I don't normally read crime unless it is of the Scottish Historical genre but I thoroughly enjoyed Lightseekers and it's use of an investigative psychologist as the main character. His struggles to understand how this heinous crime came to happen, while also struggling in his personal life make for a compelling crime thriller that was difficult to put down.

Inspired by a true crime, this is a deep dive into the darkest sides of human nature. After three university students are accused of robbery, a mob of the local townspeople enacts their own grisly brand of justice. The father of one of the victims contacts Dr Philip Taiwo, an investigative psychologist recently returned to his homeland, to try and find out what would make so many people involved in such an act of brutality. Arriving in Okriki, Philip finds hostile locals and a police force determined to stonewall him - and evidence that there may be something far larger and more sinister at work. But with tensions rising and no one he can trust, Philip is about to discover he's in way over his head. This is an atmospheric and disturbing novel that gripped me right from the start. Kayode brilliantly evokes Nigeria as a country as warring against its past for its future, and the whole book is suffused with a sense of unease, of impending violence. There are constant twists, turns and revelations, keeping the situation ever-shifting. I was completely glued to the page, unable to work out where the book was going, reassessing my opinions throughout. Kayode immerses the reader in Nigerian culture, from chaotic airports to bustling street canteens to the terrifying world of underground university fraternities of violence. I'll admit I knew very little about Nigerian politics going in but I feel much more informed now, as this book has such a strong sense of place and time. The settings are almost characters themselves, particularly the tension-filled town of Okriki, living in the shadow of its recent public violence, a powder keg ready to blow at the next spark. Light Seekers is an unsettling and fast-paced pageturner, singing with tension and unease that builds inexorably to a crescendo, a debut thriller that is by turns both shocking and moving.

Three young men are brutally murdered at a Nigerian university. Their murder is captured on film and seven of the mob who murdered them are on trial. Philip Taiwo is a doctor studying the psychology of crowds. On sabbatical in Nigeria while his wife teaches, he is approached by the father of one of the murdered boys. He is not satisfied that justice is being done and he wants Philip to use his expertise to investigate exactly what happened. Philip is reluctant, but family ties mean he feels compelled to agree. A tense and impactful whydunnit which skilfully weaves between Taiwo's American training in psychology and his expectation of what justice looks like and the reality of what life is like in Nigeria for all involved. This manages to paint a clear, social picture of what is happening in the country and yet always manages to keep you engaged and interested and puts the murder investigation front and centre. Seamlessly delivered and properly gripping, which is hard for such ambition and in a book in which justice, such as it is, has already nominally been delivered.

Inspired by the Aluu Four lynching in 2012, Lightseekers is a harrowing examination of mob mentality, and explores not who killed three young men but why they did it. This is a new premise for me, coupled with a unique point of view I’ve not come across in a thriller; that of an investigative psychologist. Femi Kayode sets the scene incredibly well, I was able to imagine these Nigerian towns and cities with ease. Main characters Dr. Taiwo and Chika make a brilliant duo who could hold their own against any other literary pair. The story reads in a straightforward and logical way, yet still manages to illude the reader and keep them guessing. The narrative is interspersed with an alternative point of view which adds to the mystery of the plot. Overall an interesting take on a murder investigation, with some very important underlying themes.

I could not put this down. A grizzly 'murder' by a mob but why did it happen? A detective story without a detective and a fast paced investigation that leads to revelations that shake the town. The relationship between Dr Philip Taiwo and his 'driver' has elements of the classic detective duo and, as their investigation takes them to people throughout the Nigerian university town, more secrets are uncovered and more questions are raised. Who is telling the truth and who is telling the lies? Is anyone really who they say they are? And can a crime covered only by social media be investigated several months on without help from the police or the university? A promising debut.