Around The World For a Good Book selection for: Ghana
Author: Kwei J. Quartey
Title: Wife of the Gods
Publication Info: New York : Random House, 2009.
ISBN: 9781400067596
Summary/Review:
Wife of the Gods is a murder mystery set in the Volta Region of Ghana, the first in what will be a series about Inspector Darko Dawson of the CID. Dawson lives and works in Accra, the capital and major city of Ghana, but is called in to solve the case of the murder of a medical student who had been working with the trokosi – or wives of the gods – young girls who are offered up to the local fetish priest. Quartey balances a lot of issues in this novel: the country versus the city, the folkways and superstitions that retain a hold on many Ghanains versus Dawson’s skeptical, modern beliefs, and Dawson’s haunted past versus his effectiveness of working on the case. Dawson is an interesting character with contrasting qualities: a family man, a hard-working detective yet prone to rages and fond of marijuana. This is a interesting story that offers a glimpse into life in modern-day Ghana. The mystery is pretty good too.
Recommended books: I have no specific reccomendations but please ignore all the comparisons to the works of Alexander McCall Smith. This book and The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agencies are good in their own ways, but the similarities are superficial.
Rating: *** 1/2
How do you find time to read all these books?!?!?
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I’m listening to a lot of audiobooks these days while doing processing at work. The actual paper books I read during lunch break and when I can get a free moment at home.
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