‘The Lagos Wife’ by Vanessa Walters

Published by Hutchinson Heinemann,
29 February 2024. 
ISBN: 978-1-52915326-2 (HB)

When Nicole was reported missing, her aunt Claudine couldn’t understand why nobody seemed to be attaching any urgency to finding out what had happened to her.  Claudine had brought up Nicole in London, but the aunt and her niece had not been in regular contact since Nicole and her Nigerian husband, Tonye, had moved to Lagos. Posts on social media showed that Nicole and her two young sons had an affluent lifestyle and lived in a beautiful, large house with Tonye’s parents and his two sisters.

Tonye arranges for Claudine to fly to Lagos so she can see what is going on for herself. His family make Claudine welcome, but she soon understands why they don’t want to make a fuss about Nicole’s disappearance. Tonye’s younger sister is about to marry the son of a very important general and nothing is allowed to interfere with, or overshadow, the upcoming nuptials. Claudine starts investigating. She talks to various people including Nicole’s driver Bilal, and her best friend Kemi. To begin with nobody either can, or will, throw any light on what might have happened to Nicole. Eventually, Claudine’s persistence is rewarded and she is given a harrowing glimpse of the circumstances that led to Nicole’s disappearance.

Alternating with Claudine’s investigations are parallel insights into Nicole’s activities and life before she disappeared. Nicole was not happy.  She was worried that Tonye was involved with another woman and spent a surprising amount of time on her own, visiting old museums and going on river outings.  She was also having an affair with Elias, a relatively poor and sometimes volatile man. 

The Lagos Wife is a tantalizing tale about a missing person that will keep you guessing and grips you to the unpredictable end. But it is far more than that.  It is also a vivid portrayal of the restrictions on the life of even apparently emancipated women in post-war Lagos and underlines how adverse incidents in childhood can influence relationships and wellbeing for the remainder of an individual’s life.
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Reviewer: Angela Crowther

Vanessa Walters was born and raised in London and has a background in international journalism and playwriting and is a Tin House resident and a Millay Colony resident. She is the author of two previous YA books and The Lagos wife. She currently lives in Brooklyn.

Angela Crowther is a retired scientist.  She has published many scientific papers but, as yet, no crime fiction.  In her spare time Angela belongs to a Handbell Ringing group, goes country dancing and enjoys listening to music, particularly the operas of Verdi and Wagner.