My rating:

add to my books

Wife of the Gods (Darko Dawson #1)

by Kwei Quartey

3.63 · rating details · 449 ratings · 170 reviews

A lyrical and captivating mystery that 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.

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published July 14th 2009 by Random House (first published 2009)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Africa

100th out of 493 books — 261 voters

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Detective Fiction

117th out of 236 books — 324 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 878)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Feb 21, 2011

Florinda rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, review, copy, 2009review

In his first novel, Wife of the Gods, Kwei Quartey introduces us to an intriguing lead character, an exotic setting, and a story that takes some compelling twists and turns along the way. When a young female medical student is murdered in the forest between two small villages in the Volta Region of Ghana, big-city detective Darko Dawson is sent to take over the investigation from the tiny local police force. Dawson knows the native language and has a history with the villages; his mother came fr...more

· see review

Apr 20, 2010

Joyce Lagow rated it

An Early Reviewer book.[return][return]Quartey s debut novel is set in modern Ghana, and features Inspector Detective Darko Dawson. Stationed in the capital, Accra, he nevertheless is assigned to lead the investigation into the murder of a young medical student, Gladys Mensah, in Ketanu, in the Volta Rivber region; Dawson has relatives in Ketanu, his Auntie Osewa and Uncle Kweku and speaks Ewe, the regional language. And additional connection is that his mother disappeared, never to be found,...moreAn Early Reviewer book.[return][return]Quartey s debut novel is set in modern Ghana, and features Inspector Detective Darko Dawson. Stationed in the capital, Accra, he nevertheless is assigned to lead the investigation into the murder of a young medical student, Gladys Mensah, in Ketanu, in the Volta Rivber region; Dawson has relatives in Ketanu, his Auntie Osewa and Uncle Kweku and speaks Ewe, the regional language. And additional connection is that his mother disappeared, never to be found, from Ketanu after a visit to her sister Osewa.[return][return]The plot in this police procedural is good, but what makes the book much better than average is that the story, including the plot and how it unfolds, could not have taken place anywhere else except Ghana. While there are many excellent police procedurals that are set in different countries, with few exceptions, the place could be anywhere in Western Europe or North America. That the background is Venice or Florence or Sweden or Edinburg, if done well, may give local color, and certain details of location may be vital to the plot, but the cultural backgrounds of all these locales is the same--European.[return][return]In contrast, Wife of the Gods simply could not exist outside of Ghana and Africa. Belief in witchcraft and traditionalist healing and spirituality are essential elements of the story; the results would not be the same without them. So, not only do you get fine police procedural, but a real taste of what life is like in Ghana. What is especially satisfying is the contrast between a modern city like Accra and life in a rural area such as Ketanu.[return][return]Years ago, I was well acquainted with two women from Tanzania. What was interesting about their speech was not that their English was (slightly) accented, but the rhythm in which they spoke. One was a rather calm woman, while the other had a good deal of nervous energy, but both spoke in a rhythm that I always then associated with Africa. There is nothing sophisticated about Quartey s writing, but that same rhythm is there, and feels absolutely authentic.[return][return]There is a short but very adequate glossary of Ghanian words and terms that is very useful. While Quartey uses such words and terms, unlike too many Indian authors, he doesn t overwhelm the reader with them.[return][return]A very enjoyable book. Highly recommended.(less)

like 2 likes

· see review

Feb 26, 2011

switterbug (Betsey) rated it

The story of a West African detective in Ghana begins with a weak prologue--a nightmare squeezed from the pages of former dime-store books. The following (first) chapter opens with promise--a dead body. Then the author tries too hard to tell the story. That's the problem--too much telling and not enough showing. The sentences read like announcements or headlines and the prose is shopworn and musty, hauled from a high-school creative writing course. The author is also on an adverb and gerund fren...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Dec 20, 2010

Heather rated it

While I liked the book, I thought it would have been a lot more interesting if the traditions and modern social customs of the region and people had been more in play. The murder occurs in a part of the world that only a few people have any real experience with (small African village) yet the author only makes a token effort to work the social customs and beliefs into the story. So instead of a fascinating look into how other cultures' mores could shape a crime, we're left with a very run-of-t...more

· see review

Oct 25, 2010

Barbara Tom rated it

· review of another edition

Pardon me while I decry the abundance of comparisons of mystery books set in Africa to Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. I especially think it's misleading when the book's tone may be similar but the subject matter and intensity is radically different. (Having said that, I must admit to having recently used that comparison for my review of The Second Death of Good Luck Tinubu!)

Kwei Quartey's wonderful Wife of the Gods has a similar tone; that is, there i...morePardon me while I decry the abundance of comparisons of mystery books set in Africa to Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. I especially think it's misleading when the book's tone may be similar but the subject matter and intensity is radically different. (Having said that, I must admit to having recently used that comparison for my review of The Second Death of Good Luck Tinubu!)

Kwei Quartey's wonderful Wife of the Gods has a similar tone; that is, there is an underlying cultural civility expressed when people meet each other. Whether it is "Dumela, Mma" or "Woizo, woizo," as in this book set in Ghana, there is a shared ritual politeness and propriety that belies the very different nature of the books. Wife of the Gods is NOT The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, not by a long shot.

Detective Inspector Darko Dawson loves his family and enjoys his job in the big city of Accra. There was tragedy in his young life when his brother was injured in an accident and his mother disappeared. The grown-up Darko has anger management issues and an intolerance for the Ghanian equivalent of snake-oil salesmen, people who traffic in superstitions and ritualistic fetishism. He also enjoys a toke of the weed every so often, weed obtained from a man whom Darko arrested once upon a time. Darko is a contradictory mix of principles, but he vehemently adheres to those principles.

Darko is sent on a case to the village of Ketanu, a place with which he is familiar from his youth. Long ago he accompanied his mother and brother on a visit to his mother's sister, Osewa, who lives there, and he remembers Osewa fondly. However, Darko's mother disappeared after a visit to Osewa and was never found. It is with joy and trepidation, therefore, that Darko re-enters Ketanu.

A young woman, Gladys, has been found murdered, lying in a plantain grove. She was not just any young woman. She was the hope of Ketanu, a young medical student who was trying to stem the tide of AIDS and to save women bound into virtual slavery by an old-time system of oblation to the village fetish priest. Darko's own dander rises when he meets the drunken, abusive priest as part of his investigation. The village healer fares no better under Darko's glare when he learns the healer was one of the last people to see Gladys alive. Then there's the young infatuated man who allegedly stalked Gladys and the alleged village witch, who happens to be Gladys' aunt. What about Gladys' boss, a seemingly shifty person whom Darko senses is lying. And how does he sense the boss is lying? He has a mild form of synesthesia, a mixing up of the senses.

Synesthesia has been used, in my opinion, to good effect in The Fallen by T. Jefferson Parker and Still Waters by Nigel McCrery. In The Fallen, the hero sees colors and shapes when people talk. In Still Waters, the unfortunate hero tastes what people sound like. In this book, Darko feels the sound of voices. His aunt, for example, is dark velvet. This is an understated and clever addition to Darko's complex character.

Wife of the Gods deals with some very serious issues in a very serious manner. There was more violence than I had expected at first, lulled as I was initially by the "No. 1 Ladies" demeanor. And there's a whopper of a plotline resolution at the end that had me wincing. The best parts are the cultural perspective by a Ghanian writer who is now a doctor in the U.S., and Quartey's willingness to give us a flawed but principled hero.(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Sep 08, 2010

LJ rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: africa, contemporary_post_1945, male_author, mystery, mysterybookclub, police_procedural

First Sentence: The forest was black and Darko was afraid to enter.

DI Darko Dawson is ordered to investigate the murder of a young woman in Kentau, the town from which his mother disappeared many years before. Fighting an incompetent local policeman, superstition and a local priest to whom young women are given as trokosi or wives of the gods, Dawson sets about trying to solve both mysteries and prevent an innocent man from being hanged.

I very much enjoyed this book. On...more

like 1 like

· see review

Aug 10, 2010

Beth rated it

WIFE OF THE GODS is two stories. The first story begins with the discovery of the body of Gladys Mensah in the forest outside the town of Ketanu. Gladys is a medical student and a volunteer AIDS worker. Efia finds the body early one morning. “Efia was a trokosi, which meant she belonged to the gods.” In Efia’s life that means belonging to Togbe Adzima, the chief and the High Priest of the village. Eighteen years earlier, Efia’s uncle murdered a man and, although he is in prison, the ...more

WIFE OF THE GODS is two stories. The first story begins with the discovery of the body of Gladys Mensah in the forest outside the town of Ketanu. Gladys is a medical student and a volunteer AIDS worker. Efia finds the body early one morning. “Efia was a trokosi, which meant she belonged to the gods.” In Efia’s life that means belonging to Togbe Adzima, the chief and the High Priest of the village. Eighteen years earlier, Efia’s uncle murdered a man and, although he is in prison, the family has been cursed with unending signs of the gods displeasure. Desperate for a reversal of fortune, the elders of her family go to the high priest, asking him to intercede on their behalf so that there torment will be ended. Togbe communes with the gods and learns that all will be well if they bring him a female child to serve at the shrine. She will belong to the gods and she will give birth to the children they give her through Togbe. At the age of twelve, Efia becomes a wife of the gods. Gladys and Efia belong to two different worlds but in a small town in Ghana, their stories come together through fear and superstition.

Detective Inspector Darko Dawson is assigned to the homicide division of the CID in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Darko has a wife and a son, a brother and a father, and he is a thoroughly modern man. But he also has ties to Ketanu. His mother was born in the village and his aunt and uncle are living there. Most importantly, from his superior’s point of view, is that Darko speaks Ewe, the local dialect. Darko is not happy to return to Ketanu. When he was 12 years old, his mother disappeared on her way home from a visit to her sister. Darko has been haunted by dreams of his mother and he has spent his life ever since trying to understand what happened to her. Darko’s story is the second story that is woven with the first to produce a very satisfying book that owes it resolution as much to Darko’s response to the sounds he hears as it is to modern police work.

There is a large cast of characters in WIFE OF THE GODS, all in some way touched by superstition and the practices of an old culture. Darko is especially sensitive to the sounds of speech. He can hear a lie in a voice. Despite Gladys’ efforts as an AIDS educator, some believe that AIDS is caused by a curse. Faith healers prey on desperate people. Secrets are hidden until they cry out to be spoken. Greed and jealousy are as old humanity and as new as the next breath. Lust and love lead to obsession. And there are the trokosi who have no way to flee from the brutality they face as a WIFE OF THE GODS.

Kwei Quartey was born in Ghana, the son of a Ghanaian man and an African-American woman. When his father died, he moved to the United States with his mother and he is now a practicing physician in California. In researching his book, he looked at all aspects of the culture, including the trokosi. Although the practice has been outlawed, it has not disappeared because many in Ghana still believe is the power of the chiefs and high priests. The media has made known practices that violate human rights but the trokosis have yet to come to light in the main stream media.(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Mar 01, 2010

Galina rated it

Move over Alexander McCall-Smith and his Botswana stories. Another African author, this time the mysteries take place in Ghana. This is the first book in Inspector Darko Dawson series. It is about a middle class police officer who needs to solve the death of a female medical student who was working to fight AIDS in Ghana. Detective Darko lives in the modern Ghanian world but has to deal with deeply traditional worlds. The reader is acquainted w/the 'herbalists' and the 'trokosi' traditions to na...more

· see review

Oct 11, 2009

Mocha Girl rated it

Kwei Quartay's debut is an entertaining debut that not only focuses on Darko Dawson, the family man and the detective, but immerses the reader in Ghanaian culture and traditions, and introduces a cast of lively characters. The novel opens with the murder of a young AIDS prevention worker in the same remote region Darko's mother disappeared 25 years earlier while visiting her sister. He is assigned to support the local police because he speaks Ewe and dives into the case with a practiced, methodi...moreKwei Quartay's debut is an entertaining debut that not only focuses on Darko Dawson, the family man and the detective, but immerses the reader in Ghanaian culture and traditions, and introduces a cast of lively characters. The novel opens with the murder of a young AIDS prevention worker in the same remote region Darko's mother disappeared 25 years earlier while visiting her sister. He is assigned to support the local police because he speaks Ewe and dives into the case with a practiced, methodical approach despite objections from the local officials who suspect a young admirer of the victim (and town troublemaker) as the culprit. Darko initially treads carefully as he navigates between modern and traditional worlds; reverence for the tribal priests and practice of trokosi challenges his "progressive" thinking where women are viewed and treated equally to men and his non-belief in witchcraft and sorcery.

Darko is an exceptionally likeable character in that he is not the "perfect" detective; his love of marijuana mars his innocence along with repressed feelings of guilt and loss surrounding his brother's life-altering, childhood accident and his mother's unsolved disappearance. He also has a strained relationship with his father and mother-in-law, for good reasons; but loves his wife and son unconditionally. He is unbelievably human; he makes mistakes along the way, falls to anger which clouds his judgment, and at times, he prematurely jumps to the wrong conclusions at a cost. The other characters via their actions, environmental settings/way of life, and mindset provide the reader with a view into Ghanaian culture, sociology, social services (health care system, law enforcement, etc), which for me, was very enlightening.

The writing style works with the story -- it is simplistic, somewhat imperfect, but yet effective -- just like Dawson. I think most readers can and will figure out "whodunit" long before it is revealed, but it will not detract from the story. I am happy to see the author is planning another novel as I would definitely love to read it. (less)

like 1 like

· see review

Sep 23, 2009

Literary Feline rated it

When I first saw mention of Kwei Quartey’s Wife of the Gods, I knew I had to read it. I can’t resist a crime fiction novel, especially one set in a country other than my own. I get to learn about another country and culture while at the same time settling in with the comfort of the familiar format of a mystery.

Kwei Quartey’s protagonist, Darko Dawson is the kind of detective I would want investigating my murder. He has a dogged determination and a strong sense of right and wrong—at ...moreWhen I first saw mention of Kwei Quartey’s Wife of the Gods, I knew I had to read it. I can’t resist a crime fiction novel, especially one set in a country other than my own. I get to learn about another country and culture while at the same time settling in with the comfort of the familiar format of a mystery.

Kwei Quartey’s protagonist, Darko Dawson is the kind of detective I would want investigating my murder. He has a dogged determination and a strong sense of right and wrong—at least where others are concerned. Righteous is the word that comes to mind, but not in an arrogant or overbearing way. Darko is anything but perfect though. He has a weakness for marijuana and a bit of a temper which lands him in plenty of trouble.

The novel is set in the beautiful country of Ghana. Quartey paints a portrait of a complex society, one that straddles the old traditions and the new. In a community where witchcraft is feared and superstitions are commonplace, science is still trying to find a foothold. Detective Inspector Darko Dawson is a modern man. He trusts in science and facts to solve his cases. When he is assigned to Ketanu, a small out of the way community, to aid in the murder investigation of a volunteer AIDS worker, he comes face to face with the very superstitions he disdains.

The Chief Inspector of Ketanu has his eyes set on a particular young man as his suspect, but Darko isn’t convinced. He sets out on his own investigation, determined to solve the murder.

Darko’s mother disappeared after a visit to Ketanu over twenty years before while visiting her sister who lived in the town. Perhaps he can look into her disappearance while there as well. It’s a long shot after so many years, but he at least wants to give it a try.

I have seen this book compared to Alexander McCall Smith’s The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, and I have to disagree. Smith’s series is not much of a crime fiction series at all—and if you go into those books expecting a mystery, you may well be disappointed. With Quartey’s book, on the other hand, a mystery is exactly what you get. It’s also a bit darker in some respects, than Smith’s series.

There was so much I liked about this series, including the various interesting characters, the flashbacks into Darko’s past and the unfolding of the mystery of his mother’s disappearance as well as the murder of that young volunteer. There was a moment early on in the book when I thought one story thread might get lost in other, but fortunately that did not happen.

Another aspect that especially caught my attention was the health department and volunteers like the murdered woman who struggle to reach a population of people who are very entrenched in the old ways. The misinformation and superstitions surrounding AIDS is frightening. Add to that the issue of fetish priests and the practice of families marrying off their teenage daughters to them in hopes of turning around bad luck or getting rid of a curse. Quartey offers both sides of these issues to some extent, but it is clear which side Darko falls on.

Wife of the Gods is a promising start for a new series. There are many characters, including Armah, Darko’s inspiration and mentor, that I hope I can visit again. And I do hope I haven’t seen the last of Elizabeth Mensah. She’s an admirable and strong woman. Kwei Quartey is definitely an author to watch.
(less)

· see review

Sep 18, 2009

Nicole rated it

Darko Dawson is a Detective Inspector living in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. Though he has the career that he has longed for as a child, a loving wife, and an adorable six-year-old son, Darko is still plagued by questions concerning his mother’s disappearance in her hometown of Ketanu, just over twenty years ago. Darko and his brother visited Ketanu once as children, yet after their mother’s tragic and mysterious disappearance neither of them has ever gone back. When Gladys Mensah, a you...moreDarko Dawson is a Detective Inspector living in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. Though he has the career that he has longed for as a child, a loving wife, and an adorable six-year-old son, Darko is still plagued by questions concerning his mother’s disappearance in her hometown of Ketanu, just over twenty years ago. Darko and his brother visited Ketanu once as children, yet after their mother’s tragic and mysterious disappearance neither of them has ever gone back. When Gladys Mensah, a young female medical student working to educate the local village women on contraception and AIDS, is murdered and left in a field in Ketanu, Darko must return not only to investigate the shocking crime but to finally face the past that he has been uneasily avoiding.

Darko is uniquely qualified to assist in the investigation since he is the only one on the force able to speak Ewe (pronounced eh-way), the language of his mother’s village. Reluctant to leave his wife and ailing son, Darko nevertheless packs up and relocates temporarily to Ketanu to reconnect with family he has met only once and to oversee the murder investigation. Gladys Mensah, the young medical student found strangled in the fields of Ketanu, had a strong relationship with the women of the community that she served, but as it turns out she was often at odd with the polygamous priests of village as well as the local tribal doctor-a man with whom Darko has troubling past associations.

Already, Wife of the Gods has been compared favorably to Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Detective Agency series, and while I recently acquired a copy of the first book in that series, I have yet to read it, which made it easy for me to immerse myself in Wife of the Gods without having any distracting comparisons rattling around in my head. I have to say that this book definitely is able to stand on its own as a solid beginning to an intriguing mystery series. Darko Dawson (I keep wanting to call him Donnie Darko) is an interesting character- complex, flawed and not wholly likable- at least not so that you are completely comfortable with liking him. He definitely does some things that make you raise your eyebrows, and issues he needs to work on- anger management being chief among them. You wonder how he manages to keep his job. With a penchant for smoking marijuana that he scores from one of his police informants, and a violent and barely leashed temper, I sometimes questioned his ability to carry out his duties effectively, but at the same time I was drawn in by how much he took an interest in the lives of the people he encountered and his deep need to help the young man who has been, Darko believes, wrongfully accused of Gladys Mensah’s murder.

Supporting the detective story is the wonderful background of the city of Accra and Ketanu where we are able to vividly see the way the the old world customs conflict and struggle to survive the new. The traditional medicines and remedies are much different than the modern ones, and even the cause of basic diseases are not the same. Quartey is able to weave a lot of the details of the culture in with the narrative and I was very taken with reading about the different foods, vocabulary and opposing modern and traditional medical approaches. A fine balance is drawn between moving the story along and briefly introducing characters who will likely play key roles as the series develops- of course his family, but also with his mentor and his mostly estranged brother. I think one of the most fascinating things of all will see how Darko will handle the demons that are plaguing him and what choices he will make not only in his career but within his marriage.

Both mysteries, of Darko’s mother and Gladys Mensah, unfolded at a suspenseful pace and I alternately wanted to go back to whichever section I had last been reading to learn more about what was going on. I enjoyed trying to solve each of the mysteries and I definitely think that if you pay attention you will formulate an uneasy guess at “whodunnit” before it becomes obvious. It’ll be uneasy because, well…you just never know. I am not much of a series reader- they are just way too complicated for me in trying to determine the order, and waiting around for the new book to come out, etc. I am so glad that I was able to read the first of this series because I would love to check up on Darko and see how he gets along.(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Jul 07, 2009

Ron rated it

Shelves: debut-novel, mystery, police-procedural, africa, ghana

Because he's the only available police investigator who can speak the local indigenous language, Detective Inspector Darko Dawson is sent out to the village of Ketanu to assist the inquiry into the death of a young medical student. (As it happens, it's the same village his mother--who mysteriously vanished when he was a young boy--grew up in, so this gives him a chance to reacquaint himself with relatives he hasn't seen in 25 years...) Dawson has to contend with a local police chief who resents ...more

like 1 like

· see review

Aug 28, 2011

Babydoll rated it

· review of another edition

Any attempts of becoming dissatisfied with this book will be close to impossible. For, Wife of the Gods is that impressive of a narrative. Consisting of suspense, mystery, and adventure, it is not surprising that Kwei Quartey gained noteworthy attention for this gripping novel.

Wife of the Gods is a spellbinding mystery, set in Ghana and taking place within the vigorous capitol of Accra and small town of Ketanu. Readers are introduced to the main character, Detective Darko Dawson, liv...moreAny attempts of becoming dissatisfied with this book will be close to impossible. For, Wife of the Gods is that impressive of a narrative. Consisting of suspense, mystery, and adventure, it is not surprising that Kwei Quartey gained noteworthy attention for this gripping novel.

Wife of the Gods is a spellbinding mystery, set in Ghana and taking place within the vigorous capitol of Accra and small town of Ketanu. Readers are introduced to the main character, Detective Darko Dawson, living contentedly in Accra as a Detective Inspector, when he is summoned to Ketanu to investigate the startling murder of a young village woman. The victim is Gladys Mensah, a promising medical student and AIDS activist, who is found murdered by a nearby village woman. The assignment is imperative and holds much significance for Detective Dawson, because the town of Ketanu is where his mother’s family originated and is where she is last seen alive. The hunt for the murderer will expose hidden truths concerning his mother, divulge the powerful impact of his role as a detective, and address several adverse cultural practices within the village.

Author Kwei Quartey earns a nod of admiration for his literary performance in Wife of the Gods. Quartey eloquently constructed a tale that exhibited authentic Ghanaian culture. Whether by describing various foods, languages, or customs, Quartey seemed to effortlessly familiarize the reader to numerous traditions. I found myself salivating as he described the preparation of plantains, garri (also known as tapioca) and fufu (pounded cassava and plantains). I was also keenly aware of myself becoming greatly appalled by the treatment of women living as Trokosi or “wife of the gods“, a practice where young virgin girls are offered as payment to a man for a misdeed done by a family member. Disturbingly, these girls usually serve against their will as slaves to the priests or elders of a traditional shrine.

Written with impeccable skill, Wife of the Gods is a superb book, guaranteed to intrigue and appease one‘s desire for a good read. I look forward to reading the next book in the Darko Dawson series, Children of the Street.
(less)

like 2 likes

· see review

Aug 13, 2010

Julia rated it

Shelves: mystery, contemporary-fiction

This was an unusual book for me: a mystery, set in rural Ghana, with some polygamists as characters. I enjoyed it.

Detective Investigator Darko Dawson works for the Criminal Investigations Department in Accra, Ghana, who is assigned to a tiny village named Ketenu where a murder has taken place. Gladys was studying to be a doctor, training the people in two villages about AIDS, and one of them was her enemy.

“[Gladys:] clashed badly with Bedome’s head priest… over this tro...more

· see review

Oct 04, 2011

Ken rated it

I truly enjoyed this book and the pot smoking Darko Dawson character, the book took you on a mental journey of Ghana's future and past. The journey was woven through the beliefs of healers and the new modern World of medicine. Also the fight one has with family members was intriguing especially the interaction between Samuel Boateng and his father not believing his innocence.

As well as the relationship Darko had between his Mother in-law and her desire to belittle him, I found very ...more

· see review

Jul 22, 2009

Lee rated it

I loved this book! Just ask my family. I can't stop talking about it. A young man stands accused of murdering a well-liked med student and Inspector Darko Dawson is sent from the Ghanian capital of Accra to Ketanu where his own mother disappeared from twenty-five years earlier. This isn't just a mystery, it's a tale about personal demons, old-fashioned bad police work, modern investigation and modern medicine bucking against the fetish priests. There are more suspects than you can count and the ...more

like 1 like

· see review

May 05, 2009

Cindy rated it

Recommends it for: mystery fans

Shelves: 999, early-reviewers, mysteries

Detective Inspector Darko Dawson has been sent out to the countryside of Ghana to investigate the murder of a young woman. When he arrives, he must deal with the local healer, the rural police, and the local fetish priest, as well as reconnect with his extended family he hasn't seen since his mother's disappearance years earlier.

There are plenty of murder suspects, and the more Dawson looks, the more complications he finds. And his own temper isn't doing him any good either.
...more

· see review

Jul 02, 2011

Cathy rated it

i was hoping this would be a good read. it takes place in Ghana and is written by an ghanian with an african american mother. it's a typical parlor room mytery and not written very well.

its uniqueness helps and i did read the entire book and didn't figure out who committed the murder but it just wasn't that good.

describing ketanu ... buildings were a cream color or darker, and the rusted tin roofs exactly matched the color of the ground. Tro-tros and taxis plied the stre...more

· see review

Mar 23, 2011

PGLaw3 Gibbs rated it

The book's protagonist was both easy to like and to condemn, and that made him enough of an every-man to allow me to relate to a story and culture half-world a way. Specifically, I found myself shaking my head at Donnie Darko's indulgences in vice and emotion and being inspired by his unrelenting sense of duty. All the while, the author subtly introduced me to bits of Ghana and the impact technology, diverse religions and customs have on a developing nation.

The story was told evenl...more

· see review

Jan 02, 2010

Jon rated it

A very interesting read, although not an especially puzzling mystery to people who read a lot of them. Written almost entirely in simple, declarative sentences (I'm not sure there's a complex sentence or a subjunctive in the entire book), it gives the illusion of being innocent and amiable--very reminiscent of Mma Ramotswe's adventures in Botswana. But this detective is a much more divided personality, and the crimes he must uncover involve some activities far darker than anything McCall Smith w...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Jan 19, 2012

Sean Mcguire rated it

I read this on a lark, because one of my friends gave it five stars here.

This is a murder mystery set in Ghana. The book was slow-starting, and I almost gave up on it. I'm glad I didn't, but honestly I didn't give up only because I wanted to see what my friend was on about. (I later learned that she skews her reviews high because she reads extremely fast, so the investment of time for her is very low. Jealousy ensued.)

The setting for this book, urban and rural Ghana, is s...more

· see review

Feb 25, 2010

Dorothy rated it

Shelves: modern-day-mysteries

I had never heard of this book or this writer when my local Mystery Club chose it for this month's reading. I dutifully procured a copy and read it. I think it is unlikely I would have picked it up without that incentive.

It was this writer's first novel. It is set in his native Ghana (he now lives in the United States) and it exudes a strong sense of place. He manages to explore some of Ghanaian traditional values and ideas as they clash with more modern attitudes.

The...more

· see review

Jan 11, 2010

Julie rated it

Recommended to Julie by: NPR Weekend Edition Sunday

Shelves: africa-theme-setting, mystery-crime-thriller, read-2010

Two and a half stars.

Because the author's own story is so compelling, I really wanted to like this book. But honestly, it fell flat for me. The writing is simplistic, the characters are less than 3-dimensional, and the story- as a mystery- is formulaic.

The potential is there- Quartey's female characters shine with life far beyond their male counterparts, who include Detective Inspector Darko Dawson, the protagonist of this intended series (of course, as a DI, it is de rig...more

like 1 like

· see review

Oct 12, 2010

Linda I rated it

Shelves: kwei-quartey, murder-mystery

"Wife of the Gods" is a great first novel for Kwei Quartey. Set in rural Ghana, it tells the story of Darko Dawson, a police inspector, who is asked to revisit his childhood village to solve the murder of a young and ambituous woman. Threaded throughout the tale are the superstitions, folklore, traditions, and social conditions of the villagers which impede Darko's progress. While investigating this case, Darko is also able to discover the circumstances and set to rest the disappearanc...more

· see review

Oct 04, 2009

Bruce Silverstein rated it

Another diverse detective to become familiar with, this one from Ghana. I liked the character of Detective Darko Dawson, a man not always in control of his wits and emotions, but basically an honest character fighting for what he thinks is right in society. Like Alexander McCall Smith's Botswana, the author makes Ghana a character in the book. It was interesting to learn about a society still struggling towards modernity. The author's descriptions of the local food will make your mouth water. Th...more

· see review

Aug 20, 2011

Carolyn rated it

Wife of the Gods: A Novel","Kwei Quartey",
"I thought this was an excellent crime story set in Ghana. I read it in less than a day, and couldn't put it down.The author is now a doctor in California but was raised in Ghana. The place is exotic and the characters vividly portrayed.
The police detective Darko Dawson lives in the capitol Accra with his wife and son . The son has a heart defect which requires an operation which he sees no way of paying.
Dawson i...more

· see review

Apr 03, 2011

LeeAnne rated it

This is the first in what appears to be a series of mysteries featuring D. I. Darko Dawson of Accra, Ghana. Because he speaks the language, Dawson is dispatched to the bush to help solve the murder of a young and beautiful medical student. Tied up in all of this is the mystery of the disappearance of Dawson's own mother in the very same village more than 20 years ago. While this book is a bit loose in spots, it holds together well enough in the end. In this first book, Darko Dawson is not perf...more

· see review

Nov 19, 2009

Nina Chachu rated it

I put this book on a "wish list" and was very happy when a member of the Accra Book Club said she had bought a copy, and lent it to me. It was a relatively quick read, and for the most part the descriptions of Ghana - Accra and a fictitious village in the Volta Region - seemed OK. What I did not really get was a sense of the rhythm of Ghanaian speech or life, though maybe it is a bit unreasonable to expect this, especially if the market is mainly a non-Ghanaian English speaking one. ...more

· see review

Sep 11, 2009

Carol rated it

Shelves: mystery

Sometimes a book’s setting can be just as important to me as the plot or characters. This is one of those books. The culture, history, and landscape of Ghana are integral to the storyline. Detective Inspector Darko Dawson is from his station in Accra, the capital, to a small village to investigate the death of a female medical student.

Darko is torn between his modern sensiblities and the age-old customs that still persist, like the trokosi, girls who are given as wives to the local...more

· see review

Aug 19, 2009

Carol rated it

Quartey is a physician, raised in Ghana in which he set his first mystery. Although the setting is present-day, herbal healers (some quacks) and so-called priests preying on native fears of "the gods" and belief in witchcraft are major elements of the plot. The setting is vivid and interesting and the plot is plausible enough. The character of the policeman-protagonist, who lives in Accra, the capital city, probably will develop over the proposed series. He does not quite come to life;...more

· see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 29 30 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (10)

More editions...

Genres

Mystery

59 users

Cultural > Africa

32 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

5 users

Mystery > Crime

5 users

Contemporary

4 users

Literature > African Literature

3 users

Cultural > International

3 users

Adult

3 users

Thriller

2 users

Cultural

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers Also Enjoyed

About Kwei Quartey

Dr. Kwei Quartey was born in Ghana and raised by an African American mother and a Ghanaian father, both of whom were university lecturers. Even though his professional writing career began after he became a physician, his desire to be a writer started at a very early age.

Kwei Quartey now lives in Pasadena, California. He writes early in the morning before setting out to work at HealthC...more

More about Kwei Quartey...

Books by Kwei Quartey

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Pin It

Trivia About Wife of the Gods

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Groups That Shelved Wife of the Gods

Salt Lake County Library ...

500 members

last activity 1 hour, 10 min ago

shelf: read

World Mysteries and Thril...

396 members

last activity 20 hours, 3 min ago

shelf: read

Around the World in 80 Books

332 members

last activity 1 hour, 11 min ago

shelf: read

title link	preview: Wife of the Gods
avg rating	preview: Wife of the Gods Goodreads rating: 3.63 (449 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6105001-wife-of-the-gods?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266512972m/6105001.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6105001-wife-of-the-gods?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey[/url]

Wife of the Gods (Darko Dawson #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Readers Also Enjoyed

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website