Cell One: Quick Reads 2026: A pulse-pounding thriller with a twist you won't see coming

by Leye Adenle

A high-profile kidnapping. A countdown to a live execution. The race is on to find the victim before the clock hits zero…

Rookie cop Bobby Fatokun's first day on the job in Lagos is off to a bad start. Not only has his life in London not prepared him for the hustle of the Nigerian city, but his new boss seems to be missing.

When a popular blog is hacked, the horrifying truth becomes clear – Superintendent Adams has been kidnapped, and his captors plan to kill him live on camera in a matter of hours.

As chaos unfolds and the team scrambles for leads, Bobby begins to suspect that Adams’ role in the police may have had something to do with his abduction.

But without knowing who he can trust, Bobby will have to rely on his instincts alone to find the truth before time runs out.

PRAISE FOR LEYE

‘Crime fiction’s best new voice for years’ LEE CHILD

‘Leye Adenle has my vote for crown prince of crime writers in the UK’ JAMES ELLROY

128 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 9, 2026

About the author

Leye Adenle is a Nigerian writer. He has written a number of short stories and flash fiction pieces. Leye has appeared on stage in London in plays including Ola Rotimi’s Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again. He comes from a family of writers, the most famous of whom was his grandfather, Oba Adeleye Adenle I, a former king of Oshogbo in South West Nigeria. He lives in London.

Reviews

[Bethanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A

[The Cookster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.8/5

"Cell One" is part of the 2026 Quick Reads programme from The Reading Agency. The scheme is primarily intended to attract new readers or to tempt lapsed readers back into the fold, but you don't need to fall into either of those categories. Personally, I am a very much a supporter and always try to read all of the books they publish each year.

That point aside, I also have great admiration for any writer who can successfully tackle the short story format. There is a real skill in constructing a rounded story, with fleshed-out characters in the space of a hundred or so pages. Author, Leye Adenle, certainly pulls it off with this solid example of the genre that tells the story of rookie cop, Bobby Fatokun. Thrown straight into a high-profile kidnapping case in the Nigerian city of Lagos, we follow Bobby on his compelling first case. A gripping read that should take about ninety minutes of your time.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was disappointing. I was expecting a short story and although that's what it is, it doesn't have an ending. As another reviewer said, it's more like a teaser for a longer novel.
The ending was annoying. What happened to Rocky? Was he in on it or not?
Is the novel going to rewrite this story into a longer story and finish it off? Why did they want Bobby to watch?

I don't really enjoy when the main character is an amateur at what they're doing either, which is what Bobby is, especially when they're being constantly talked down too.

Don't think I'll bother with anymore books following this character.

[Bee Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An electric little crime thriller set within the police force itself - a rookie cop moves to a new continent after being recruited and finds himself in a case he'd never have imagined. Immediately, Bobby discovers the sheer ego and arrogance that is rife within the police force, before leaping into a fast, tense investigation to find his new boss before he's killed on live stream. It's a searing indictment of police brutality and government corruption told from within the system itself. Clever, fast and exciting - however it does leave on a very mean cliffhanger so I guess I'll be back to see where Bobby goes next.

[Fraser's Fun House · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointed that this wasn’t a fully rounded short story but instead appears to be a teaser for a book due for release Sept 2026. Really enjoyed what I read hence the rating but unsure if I will pick up the book follow up.

[Abigail Humphrys · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was not very good. the voice actor was bad but the story was also not very interesting. one part was slightly but nothing actually came of it and it had no real ending other than a ‘to be continued’. written as part of a scheme to get people into reading but pretty dire for a thriller.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short storiy. Exciting read

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK

[Sophie Beuzeval · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read! Thriller!

[Stacey Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Umm that was a waste of my time, basically was my library book of the week. However I personally found it more confusing and just unable to connect to the character 😐

[Jafry M · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 star nice short read.

[Nicola · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ok read.

[Hannah Peck · Rating 3 out of 5]

A captivating short story and quite action packed, but it doesn’t really reach a conclusion. It seems more to encourage you to read the authors next book due to be published later in the year.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Martene · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a good read but has no ending, characters are just hanging around at the end? I don't think I'll be reading anymore from the author

[Charlotte Peacock · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short story but it was okay