Lightseekers
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4.5 • 14 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A Nigerian psychologist travels to a remote southern border town to uncover the truth about the murder of three university students in this "original and fast-paced thriller" (Lauren Wilkinson, author of American Spy).
When Dr. Philip Taiwo is called on by a powerful Nigerian politician to investigate the public torture and murder of three university students in remote Port Harcourt, he has no idea that he’s about to be enveloped by a perilous case that is far from cold.
Philip is not a detective. He’s an investigative psychologist, an academic more interested in figuring out the why of a crime than actually solving it. But when he steps off the plane and into the dizzying frenzy of the provincial airport, he soon realizes that the murder of the Okriki Three isn’t as straightforward as he thought. With the help of his loyal and streetwise personal driver, Chika, Philip must work against those actively conspiring against him to parse together the truth of what happened to these students.
A thrilling and atmospheric mystery, and an unforgettable portrait of the contemporary Nigerian sociopolitical landscape, Lightseekers is a wrenching novel tackling the porousness between the first and third worlds, the enduring strength of tribalism and homeland identity, and the human need for connection in the face of isolation.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In Nigerian author Femi Kayode’s gripping crime novel, a brutal killing calls for a different kind of detective. Investigative psychologist Dr. Philip Taiwo has spent years working in America as a specialist in crowd killings. Now, back home in Nigeria, Philip is called upon to look into the curious murder of three college students at the hands of a local mob. Kayode’s smart mystery features a very engaging protagonist and vivid insights into the culture and politics of Nigeria, not to mention the chaotic bustle of Port Harcourt and Lagos. If you enjoy well-crafted mysteries set in fascinating locales, add Lightseekers to your list.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kayode debuts with an intriguing if uneven crime novel set in contemporary Nigeria. A prominent banker, whose son was one of three undergraduates "beaten, broken, and burnt alive" by an angry mob in the university town of Okriki, asks "investigative psychologist" Philip Taiwo to find out what really happened. Footage of the crime is widely shared on social media, and a number of people are arrested and tried, but no reasonable motive emerges. In Okriki, Taiwo slowly, and cleverly, pulls the veil back on violent, secret societies of college-age men, discovering resonance between mob violence in Nigeria and lynchings in the American South. As sociology, the book is fascinating, but as a novel it flags; the narrative isn't tight and the victims get lost in the shuffle. Moreover, there's a substantial disconnect between the horrific crimes and Taiwo's jokey commentary on his own life. Though Kayode creates occasional suspense and a powerful sense of place, the story fails to gel. Those curious about Nigerian culture and politics will be most satisfied.
