice Okoh's incredibly atmospheric and big-hearted debut balances dread and hope and a large cast of characters with elegance and urgency. A gem of a novel!"
—Rachel Howzell Hall, New York Times bestselling author of Mist and Malice

"Janice Okoh’s rich and evocative storytelling had me hooked from the first page. A riveting debut!"
—Foluso Agbaje, author of The Talk of the Party

“A pacy, rich plot, dense in sensual local detail with Okoh exploiting her vibrant visual storyteller palette to the full…The whole novel is as luxurious and nuanced as Nigerian food, an important development of the police procedural genre and a terrific thriller to boot."
—Nina Bhadreshwar, author of The Burnt Moor

"Okoh blends gritty police procedural and gothic horror’s restless spirits and villainous ambitions here, grounding them with Sola and Olori’s perspectives. Balanced tension between social classes and traditional and modern values adds weight to this debut’s outstanding storytelling. Fans of Qwei Quartey’s Ghana-based Darko Dawson and Emma Djan crime series will find similar appeal elements freshly rendered here."
—Booklist (starred review)

"[An] elegant debut...Okoh deserves praise for her ambition and the novel’s exciting climax...an auspicious first effort."
—Publishers Weekly

"This is an assured and atmospheric mystery/suspense novel that will appeal to fans of Tana French...."
—Library Journal