Pricing
Paperback $15.95
Description
Accra, Ghana. The murder of a woman from high society, not long after her well-publicized wedding, brings Chief Inspector Darko Dawson to the doorsteps of the wealthy and allows author Kwei Quartey to parade a rogue’s gallery of suspects reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s finest.
Katherine Yeboah’s marriage to Solo...
Accra, Ghana. The murder of a woman from high society, not long after her well-publicized wedding, brings Chief Inspector Darko Dawson to the doorsteps of the wealthy and allows author Kwei Quartey to parade a rogue’s gallery of suspects reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s finest.
Katherine Yeboah’s marriage to Solomon Vanderpuye is all the talk of Accra high society. But when it becomes apparent that Katherine is infertile, Solomon’s extended family accuses her of being a witch, hounding her until the relationship is so soured Solomon feels compelled to order Katherine out of the house they shared. Alone on her last night there, Katherine is brutally murdered by an intruder.
Chief Inspector Darko Dawson of the Ghanaian federal police has personal as well as professional reasons to find the killer fast: Katherine was the first cousin of his wife, Christine, who is devastated by the tragedy. As Darko investigates, he discovers that many people close to Katherine had powerful motives to kill her, including: Solomon, her husband; James Bentsi-Enchill, her lawyer and ex-lover; and her filthy rich pastor, Bishop Clem Howard-Mills. In order to expose the truth, Darko must confront the pivotal role religion plays in Ghana—and wrestle with his old demons the investigation stirs up.
Media
“Quartey provides such a strong sense of Ghana that you'll be wishing for a platter of kenkey, a staple food made from fermented corn, to keep you from biting your nails to the quick as Dawson winnows down the list of suspects to solve the mystery.”
—Oprah.com
“A sensitive novel of powerful family passions, set in the unique and vivid colors of Ghana.”
—Anne Perry
“Vividly depicted.”
–Library Journal
“Quartey’s Ghanaian mysteries, driven by tension between traditional culture and modernity, share top-notch writing and full-sensory settings with those of Michael Stanley, Deon Meyer, and Parker Bilal.”
–-Booklist, Starred Review on Death By His Grace
“There’s plenty of delicious Ghanaian food mentions to salivate over and a friendly overview of Accra’s plentiful neighborhoods, but Quartey covers the bad as well as the good: an inherent part of the plot here includes the workings — and cons — of a charismatic church and its self-enriching leader.”
–The Seattle Review of Books
“Quartey sets you down firmly on Ghanian soil and lets you immerse yourself in the land, the culture, and the food of this amazing country. The author also gives you characters with very real lives.... a strong mystery with excellent misdirection.”