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Lightseekers (Philip Taiwo 1)
Femi Kayode
When three young students are brutally murdered in a Nigerian university town, their killings – and their killers – are caught on social media. The world knows who murdered them; what no one knows is why.
As the legal trial begins, investigative psychologist Philip Taiwo is contacted by the father of one of the boys, desperate for some answers to his son’s murder. But Philip is an expert in crowd behaviour and violence, not a detective, and after travelling to the sleepy university town that bore witness to the killings, he soon feels dramatically out of his depth.
Will he finally be able to uncover the truth about what happened to the Okiri Three?
As the legal trial begins, investigative psychologist Philip Taiwo is contacted by the father of one of the boys, desperate for some answers to his son’s murder. But Philip is an expert in crowd behaviour and violence, not a detective, and after travelling to the sleepy university town that bore witness to the killings, he soon feels dramatically out of his depth.
Will he finally be able to uncover the truth about what happened to the Okiri Three?
GENRE
Crime; Thriller
UK PUBLICATION
February 2021
Crime; Thriller
UK PUBLICATION
February 2021
Praise
Nominated for the Strand Critic's Awards 2022
Waterstones' Thriller of the Month, July 2022
The Bookseller's BOTM for paperback publication, April 2022
"A delight."
New York Times
"Tense and disturbing ... An impressive debut."
Guardian
"An action-packed and spirited debut."
Oyinkan Braithwaite
"A brilliantly drawn thriller set against the backdrop of Nigerian culture and politics."
Heat
"The standout thriller of the month is Femi Kayode's Lightseekers, a stunning murder mystery, set in Nigeria, about psychologist Dr Philip Taiwo, who is asked to investigate the public torture and murder of three university students. We know who murdered them (it's all caught on social media) but Taiwo has to find out why. The suspense is expertly handled."
Independent (Best Books of February 2021)
"What a sensational debut. Confident, beautifully-paced writing. Dr Philip Taiwo is a protagonist I want to meet again, and the setting (a Nigerian university town) is so well-drawn. Intelligent, suspenseful and utterly engrossing."
Will Dean
"An absolutely cracking debut, fresh, unique and beautifully written, a sure-fire candidate for next year's big prizes. In a time when travel is nigh-on impossible, it's wonderful to be transported to another world in such a vivid and memorable fashion."
Trevor Wood
“Femi Kayode’s debut novel about an investigative psychologist’s quest to uncover the truth behind the mob killing of three university students is an original and fast-paced thriller which masterfully explores the smouldering historical tensions underpinning modern-day Nigeria, the role of social media, and the complexities of family, friendship and belonging.”
Lauren Wilkinson
"Loved the start of this brilliant new series from Femi Kayode. Such a clever concept - and a really unusual hero in investigative psychologist Philip Taiwo. Lightseekers is both a pageturner and a fascinating analysis of a crisis in Nigeria. "
Holly Watt
"[A] gripping, beautifully written and unlike anything else you'll read."
William Ryan
"The best crime fiction transports and enlightens while also entertaining - and Lightseekers, a compulsive and illuminating debut, does that and more. This is a novel that honours and inverts the tried and true tropes of the amateur PI with a contemporary flair that feels assured and innovative."
Alex Segura
"An important story masterfully told."
Leye Adenle
"A superb novel - so inventive and well done. It's just brilliant."
Harriet Tyce
"Thrillingly good. Femi Kayode takes crime fiction - very literally - to new places. Ian Rankin once said the best way to understand a country is to read its crime fiction. Told from the perspective of a returning expatriate, Lightseekers takes us deep into the rich complexities of contemporary Nigeria."
William Shaw
Waterstones' Thriller of the Month, July 2022
The Bookseller's BOTM for paperback publication, April 2022
"A delight."
New York Times
"Tense and disturbing ... An impressive debut."
Guardian
"An action-packed and spirited debut."
Oyinkan Braithwaite
"A brilliantly drawn thriller set against the backdrop of Nigerian culture and politics."
Heat
"The standout thriller of the month is Femi Kayode's Lightseekers, a stunning murder mystery, set in Nigeria, about psychologist Dr Philip Taiwo, who is asked to investigate the public torture and murder of three university students. We know who murdered them (it's all caught on social media) but Taiwo has to find out why. The suspense is expertly handled."
Independent (Best Books of February 2021)
"What a sensational debut. Confident, beautifully-paced writing. Dr Philip Taiwo is a protagonist I want to meet again, and the setting (a Nigerian university town) is so well-drawn. Intelligent, suspenseful and utterly engrossing."
Will Dean
"An absolutely cracking debut, fresh, unique and beautifully written, a sure-fire candidate for next year's big prizes. In a time when travel is nigh-on impossible, it's wonderful to be transported to another world in such a vivid and memorable fashion."
Trevor Wood
“Femi Kayode’s debut novel about an investigative psychologist’s quest to uncover the truth behind the mob killing of three university students is an original and fast-paced thriller which masterfully explores the smouldering historical tensions underpinning modern-day Nigeria, the role of social media, and the complexities of family, friendship and belonging.”
Lauren Wilkinson
"Loved the start of this brilliant new series from Femi Kayode. Such a clever concept - and a really unusual hero in investigative psychologist Philip Taiwo. Lightseekers is both a pageturner and a fascinating analysis of a crisis in Nigeria. "
Holly Watt
"[A] gripping, beautifully written and unlike anything else you'll read."
William Ryan
"The best crime fiction transports and enlightens while also entertaining - and Lightseekers, a compulsive and illuminating debut, does that and more. This is a novel that honours and inverts the tried and true tropes of the amateur PI with a contemporary flair that feels assured and innovative."
Alex Segura
"An important story masterfully told."
Leye Adenle
"A superb novel - so inventive and well done. It's just brilliant."
Harriet Tyce
"Thrillingly good. Femi Kayode takes crime fiction - very literally - to new places. Ian Rankin once said the best way to understand a country is to read its crime fiction. Told from the perspective of a returning expatriate, Lightseekers takes us deep into the rich complexities of contemporary Nigeria."
William Shaw
Also by Femi Kayode
Philip Taiwo series
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Rights Sales for LIGHTSEEKERS
Czech Republic: Host
Finland: Bazar Kustannus Oy
France: Les Presses de la Cité
Germany: BTB Verlag
Italy: Longanesi
Poland: Zysk I S-ka Wydawnictwo
UK & Commonwealth: Bloomsbury Raven
USA & Canada: Little, Brown
Finland: Bazar Kustannus Oy
France: Les Presses de la Cité
Germany: BTB Verlag
Italy: Longanesi
Poland: Zysk I S-ka Wydawnictwo
UK & Commonwealth: Bloomsbury Raven
USA & Canada: Little, Brown