Lightseekers

longlisted for the 2022 CWA Gold Dagger

"This is [Kayode's] first novel, and a delight it is....The book introduces the forces at play in contemporary Nigeria as well as serving as a warning against mob mentality — and a reminder of how readily people fall into it."

“Lightseekers is ripe with all the twists and turns you could hope for and Philip Taiwo is exactly the type of person you’d want investigating misdeeds and revealing complicated truths. A fast-paced thriller that offers insight into the ever present tensions in a poverty stricken community. An action-packed and spirited debut.”
 

“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 smoldering historical tensions underpinning modern-day Nigeria, the role of social media, and the complexities of family, friendship and belonging.”
 

“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 honors and inverts the tried and true tropes of the amateur PI with a contemporary flair that feels assured and innovative. The only thing I didn’t like about this book is that it had to end.”
 

“An important story masterfully told.”
 

“Kayode deftly meshes incandescent descriptions with subtly escalating action, while casting light on social inequities and the ease with which anger can be stoked and weaponized on social media....With alluring characters, including a chillingly psychotic villain; an original, many-faceted plot; and blazing psychological and social insights, Kayode’s commanding and thought-provoking first crime novel launches a profoundly promising series.”
 

“An example of genre fiction that brings to light the cracks in our society and those individuals who fall through them.”

"Lightseekers is a dynamic and feverishly excited thrill ride of a novel. Kayode’s psychologist narrator is headed to a small college town in the heart of Nigeria to investigate the murders of three students....Perfect for those who grew up in towns full of very loud college students."

“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.” 
 

“I loved the start of this brilliant new series. Such a clever concept— and a really unusual hero in investigative psychologist Philip Taiwo. Lightseekers is both a page-turner and a fascinating analysis of a crisis in Nigeria.”
 

“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.”
 

"A superb novel – so inventive and so well done. It’s just brilliant."

"Gripping, beautifully written and unlike anything else you'll read."

"There’s a lot about social expectations and access to resources in this novel, but it’s also a solid detective story with a sympathetic protag in Philip Taiwo, and plenty of twists and surprising connections in his investigations.

"[A] pageturner."
 

"The ideal for any thriller writer is to get a successful series off the ground. Femi Kayode has a chance with his investigative psychologist Dr Philip Taiwo, who is the protagonist of Lightseekers, the start of a new series that begins with the gripping tale of the mystery of three young students who are brutally murdered in a Nigerian university town, killings that are captured on social media."
 

"These brand new releases for 2021 will certainly keep you on your toes, promising spine-chilling twists and turns in their pages … the first in a major new crime series."
 

"This debut has an intriguing setting – the Nigerian countryside; an engaging fish-out-of-water hero in Dr Philip Taiwo, recently returned after living in the US for years; and a smart plot centering on a covered-up murder."
 

"Transporting us to Nigeria, this is an atmospheric, vivid and beautifully written mystery that oozes with intrigue, and a brilliant first novel from the winner of the 2019 UEA Crime Writing Prize."