Gaslight is the second novel by Femi Kayode, following his debut, Lightseekers. It features the return of investigative psychologist Philip Taiwo, who is hired to prove the innocence of Bishop Dawodu, a powerful Nigerian megachurch leader accused of killing his wife, Folasade. The case turns out to be more complicated than it seems, as Taiwo discovers a dark and twisted web of secrets, lies, and corruption that threatens to expose the ugly truth behind the church and its followers.

The novel is a captivating mystery that kept me hooked until the end. Kayode's writing is vivid and immersive, creating a realistic and compelling portrait of Lagos and its culture. The characters are likeable and mostly credible, each with their own motivations and flaws. The novel also explores relevant and challenging themes of faith, morality, and humanity, raising questions about the role and impact of religion in society.

I enjoyed the novel for its engaging plot, rich characterisation, and authentic setting. I appreciate a good mystery, and Gaslight delivers on that front, although it is not a conventional whodunnit. The characters are relatable and sympathetic, even if some of them are too idealized. Taiwo's wife and children, for instance, seem to be just a little bit too perfect.

What I liked the most was the novel's depiction of the contemporary Nigerian megachurch scene and the issues that surround it. I think it is an important and timely topic that deserves more attention and discussion. The novel exposes the potential crimes, abuses, and dishonesties that can occur in these institutions, even if it is fictionalized. It is a brave and bold book that tackles a sensitive and controversial subject.
I will definitely pick up Kayode's previous novel, Lightseekers. Overall it was a light easy read and I give it a 3.5 score.

My thanks to the Publishers via NetGalley for a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review. This is the second in the Philip Taiwo series, that begins with the Lightseekers. I haven't read that one, but my enjoyment of reading Gaslight was in no way impaired with not having had any back story about the characters.

When Bishop Dawodu is arrested for the murder of his wife, some questions need answering as their appears to be no body! What is happening? Has she been killed? Has she committed suicide? Where is the body? With so many questions needing answers, help is needed.

When Philip Taiwo an investigative psychologist is approached to help by his sister, he is loathe to get involved as he isn't fond of organised religion and all that it involves. However, he is keen to help out his sister and it's not long before he finds himself amidst the goings on.

I enjoyed this read that was set in Nigeria, the reader was soon embroiled among the action that is taking place and you are left wondering who can be trusted. I know that I was well and truly their with them all.

Gaslight by Femi Kayode and narrated by Cary Hite and Yinka Ladeinde is the second book in the Philip Taiwo investigation series and I have a confession, I have not read the first one! Oops. I found it a slow read and hard to get into - only because I hadn't read the first one!!! However, once I got into it I really enjoyed this audiobook.
The characters were well developed and played well within the story.
This is a book or audiobook that you have to read the first book to really get the whole story.

Big Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ), Raven Books for my audiobook/book.

I really enjoyed Femi's first book and this was definitely an amazing read! I really enjoyed how descriptive it was while maintaining a fast pace thriller.

Gaslight by Femi Kayode is an intense thriller that really hits the mark! Dr Philip Taiwo reluctantly agrees to help with the investigation into the disappearance of a leading church figure at the request of his sister but when this takes a sinister turn, Philip finds himself in a very dangerous predicament unsure of who he can trust.

I really enjoyed reading this tense, original thriller and will look out for more from this author in future.

A slow burn that developed from a simple misding perspn case to a dark mystery incorporating corruption abuse and racism. I was fascinated by the characters and their intrtaction. The gormat and gradual dark receal was compelling. I really enjoyed this it toom a while to get going by i waz hooked.
Thank yoy netgallery and publisher and author for a 5 star read.

was really looking forward to reading Gaslight after Femi Kayode’s first book, The Light Seekers. In investigative psychologist Philip Taiwoo he has created a thoughtful, intelligent protagonist and one who is finding his way back to Nigerian culture after living for some years in America. It’s a step driven by his wife who has been horrified by the way she has seen her children profiled in America.

But as they quickly find out, Nigeria has its own profiling mechanisms and navigating their way through these is difficult, especially for their children.

Philip’s sister, Kenny, a Christian worshipper at Grace Church presided over by Bishop Jeremiah Dawodu, asks Philip to come and speak to the Church hierarchy. Folasade Dawodu, the Bishop’s wife, has disappeared and the Police are looking at Bishop Dawodu as a potential murderer, albeit there is, as yet, no body.

Philip, who doesn’t really do organised religion, agrees to help and takes a commission from the Church to look into Folasade’s disappearance. Femi Kayode paints a pretty bleak picture of Nigerian religion. His description of the roadside churches setting out their wares in distinct territories along the highway resembles no more than a series of casinos along the Los Angeles strip.

Kayode covers a lot of ground in this story which had me engrossed all the way through. His writing style is clear and well-paced but not overly dramatic, even when dealing with some pretty dramatic and traumatic events. He lets this story tell itself and it is all the better for that approach.

There’s a lot to process in this story – and Philip expertly picks his way through police corruption, the corruption in church fiefdoms that encourage blind faith and are willing to take money while giving nothing back. In this novel he deals with patriarchal attitudes to women and the abuse they suffer and, at the other end of the scale, the kind of racism Philip would just never expect to find in his native Nigeria has found its way into the heart of his family.

Gaslight is a dark story and as Philip investigates he uncovers some shocking information and with it a whole host of lies, fraud and deceit. In so doing he and his friend, security consultant Chika Makuochi, put their lives and those of their families, in danger

What started as a request for help from his upright sister turns into a nightmare in which it is hard to know who Philip can trust.

Verdict: Beautifully written, thought-provoking and contemporary, Gaslight is a wholly engrossing book that draws you in, makes you think and raises your temperature as you want the perpetrators caught just as much as the book’s protagonist. I loved this book and it is fast becoming a must read series.

Almost a year after the first case, Dr Philip Taiwo is asked by his sister to investigate the disappearance of a pastor's wife. Bishop Jeremiah Dawodu, head of Grace Church, has been arrested and charged with the murder of his wife, Folasade. Dawodu & those around him maintain that it is all a misunderstanding & that his wife often goes on retreat from the pressures of her public life & that she will turn up unharmed at any moment. Philip agrees to take the case mostly for his sister's benefit, & begins to investigate. Just as he is reaching agreement that Sade Dawodu is probably still alive & the case against her husband falsified, Sade's body is found in a nearby lake. Was it suicide, an accident, or murder? Why were the police so intent on blaming her husband? Why do the church now want him to stop investigating? As he begins to answer some of these questions, Philip faces a threat to his family's safety.

As with the first book, this is not an action-packed pacy thriller, it's a slow build look at the moral decay that can hide below the polished surface. The storyline deals with the 'mega-churches', racism, corruption & the proverbial 'wolves in sheep's clothing'. It didn't grab the attention initially like the first book, but the main story was interesting, alongside other peripheral storylines involving the family. The reader even gets to briefly see the catalyst for the family's return to Nigeria from the US in a short flashback. Although the slow pace may not be to everyone's taste, I think this is a series which could keep developing & I'm happy to spend more time with Dr Taiwo & his family.

TWs: violence, death, torture, mention of suicide, sexual assault, racism.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC/Raven Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I'm thoroughly enjoying mysteries set out of the usual places, mysteries that make me meet different cultures.
This is a solid one, well plotted and gripping.
I appreciated the characters and the twists surprised me as the solution
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to the author, publishers Raven Books and NetGalley UK for access to this as an advance reader’s ebook. This is an honest and voluntary review.

Investigative psychologist Philip Taiwo returns. This time trying to see past his own bad experience of churches to help discover what has happened to the bishop’s wife at his sister’s church. Once again he has to combat corruption and secrecy in sections of Nigerian society who would rather he didn’t discover their secrets.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Lightseekers. Philip’s experience of working with American police means he brings a mix of outsider perspective and insider knowledge that makes it easier for me as someone with no firsthand knowledge of the Nigerian settings of the books feel like I am welcome as a reader.

This sequel spends more time exploring both why the Taiwos have returned to Nigeria, and the impact the move has had on the family. I actually would have enjoyed more of this.

The main investigation plot doesn’t shy away from being complicated, so make sure you’re paying attention when reading. In saying that it’s not over complicated and does make sense.

I have reviewed Gaslight by Femi Kayode for book recommendation and selling site LoveReading.co.uk. I have chosen it as a book of the month and LoveReading Star Book. Please see website link for full review.

I really enjoyed Lightseekers, by Femi Kayode, our introduction to investigative Psychologist, Philip Taiwo. It really hit the ground running, throwing readers into a stark and somewhat upsetting situation and barely letting up in the tension from then on in. What it also achieved was to start to introduce us to a very different culture to anything I have personally experienced, delivering a very cutting narrative on Nigeria's fraternity culture from the inside and exposing to us its dark heart. In Gas Light, the opening may not be quite as startling as its predecessor, but it is no less intriguing, slowing walking readers through what could well be one of Nigeria's most high profile arrests on record.

There is a very different tone to this book, but it still serves to expose some of the key failings of justice in Nigeria. Of the power wielded by certain individuals and how money talks. This is the story of a missing, presumed dead, MInister's wife, and of her husband who stands accused of her murder. Through investigating the disappearance of Folasade Dawodu, Philip starts to expose the many inconsistencies, and the misogyny, in the church, but although it's perhaps not too much of a stretch to imagine that organised religion could be a cloak for inherent corruption, I was definitely not prepared for what is ultimately uncovered. As the title might suggest, things within the church might not be as perfect as their online presence might suggest, and that whole sense of having the wool pulled over our eyes is rife from the start. Thankfully Philip's natural scepticism when it comes to organised religion means that his eyes remain wide open, to the dismay of many people caught in this tangled investigation.

Although the violence in this book is not as overt as in the first book, it is still there, and there is that constant sense of threat and intimidation, sometimes very transparent in nature and often in a carefully chosen word or phrase. There are direct threats against Philip and his family, but thankfully he has Chika on his side once again, a man more than capable of holding his own when the going gets tough. And tough it gets with actions of certain players not being as saintly as one might like to hope. I liked the balance that Femi Kayode has struck here between the investigation, the cerebral nature of the mind games between Philip and Bishop Dawodu, and the overt violence that is infrequent, but impactful.

Philip Taiwo is a great character, as is Chika. Philip is a scholar, and religious sceptic, a topic which is carefully explored as the story progresses. But he is also a husband and father and we learn much more of his home life and why he and his wife brought their children home from America to Nigeria. The author explores themes of prejudice and racism, something not held exclusively for white verses black. There is a rather poignant sub thread that feeds alongside the main investigation, a problem far closer to home for Philip and one that despite all of this experience as a Psychologist he is surprisingly ill equipped to deal with. It is something that will resonate with many readers I expect, and very beautifully handled. It enraged, but also, eventually, made me smile.

Another brilliant story, packed with mystery, tension, action and intensity, but balanced against a true sense of family, friendship and justice. With beautifully evocative prose, and a truly compelling story, if you loved the author's first book, I can heartily recommend this one too.

Told from the perspective of Philip Taiwo, an investigative journalilst, he has been brought in to investigate a missing person case after the wife of a high profile Nigerian pastor disappears. At first Bishop Jeremiah Dawodu comes across as charismatic and charming, but as a body is discovered in a lake nearby and Philip keeps digging, just what will he uncover?

This is the second book in the Philip Taiwo series. I haven't read the first and beyond not being familiar with the returning characters this didn't affect the enjoyment of this book, which works well as a standalone novel.

There were some great characters, Philip's wife Folake and their daughter Lara had a great side-plot which was interesting and emotive. I liked Chika and would like to read the first story and learn more about him and his family.

I found the story very believable about how far people are prepared to go to protect their church and the corruption within.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting book that sparks emotions.

It starts slowly but with perseverance it pays off. The characters are well rounded and written well into the story.

I will read others by this author.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

This is Femi Kayode's follow up to his Philip Taiwo, the forensic investigative psychologist, series, set in Lagos, giving a sharply incisive picture of the complex community, political, and social state of Nigeria. The title and issue could apply at a number of different levels, including the personal, each pertinent and important. Taiwo takes on a case of a megachurch leader of Grace Church for his sister, Kenny, a hard nosed auditor, who surprisingly has put her religious faith in Bishop Jeremiah Dawodu. This might be seen as understandable, with a nation that has undergone severe austerity measures and a military junta that has stolen its oil wealth, religion offers the possibility of community and hope to people. In the midst of the complexity of ordinary everyday life, there is a simplicity in putting trust in a higher power, as a coping mechanism.

Dawodu has been arrested for the suspected murder of his wife, Folasade, aka Sade, the 'First Lady' of the church, a publicly humiliating process, and so begins Taiwo's inquiry, in which he once again works productively with Chika Makuochi who owns a successful security business. As time is to prove, nothing is as it first appears, in what turns out to be a murky dark case, of lies and deception coming from a number of different quarters. Matters become more urgent when the drowned body of Sade is discovered at Lekki Lagoon. Is it murder or suicide? Kenny's integrity surfaces when she places truth before religion, as the horrors and secrets of Sade's life and Grace Church begin to emerge. Dangers begin to engulf Taiwo and his family, now facing its own challenges with his 15 year old daughter, Lara, making them question their assumptions and trust that the terrors and trauma experienced regarding race in the US would disappear in Africa.

Kayode expertly weaves multiple threads in his gripping storytelling, addressing some heavy themes, the challenges and abuse women face, institutional religion, and the abuse and rot that is inevitable when blind trust is placed in 'charismatic' church leaders who are not held accountable. Taiwo puts forward the theory of narcissistic personality disorder within the clergy. NPD in religious leaders is higher than the population average, most bound by the common trait of self absorption that prevents them from feeling any sense of shame and guilt, as can be seen with Dawodu after his true self is exposed in public. This is a thought provoking and informative series set in Nigeria, with a black protagonist perceived as an outsider by locals, whose personal and family issues are engaging and fascinating too. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

A mystery set further a field is always nice to read, and having read and enjoyed the first book I was pleased to see a new addition to the series.

Something of a slow burner to start out, this story set in Lagos, Nigeria is a eye opener culturally as it tells of the Mega Churches and larger than life Preachers at the head of the money making machines.

The book is well constructed and I don’t mind the characters, Taiwo and Chika In particular is great.

The setting is good and as the story twists and turns, and becomes darker in content, the pace picks up and it really culminates in a satisfying read with an ending to suit.

I’d certainly read more from this author and character based in this outing,

Good Reading.

This book is a slow burner at first, the opening sequence is designed as an attention grabber but slightly missed the mark for me.
It does ramp up after the first third and I found myself wanting to know where the story was going.
The narrative is very well written and the characters were interesting.
The main themes of politics, race, family and culture were well woven into the story and the Lagos setting came alive in many scenes.
Overall I enjoyed it and it felt quite different to things I have previously read.

This book was definitely a slow starter that at times felt like it had no where to go. As events ramped up it became increasingly gripping and intriguing with extraordinary and devastating tactics employed to blow the whistle on corruption. Thank you to Netgalley for the advance reader copy.

Gaslight deserves all the stars. It’s an outstanding, clever and emotional thriller. The best thrillers take you on a journey. Definitely a recommended read.

Great book! I loved the fact it was set in Nigeria. I haven't read any Nigerian thriller yet so it was definitely a nice experience. I loved the storyline and how the story developed. I wish it was a bit more fast paced as the book was dragging at times.
Overall, very good! I'll definitely check author's previous book!