Lyrical and captivating, Kwei Quartey’s debut novel brings
to life the majesty and charm of Ghana–from the capital city
of Accra to a small community where long-buried secrets are
about to rise to the surface.
In a shady grove outside the small town of Ketanu, a young
woman–a promising med student–has been found dead under
suspicious circumstances. Eager to close the case, the local
police have arrested a poor, enamored teenage boy and
charged him with murder. Needless to say, they are less than
thrilled when an outside force arrives from the big city to
lead an inquiry into the baffling case.
Detective Inspector Darko Dawson, fluent in Ketanu’s
indigenous language, is the right man for the job, but he
hates the idea of leaving his loving wife and young son, a
plucky kid with a defective heart. Pressured by his
cantankerous boss, Dawson agrees to travel to Ketanu, sort
through the evidence, and tie up the loose ends as quickly
and as efficiently as possible. But for Dawson, this sleepy
corner of Ghana is rife with emotional land mines: an
estranged relationship with the family he left behind
twenty-five years earlier and the painful memory of his own
mother’s sudden, inexplicable disappearance. Dawson is armed
with remarkable insight and a healthy dose of skepticism,
but these gifts, sometimes overshadowed by his mercurial
temper, may not be enough to solve this haunting mystery. In
Ketanu, he finds that his cosmopolitan sensibilities clash
with age-old customs, including a disturbing practice in
which teenage girls are offered by their families to fetish
priests as trokosi, or Wives of the Gods.
This is a compelling and unique mystery, enriched by an
exotic setting and a vivid cast. And Inspector Darko
Dawson–dedicated family man, rebel in the office, and ace in
the field–is one of the most appealing sleuths to come along
in years.
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