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Lightseekers

'Intelligent, suspenseful and utterly engrossing' Will Dean

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Lightseekers

By: Femi Kayode
Narrated by: Cary Hite
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Bloomsbury presents Lightseekers by Femi Kayode, read by Cary Hite.

Waterstones Thriller of the Month
LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA GOLD DAGGER

'A standout thriller... A stunning murder mystery... The suspense is expertly handled' Independent

'Tense and disturbing' Observer

Selected as a Best Crime Novel of the Month by The Times, Sunday Times, Independent, Guardian, Observer, Financial Times and Irish Times.

They already know who killed the men. What they don't know is why.

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 realises that someone really doesn't want him there and will do anything to prevent him learning the truth.

Will he uncover what really happened to the Okiri Three?

Winner of the 2019 UEA Crime Writing Prize, Lightseekers is the start of a major new crime series introducing investigative psychologist Dr Philip Taiwo.

'Lightseekers is ripe with all the twists and turns you could hope for... A fast-paced thriller that offers insight into the ever present tensions in a poverty stricken community. An action-packed and spirited debut' Oyinkan Braithwaite, author of My Sister, the Serial Killer

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**Philip Taiwo will return in Gaslight in November 2023 – AVAILABLE TO PREORDER NOW**©2023 Hachette Audio Crime Espionage International Mystery & Crime Mystery Private Investigators Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Suspense Fiction
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Critic reviews

A superb novel – so inventive and so well done. It’s just brilliant (Harriet Tyce)
Gripping, beautifully written and unlike anything else you'll read (William Ryan)
Kayode uses this space to highlight aspects of his country, from the pervasive potency of religion to college fraternities that have morphed into criminal gangs. All are filtered through the sceptical, baffled perspective of his likeable sleuth
What a sensational debut. Confident, beautifully-paced writing. Dr Philip Taiwo is a protagonist I want to meet again, and the setting is so well-drawn. Intelligent, suspenseful and utterly engrossing (Will Dean)
Thrillingly good. Femi Kayode takes crime fiction – very literally – to new places ... Told from the perspective of a returning expatriate, Lightseekers takes us deep into the rich complexities of contemporary Nigeria (William Shaw)
An original and fast-paced thriller that masterfully explores the smoldering historical tensions underpinning modern-day Nigeria, the role of social media, and the complexities of family, friendship and belonging (Lauren Wilkinson)
Tense and disturbing ... An impressive debut
An important story masterfully told (Leye Adenle)
With its twisty plot, engaging characters and brilliantly realised setting, Lightseekers will keep you eagerly turning the pages
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)
[An] exciting debut ... Gripping, with an appealing protagonist and a strong sense of place
[A] page-turner
Lightseekers is ripe with all the twists and turns you could hope for... A fast-paced thriller that offers insight into the ever present tensions in a poverty stricken community. An action-packed and spirited debut (Oyinkan Braithwaite, author of 'My Sister, the Serial Killer')
The gripping tale of the mystery of three young students who are brutally murdered in a Nigerian university town (Best Books 2021)
This ambitious debut combines the story of a fish out of water with a gung-ho thriller ... Femi Kayode is an atmospheric writer (Mark Sanderson)
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 (Eight Gripping New Novels)
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 centring on a covered-up murder (75 of the best books for 2021)
All stars
Most relevant
Femi Kayode is a brilliant storyteller. His characters are three dimensional, well storied and so palpable, you could touch them.

The story itself is brilliant - I found myself captivated and unable to stop listening.

My only disappointment is that Audible, once again, cannot find native readers to tell these stories. While the narrator did as good a job as he could, the narration fell short because it was done in a non-Nigeria accent. I hope this is something that can be improved in future

Fantastic Story, shame about the narrator!

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For anyone who both likes a procedural and who is interested in the ins and outs of Nigerian culture, seen from the higher echelons of society, this is a fabulous read. I was equally fascinated by the workings of the legal and academic society as I was by the crime story. And the narration was perfection!

Great slow-burn mystery

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Loved the story, characters & the reader was brilliant throughout. I shall look forward to the next one.

Fantastic plot

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Good range of characters, from the hero-narrator's sidekick to people in a crowd colluding in three victims' public torture and slow deaths. We watch a video of the murders in distressing detail. We're given evidence from possibly unreliable sources, don't know which police to trust, etc. So far, so very good. But I'd say stop listening around 20 minutes before the end. I thought the dénouement was implausible and made the torture scene exploitative.

Crime/thriller set in midst of turbulence in a university town

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It was good to read something set in Nigeria, I’ve certainly never read anything modern set anywhere like that. There was a good cast of characters, the main ones well rounded. The story itself was interesting and didn’t involve all the usual things you get in a British who or whydunit. The narration was very good. My only criticism is that it went on a bit too long but then I often think that about books.

A detective story with a difference

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