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Wife of the Gods (Darko Dawson #1)

Kwei Quartey

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What Members Thought

Dec 05, 2013 Beverly rated it really liked it

Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey is an impressive debut, a murder mystery set in modern Ghana. The reader quickly learns the mystery is who killed Gladys, a promising medical student, as she was on her way home to Ketanu, a small village in the Volta region. Efia, a wife of the Gods, is the one who stumbles across Gladys’ body, in a forest that separates two villages. As in any small village, the news spreads quickly and everyone has an opinion on who committed the murder. But another mystery al Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey is an impressive debut, a murder mystery set in modern Ghana. The reader quickly learns the mystery is who killed Gladys, a promising medical student, as she was on her way home to Ketanu, a small village in the Volta region. Efia, a wife of the Gods, is the one who stumbles across Gladys’ body, in a forest that separates two villages. As in any small village, the news spreads quickly and everyone has an opinion on who committed the murder. But another mystery also appears; who called the Minister of Health to insist that a detective from Criminal Investigations Department headquarters be in charge of the murder investigation, instead of the local police? So Detective Inspector Darko Dawson is selected to lead the investigation, which will have several twists and turns with expected and unexpected secrets revealed before the case is closed.

But the delight of this novel is the character, Darko Dawson. Dawson is a very likeable character, but he is not without his flaws. The reader can appreciate his strong sense of justice and how those who commit injustices should be handled. At times, his hot temper will have Dawson using unconventional methods to solve an issue. The reader will forgive Dawson his transgressions and root for him not to be found out. Dawson has a strong need to protect those he loves and his relationship with his wife, Christine, reveals a strong commitment and respect for each other. I hope to see more of their relationship and Christine in future stories.

As Dawson goes through his investigative process, the reader is taken into the lives of the diverse characters that are part of the story. Mr. Quartey effectively uses the characters to portray the modern Ghanaian culture and its contracts; big city/small village attitudes, gender roles, and superstition/witchcraft.

I recommend this well-crafted novel to all mystery readers. While Mr.Quartey’s style is all his own, readers who enjoy stories that effectively blend native culture as an integral part of the story will want to get in on this series from the beginning. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series and seeing what Darko Dawson is up to.

Reviewed by Beverly
APOOO BookClub
July 26, 2009
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Jul 30, 2009 Andrea rated it really liked it

Shelves: africa, fun-mysteries

Det. Darko Dawson of Ghana's CID travels to a rural village to investigate the murder of a young med student/AIDs education volunteer. The book has everything I look for in a mystery:richly drawn intriguing characters, a vivid cultural and physical background, and a mystery that keeps me guessing with classic red herrings, multiple suspects, good cops and bad (very bad) cops. Grittier than Alexander McCall Smith, but more focus on character development than on gore. I look forward to more from t ...more

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Dec 25, 2018 Tanya rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: format-audiobook, 2018

I was glad to learn about another culture, but I don’t feel compelled to pick up the continuation of this series. I liked it, but this isn’t my preferred genre, so I may explore other mysteries with this character, but it would likely be do to meeting a book challenge category. I do recommend this book to others to get a glimpse into another culture and its beliefs and rituals.

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Jan 31, 2015 Nancy H rated it liked it

I like this series and read a later book first. I liked it a bit better than this one, but I think in this one, the author was setting up the characters, settings, etc. so the stories naturally would get better as they go along. It is still worth reading, though.

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Jan 17, 2022 Nadine in NY Jones rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery

This was such a fantastic first novel, and I look forward to reading more in the series. There were several obvious suspects, each had a motive and the ability to have committed the crime, and of course I did not guess the right one. Great sense of place, in a small village in Ghana, although I did have trouble picturing the forest: the paths through the forest, the cultivated fields within the forest, the place to chop firewood, the plantain groves, the mango tree. I've never been in a West Afr ...more

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Apr 10, 2016 Jen rated it really liked it

This was a fun detective story that also brought in cultural aspects of Ghana. I always feel good when I figure out the killer before the detective in the story. I did feel like there were some loose ends but I know this is a recurring character so it may be resolved in later books.

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