Thanks NetGalley for the advance read of Two Times Murder by Adam Oyebanji. My thoughts:
This book was a slow burn—perhaps too slow for me. For the first three-quarters, I found myself struggling to stay engaged, often feeling my eyelids droop after just a few pages. The pacing was a little sluggish on times and I found it hard to remain fully invested.
However, the final quarter picked up dramatically, delivering a burst of energy and a more engaging pace. Unfortunately, While the conclusion showed the potential the story had all along, it was hard to overlook how much effort it took to get there.
I understand that this was a second book in a series of which I hadn’t read the first so this may have been a part of the issue for me, not already knowing the main character.
If you have the patience for a payoff that comes after a lot of groundwork, this might be worth your time. As those last few chapters were in fact page turners!!

Two Times Murder is a tale set in Pittsburgh with the main character Greg Abimbola, the unassuming Russian language teacher who is quite an enigma- he is British, black and a Russian speaker. But all is not as it seems and the story ensues about a missing Russian intelligence officer. He is visited by a detective, Rachel Lev, who is investigated a homicide. Greg needs to work independently of the police as once the body is identified, he could be implicated in something sinister. A clever slow burner.

I did t realise this was the second book in the series, i haven’t read the first one so didn't fully understand what was going on. Although the book is well written I didn’t finish it.

Adam Oyebanji returns to the word of spy turned Russian teacher Greg Abimbola in Two Times Murder, his follow up to A Quiet Teacher. It felt, at the end of the first book, that there was more to explore. And 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 and was 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 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 other local private school.
All of which makes Two Times Murder feel a little over stuffed, and it is also all a bit far fetched but Oyebanji makes it work. The key to this series is in just enjoying the way Abimbola keeps his cover and manages to explain away hints to his other life, all the while solving two murders. 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 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 a relationship with the local police now 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 was a bit more of a spy thriller than I was expecting from the initial details provided. I loved the character of Greg Abimbola and his position as a teacher of Russian at a high school in Pittsburgh was an interesting situation. I really enjoyed the touches of personality with his love of nice things and habit of reading Vogue magazine. The plot started out well for me but as it became more and more involved with Russian secret agents it began to lose my interest.
The story was well written and had some interesting characters but in the end, the style wasn’t really for me. I hadn’t read the first book which might have affected my opinion but I actually felt that this stood up fairly well as a stand alone.
Thank you to Net Galley and Severn House publishers for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I felt that the author tried to cram in a bit too much and it did not work out.
I felt that story lines were clumsy and characters lacked development.  It didn't hold my attention and I was bored throughout. In fact I was trying to read it faster in order to move onto something new.
The ending was somehow underwhelming too.  Unfortunately, I have nothing positive to say about it. Just like the main character, I am glad that this torture is over...

There is more to Greg Abimbola than is apparent at first glance. While he may simply appear to be an expatriate black Brit who teaches Russian, he has more than one language under his belt. And more than one job too - even if no one knows about that...

This is a well written book which does an excellent job of portraying the enigmatic Mr Abimbola and his less public activities. It is also a sequel. It can be read as a stand alone but not without a little effort. All in all, a skillfully conceived spy story, it gets 3. 5 stars.

The writing in this was good however i didnt realise it was a sequel so felt a little lost about a third of the way in and DNF-d. If id have read the previous one im sure my rating would have been higher.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for making an advance copy of this title available for an honest review.

With one major reservation, I liked this book. I loved the detailed character of the "quiet teacher" and his relationships with colleagues and students past and present. The plot was tight and twisted. However, my willing suspension of disbelief hit a wall when both the murders both in the underworld and ivy halls were tied to Russia. Is everyone in this state connected in some way? It just felt like too big a stretch for me. Liked it, but -

This is the first time I have read a book by this author. It is the second book in the Quiet Teacher Mystery series. This book caught my eye mainly because of the cover but also because of the title.

The synopsis gives a great idea of Greg Abimbola, a Russian language teacher, French speaker, British, Black, and enigma. There is a connection with the previous book, and there are mentions of this in this book. Detective Rachel Lev worked with Greg before, so it is natural to come to him for help with a body found washed up.

This is a book that has a lot of quieter moments in it as Greg tries to work out the connection between the body, not giving Rachel too much information, trying to stay alive himself, working out what the GRU is doing in the US and also against a woke, racist, elitist college who his friend and fellow teacher is supposedly going to work for. Now this does seem a lot when I have mentioned that this is a quieter book, a lot of the story has links in a roundabout way but there is also a good amount of conjecture.

I like it when foreign persons who are part of government groups get involved; it automatically means I am suspicious, and this was very true for this book. Greg is a very likeable character but also cautious for a reason. Some of this is imparted through the story, and he has connections that a "regular" teacher simply would not have.

Mixing several elements could have made this confusing, but the author kept them all under control to create a wonderful story. A mix of mystery, crime, conspiracy, politics and suspense. This is the second book but it does work well as a standalone and I will keep an eye out for the next in the series. I am very happy to recommend this one.

Murders, spies and private school politics in Pittsburgh have been combined to create a complex yet very readable novel. Greg Abimbola is a teacher with an interesting and murky past. He finds himself having to utilize skills from that past when murder crosses his path yet again. Two Times Murder is the sequel to A Quiet Teacher. To fully appreciate the current book, read A Quiet Teacher first. They are both excellent!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent storyline about a Russian agent turned Philadelphia school teacher; the witness protection program and a couple of strange interconnected deaths add to the mysterious life of the Russian teacher.

I love the ending.

Greg Abimbola is a really interesting character. On the surface a mild mannered British, Russian language teacher. His alter ego is an ex Russian spy in hiding from his old life. When part of his past catches up with him, he ends up trying to please his ex masters, help a friend, assist a Police officer and also stay alive.

I wish I’d read the first book in the series before this one, but it is still a stand alone read. Greg is an interesting character, still proud of his heritage, unusual as it is, just wanting to get on with his life, while things and people conspire against him. He feels drawn to help, but knows he’s not being told the truth by some of the people who come asking for his help. An intriguing read, very well written with some lovely twists.Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Adam Oyebanji ‘… recently took the big step of moving east to Edinburgh by way of Birmingham, London, Lago Chicago, Pittsburgh and New York: a necessary detour the traffic otherwise is really, really bad’. Almost – not quite – but almost, I didn’t care whether the book was any good, beguiled by this About the author'.note. ‘Loved it.
The book is good. A great protagonist – a Black, British, half-Russian, who sounds English, teaches Russian and French in America, and has secrets he prefers should remain secret. But s Rendell Locke, Ruskin Bond and Trish Feehan wrote, ‘The past is always with us.’ Caught up again with the GRU, Greg Ambimbola is also inveigled into help with the suicide of a school trustee. With an abundance of understated humour and the well-trained ability to observe, interpret and act, as well as keep a low profile, Greg assists the police, protects someone dear to him, and fends off the past in style.
I’d like to have read the previous volume first but Two Times Murder stands alone.
Thank you, Cannongate Books and Netgalley, for an e-copy in return for an honest review

Two times murder is book 2 of 2. I hadn't read book 1 but that absolutely wasn't a problem. Really clever storyline and characters. Loved it.

The first thing I must point out, and in my opinion it's important, is that this novel is the direct sequel to A Quiet Teacher and I think it’s important that you read the books in order. That way you will avoid spoilers which would seriously damage your enjoyment. Now moving swiftly on. I read, and thoroughly enjoyed A Quiet Teacher by Adam Oyebanji, it's beautifully written and really gets you involved with the characters. I came across the book when searching for something new to read on Amazon and treated myself to a copy. I finished the book and was hopeful that Mr Oyebanji might write more involving the protagonist. As you may or may not know, I review books on Amazon, Good Reads and various other places. I don’t get paid to review but am asked to give an honest review in exchange for the opportunity to read a pre-publication copy of a book. Some weeks after I had finished A Quiet Teacher I was looking on NetGalley to see what was due for publication fairly soon when what should catch my eye but Two Times Murder by Adam Oyebanji and sure enough it was my hoped for sequel!

Two Times Murder continues the story of Greg Abimbola the Teacher of Russian at the prestigious Calderhill Academy. Greg is still teaching at the school and various other characters also appear in the sequel but not to any great extent. This is a sequel but not a re-run of the same story. I will not expound further on the plot or I will run the risk of spoilers and I can’t bear those. Suffice to say that Greg remains true to his character an intelligent man with a history, who likes nice things. I find him fascinating and would like another book but feel in my heart of hearts that that is unlikely. I will however look out for Adam Oyebanji as he really knows how to write, how to engage his readers and keep them engaged.
I loved both of these books they’re different from the normal run of murder mysteries available and that gives them an edge as far as I’m concerned. I honestly can’t recommend them highly enough and hope that you will enjoy them too.
Very highly recommended.

Greg Abimbola is a teacher in Pittsburgh , he’s also good at keeping secrets .
Greg is asked to help the police after an unidentified body is found in the river , Greg has previously helped solve a murder and seems the ideal person to help Sergeant Rachel Lev .
Rachel is pinning her hopes on Greg as her colleagues can’t wait for her to fail .
This is a cleverly written book and Greg the main character makes for a different protagonist.
I did find it a slow burner but it did gain pace .
A different and complex read .
Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House .

Greg Abimbola is many things -- a teacher of Russian at a private school in Pittsburgh; an amateur detective helping the local police; a black man, albeit not a black American, and a former member of Russian military intelligence.

Abimbola in protective custody of the US, has survived an attempt by the GRU to eliminate him. Now, the architect of that effort appears to be dead, but in circumstances that place him far too close. With the help of some of the friends he has made in Pittsburgh, a group as diverse as his own background, Abimbola is pressured into investigating the unexpected death.

Another diverting "Quiet Teacher" story from Adam Oyebanji.

I found this a little slow going. I hadn’t realised that this was the second book in the series and with hindsight, I wish I’d read the first one first - I think I missed lots of back story, so that’s my mistake. It’s definitely worth a read if you enjoy this genre and I’m sure there’ll be more to come.

Very soon after starting to read this book I realised that I would have been better to have read the first in series as a number of things seemed to refer to events in that previous book. It was however possible to gain an understanding of what may have happened previously and I was able to enjoy this as a standalone novel.
The leading character Greg Aminbola a British/Russian of color is to all intentn and purpose a language teacher at Calderhill College in Pittsburgh but behind that quiet person is a very big backstory. Unknown to his colleagues.
Greg becomes involved in the investigations into two deaths while still attempting to stay out of the limelight.. The story becomes quite complex but still manages to move along at a good rate and kept me wanting to keep turning the pages.
The author also manages to add comments on racial bias in the USA and the feeling of white entitlement by an element of the population. All this along side Gregs repressed homosexuality and feelings that he has committed a sin.
There is a lot to applaud in this well written book and its a series which can only continue to improve.