Synopses & Reviews
Accra’s hotshot Detective Inspector Darko Dawson returns to solve a complex mystery that will take him out of the city to the beautiful coasts of Ghana, where a grim double-murder seems to have larger political implications.
At Cape Three Points on the beautiful Ghanaian coast, a canoe washes up at an oil rig site. The two bodies in the canoe — who turn out to be a prominent, wealthy, middle-aged married couple — have obviously been murdered; the way Mr. Smith-Aidoo has been gruesomely decapitated suggests the killer was trying to send a specific message — but what, and to whom, is a mystery. The Smith-Aidoos, pillars in their community, are mourned by everyone, but especially by their niece Sapphire, a successful pediatric surgeon in Ghana's capital, Accra. She is not happy that months have passed since the murder and the rural police have made no headway.
When the Ghanaian federal police finally agree to get involved, Detective Inspector Darko Dawson of the Accra police force is sent out to Cape Three Points to investigate. Pretty as the coast is, he is not happy to be sent away from his wife and two sons, the younger of whom is recovering from a heart operation. And the more he learns about the case, the more convoluted and dangerous it becomes. Three Points has long been inhabited by tribal villages of subsistence fishers, but real estate entrepreneurs and wealthy oil companies have been trying to bribe the tribes to move out. Dawson roots out a host of motives for murder, ranging from personal vendettas to corporate conspiracies.
Review
"For hardcore Darko fans, and newcomers as well, this is a page-turner." PRI's The World
Review
"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
Review
"Offers a more contemporary portrait of corporate greed on the continent than McCall Smith’s gentle portrait of rural crime." Daily Mail (UK)
Review
"[Inspector Darko Dawson plunges] into a case involving corporations, community rivalries, and far-reaching family vendettas involving black magic. Absorbing for history, contemporary upheavals, plotting, and Dawson’s personality.” Booklist
Review
"Quartey’s mastery of the art of misdirection serves him well in his third mystery featuring Accra, Ghana, homicide detective Darko Dawson....A complex plot, combined with a warts-and-all lead and an evocative portrayal of the author’s native country, add up to a winner." Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
Review
"Fans of Alexander McCall Smith’s “No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” series will enjoy the African setting and the large cast of interesting characters, while the twists and turns of Quartey’s plotting will satisfy any choosy mystery fan." Library Journal
Review
“Darko Dawson’s third case is his biggest and most ambitious yet....Quartey lays out what feel like endless possibilities with exemplary patience and clarity, unveiling world beneath world in Dawson’s Ghana.” Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Kwei Quartey was born in Ghana and raised by a black American mother and a Ghanaian father, both of whom were university lecturers. With mounting political unrest in Ghana and the death of his father, Kwei left for the United States with his mother when he was a teenager. In 2008 he returned to Ghana for the first time, and now visits frequently as research for his writing. A practicing physician, he now lives and works in Pasadena. He writes in the morning before he sets off to work at HealthCare Partners, where he runs a wound clinic. He is the author of two other critically acclaimed novels in the Darko Dawson series, Wife of the Gods and Children of the Street.