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Death by His Grace
(Darko Dawson #5)
by
Katherine Yeboah's marriage to Solomon Vanderpuye is all the talk of Accra high society. But when it becomes apparent that Katherine is infertile, Solomon's extended family accuses her of being a witch, hounding her until the relationship is so soured Solomon feels compelled to order Katherine out of the house they shared. Alone on her last night there, Katherine is savage
...more
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Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
August 29th 2017
by Soho Crime
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Tracy
Yes, I received my copy several weeks ago.
Kwei Quartey
It is available in audio, narrated beautifully by Corey Allen
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Start your review of Death by His Grace (Darko Dawson #5)

This is not Quartey’s first novel about Chief Inspector Darko Dawson who works for the Ghanaian federal police, but it is the first one I have read and it can stand on its own.
Dawson’s case is the brutal death of a young wife and is complicated by the fact that Dawson’s wife is her best friend. The Chief Inspector is reluctant to take the case because of the family connection but “soldiers ahead” when his boss says, “do it.”
This is a mystery with an excellent sense of place and time. It is also ...more
Dawson’s case is the brutal death of a young wife and is complicated by the fact that Dawson’s wife is her best friend. The Chief Inspector is reluctant to take the case because of the family connection but “soldiers ahead” when his boss says, “do it.”
This is a mystery with an excellent sense of place and time. It is also ...more

I have grown to really like this series set in Ghana with policeman Darko Dawson. I find it so interesting to read stories set in other countries. It's amazing to find out how well the police operate with all problems they have. They have almost no police cars and DNA tests must be sent to South Africa. People often pay the policeman to investigate their crimes. The country has rolling power blackouts with power on 12 hours and then out for 24 hours. Residents are forced to buy generators to con
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Chief Inspector Darko Dawson is back in Accra. His wife Christine's first cousin Kate is having fertility (and marital) problems with her husband Solomon, and is seeking help from her pastor. Then, Kate is brutally murdered in her own home, and the suspect list is quite large, especially since everyone seems to agree she is a nice lady. Darko is assigned a new female partner, which is unusual in Ghana. Author Quarey does a nice job making readers feel Ghanaian as well as wrapping Darko's family
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This is the first volume that I have ever read by this author. It's easy, easy read and you can read this entire within an hour or two. Simple language and at times it seems awkward in nuance and word placements. But that could just be the colloquial cultural pattern.
What I liked the most about it was the placement in Accra, Ghana. Certain ways for transportation and the foodstuffs names/styles and much else had all kinds of nifty terms and locale exact words that I had never heard before. Ther ...more
What I liked the most about it was the placement in Accra, Ghana. Certain ways for transportation and the foodstuffs names/styles and much else had all kinds of nifty terms and locale exact words that I had never heard before. Ther ...more

While you can technically jump into the series here and not feel lost, there is something–which I can’t reveal because mystery!–that happens which makes me advise that you read the entire series in order. With that said, I love novels that are set outside of the U.S., especially in countries we don’t usually get many books from. Add in a mystery, and make it a series and I’m so happy! This time around, Chief Inspector Darko Dawson of the Ghanaian federal police is looking into the murder of Kath
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This is my first read of a Kwei Quartey mystery and I'm disturbed I waited so long to start reading him. I now have to go back and read the other Darko Dawson adventures. Darko seems to be an efficient police inspector trying to solve the murder of Katherine, who married Solomon, a high society lawyer against the wishes of his sister and mother. This cross "caste" wedding in Ghana sets the stage for this fast paced tricky novel. The descriptions of Ghanaian foods, sights, sounds, lives, language
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I listened to the sampler on the audiobook section and i loved the narrator's voice so much I had to listen to the entire book.
This is the first book i have listened to by this author and I believe this is fifth issue in the series.
The book can be read as a standalone so this wasn't a problem but it left me wondering why I had not listened to this series before.
Absolutely brilliant story and wonderfully narrated with an ending i just didn't expect in a million years. I will definitely be looking ...more
This is the first book i have listened to by this author and I believe this is fifth issue in the series.
The book can be read as a standalone so this wasn't a problem but it left me wondering why I had not listened to this series before.
Absolutely brilliant story and wonderfully narrated with an ending i just didn't expect in a million years. I will definitely be looking ...more

If you haven't read Quartey yet, please try this one. This is a procedural but it's so much more. Ghana is as much a character as is Darko- who is the classic odd man out in his department. I like these books as much for the cultural and atmospheric aspects as I do with the story. This time the plot revolves around witchcraft accusations-not something I've read in any other series. The writing is not always as smooth as it could be (a good edit would take care of that) but it's measured and appr
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Note: This book won't be released until August 2017; I received a free uncopyedited version.
This fast-paced mystery set in Ghana introduced me to a completely unfamiliar locale and culture, but the skillful storytelling, adept foreshadowing, and intriguing description of life in this country made it hard to put the book down.
The protagonist, Inspector Darko Dawson, isn’t introduced until a number of chapters in, after a brutal and pivotal murder occurs.
Inspector Dawson is a complex character. He ...more
This fast-paced mystery set in Ghana introduced me to a completely unfamiliar locale and culture, but the skillful storytelling, adept foreshadowing, and intriguing description of life in this country made it hard to put the book down.
The protagonist, Inspector Darko Dawson, isn’t introduced until a number of chapters in, after a brutal and pivotal murder occurs.
Inspector Dawson is a complex character. He ...more

The murder victim, Katherine, is the first cousin of Dawson's wife Christine, so this complicates Dawson's investigation. Katherine was married to Solomon, a successful lawyer, who was leaving her and accusing her of being a witch because she had not been able to give him a child. Solomon's mother and sister joined in the accusations and encouraged him to cheat her out of her share of their house and to leave her. The brutal murder of Katherine and an elderly gatekeeper has any number of suspect
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Kwei Quartey's 5th novel in the Darko Dawson series. A friend scored me an ARC at Book Expo in New York. The publication date is scheduled for August 29, 2017. Started reading it and it's really good! Murder, witch accusations, family issues, lashes of religion, bad mother-in-law..... and a great setting in Accra and Darko Dawson on the case!
Read it practically without a break except to sleep! It is so good. So many possibilities, so many pulls and tugs, so much to contend with both personally a ...more
Read it practically without a break except to sleep! It is so good. So many possibilities, so many pulls and tugs, so much to contend with both personally a ...more

I've been a fan of the Darko Dawson books since I read Children of the Street. I don't usually pick up mystery novels, but setting them in Ghana provides for a refreshing twist. Darko Dawson is your typical investigator trying to find justice in a corrupt world, and he's usually up against some pretty corrupt forces.
This is the fifth novel in the series, and I found it to be a page-turner just like the others. If you enjoyed any of the other books I'd recommend this one. If you are new to the se ...more
This is the fifth novel in the series, and I found it to be a page-turner just like the others. If you enjoyed any of the other books I'd recommend this one. If you are new to the se ...more

It’s apparently a cause for divorce and also a crime punishable by death to be infertile in Ghana because Katherine is not only harassed and tormented for not giving birth, she is brutally murdered on her last night in her marital home. Hotshot detective, Darko Dawson is called in to solve her murder. This case is very personal for Darko because Katherine is his wife’s cousin. Initially, Darko didn’t want to take the case due to fear of being biased but his family and boss encouraged him to.
Plea ...more
Plea ...more

I love Kwei and his mystery series. This book was a very easy read as well as a pager turner. I love inspector Darko and have also gained a fondness for his wife Christine as well. I even liked Christine's cousin Katherine and hate that she met her demise. Everyone is a suspect and he has you going back and forth as to who her killer is. I love Kwei's writing style and how he is able to write in a way that you can actually picture the scene as if you have been there. I love being able learn abou
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Another awesome, exciting page turner by Kwei Quartey! I looked forward to this book and was drawn in to the Darko Dawson mystery once again. Quartey describes each character so cleverly that the reader feels they are in the same room with them. His love for Ghana brings the country alive for me while I'm reading. I can't wait to see what our Chief Inspector Dawson is up to next!
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Chief Inspector Darko Dawson is pulled into an investigation when his wife's cousin is brutally murdered with a machete.
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Fun read and lots of local colour re the Accra area.
This is the first one I've read of the series so will go back and start at the beginning now. ...more
This is the first one I've read of the series so will go back and start at the beginning now. ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

This was a fun and fast read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an ARC in return for an honest review.
I was intrigued by the cover and pulled in by the subject - a detective story set in Ghana. I am not a series reader so jumping in at book 5 concerned me but the book stands on it's own reasonably well. There were a few typographical errors which I hope will be cleaned up before publication later this month, but overall I enjoyed the book.
Darko Dawson is a senior detective ...more
I was intrigued by the cover and pulled in by the subject - a detective story set in Ghana. I am not a series reader so jumping in at book 5 concerned me but the book stands on it's own reasonably well. There were a few typographical errors which I hope will be cleaned up before publication later this month, but overall I enjoyed the book.
Darko Dawson is a senior detective ...more

This is the second Darko Dawson book I've read and my rating is 3 stars = I like it by GR's 5 star system. Edit: After reading one of the other reviews, I've upped this to 4 stars as it reminded me how much I liked the writing of the local culture including the exposés.
Comments:
- I love the setting in Ghana. You really get a good feel of the local setting, the people, the places and the culture. For an armchair traveler/reader, it's the next best thing to reading a travel book or going there.
- ...more
Comments:
- I love the setting in Ghana. You really get a good feel of the local setting, the people, the places and the culture. For an armchair traveler/reader, it's the next best thing to reading a travel book or going there.
- ...more

If you are an armchair traveling sleuth who loves to solve mysteries set in other countries, I recommend Kwei Quartey's Darko Dawson series. Quartey sets you down firmly on Ghanian soil and lets you immerse yourself in the land, the culture, and the food of this amazing country. The author also gives you characters with very real lives. Dawson's father has Alzheimer's and must be cared for. Dawson and his wife Christine are also dealing with a son who likes to hang out with gang members. Add a w
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Authors are supposed to write things they know about. And that’s what Kwei Quartey does. He bases his crime novels on a country he knows well: Ghana. A physician, he is the son of a black mother and a Ghanaian father. His descriptions of Accra, the capital, its heat and power outages, the street names and language are authentic.
This is the second Darko Dawson mystery. Dawson is a Chief Inspector with a built-in lie detector: he suffers from synesthesia, which usually manifests itself when he is ...more
This is the second Darko Dawson mystery. Dawson is a Chief Inspector with a built-in lie detector: he suffers from synesthesia, which usually manifests itself when he is ...more
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KWEI QUARTEY
Biography
Kwei Quartey is a crime fiction writer and physician based in Pasadena, California. In 2018, having practiced medicine for more than 15 years while simultaneously working as a writer, Quartey finally retired from medical practice to become a full-time novelist. Prior to that, though, he had balanced the two professions by dedicating the early morning hours to writing before ...more
Biography
Kwei Quartey is a crime fiction writer and physician based in Pasadena, California. In 2018, having practiced medicine for more than 15 years while simultaneously working as a writer, Quartey finally retired from medical practice to become a full-time novelist. Prior to that, though, he had balanced the two professions by dedicating the early morning hours to writing before ...more
Other books in the series
Darko Dawson
(5 books)
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