Lyrical and captivating Kwei Quarteys debut novel brings to life the majestyand charm of Ghanafrom the capital city of Accra to a small community wherelongburie... » 

Lyrical and captivating Kwei Quarteys debut novel brings to life the majestyand charm of Ghanafrom the capital city of Accra to a small community wherelongburied secrets are about to rise to the surface. In a shady grove outsidethe small town of Ketanu a young womana promising med studenthas been founddead under suspicious circumstances. Eager to close the case the local policehave arrested a poor enamored teenage boy and charged him with murder.Needless to say they are less than thrilled when an outside force arrives fromthe big city to lead an inquiry into the baffling case. Detective InspectorDarko Dawson fluent in Ketanus indigenous language is the right man for thejob but he hates the idea of leaving his loving wife and young son a pluckykid with a defective heart. Pressured by his cantankerous boss Dawson agreesto travel to Ketanu sort through the evidence and tie up the loose ends asquickly and as efficiently as possible. But for Dawson this sleepy corner ofGhana is rife with emotional land mines an estranged relationship with thefamily he left behind twentyfive years earlier and the painful memory of hisown mothers sudden inexplicable disappearance. Dawson is armed withremarkable insight and a healthy dose of skepticism but these gifts sometimesovershadowed by his mercurial temper may not be enough to solve this hauntingmystery. In Ketanu he finds that his cosmopolitan sensibilities clash withageold customs including a disturbing practice in which teenage girls areoffered 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 avivid cast. And Inspector Darko Dawsondedicated family man rebel in theoffice and ace in the fieldis one of the most appealing sleuths to come alongin years. «