Lightseekers

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Title:

Lightseekers

Light seekers

Author:

Kayode, Femi (Fiction writer), author.

ISBN:

9780316536615

Edition:

First United States edition.

Physical Description:

415 pages ; 25 cm.

Abstract:

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.-- Publisher's description.

Subject Term:

College students -- Fiction.

Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction.

Psychologists -- Fiction.

Format:

Books

Publication Date:

2021

Language:

English

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Location
Searching... Gayton Library	Book	38674121830903	MYSTERY KAYODE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Tuckahoe Library	Book	38674121830911	MYSTERY KAYODE	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

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.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

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. Agent: Harry Illingworth, DHH Agency (U.K.). (Mar.)Correction: An earlier version of this review incorrectly stated the author of this book used a pseudonym.

Booklist Review

Three young men are brutally killed by an enraged mob in a small Nigerian university town. Investigative psychologist Dr. Philip Taiwo, who studies mob violence, is temporarily back in Lagos, his hometown, with his law professor wife, after their long sojourn in the U.S. He's an academic, not an in-the-field investigator, yet at the behest of his father, who knows the wealthy father of one of the victims, Philip agrees to visit the crime scene. He's provided with a driver, but Chika proves to be a far more talented and complex associate. As his kind, smart, and wryly bumbling hero strives to fathom the toxic conflict between the town and the university, 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. As Philip ponders the history of vigilante bloodshed in Nigeria and lynching in the U.S., and the fact that nations that fail to confront historic injustices are doomed to repeat them, we're reminded that mob violence can erupt anywhere, including the U.S. Capitol. 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.

Library Journal Review

Three university students in the rural Nigerian town of Okriki are attacked, beaten, and burned to death by an angry mob, for stealing from another student. The entire sequence of the murders is captured on social media, allowing easy identification of the killers. As the murder trials begin, investigative psychologist Philip Taiwo is hired by Emeka Nwamadi to discover why his son, one of the victims, was at the scene. Philip, recently returned to Lagos from teaching in the United States, is reluctant to take the case, but he is eventually convinced by his father, a friend and former classmate of Emeka's. Cary Hite's narration enhances the personalities and emotions of the characters in Kayode's debut novel. VERDICT This riveting tale about mob psychology and the political, religious, and social complexities of urban and rural Nigeria will captivate listeners. Highly recommended.--Cliff Glaviano, formerly with Bowling Green State Univ. Libs., OH