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February -Edgar Nominee Reads - Reporting
I have this one to read. I loved how diverse the Edgar nominees were this year. Long overdue.
Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March4 stars
I did not want this to end, the same way I don't want a great vacation to end. Bring on another side trip, another tidbit of history, a stray thread - just keep this wonderful vacation to 1892 India going! It also made me wish I'd spent more than a day in Mumbai (Bombay) on my trip to India in 2013.
It's India in 1892, still under British Rule although rumblings of independence can be heard. We are introduced to Captain Jim Agnihotri as he puts aside a re-read of Sherlock Holmes and peruses news stories about the fall of 2 young Parsee women from the University Clock Tower in Bombay and the subsequent murder trial that ended without a conviction. He's particularly touched by a letter to the editor by the young husband of one of the women, Adi Framji. Once released from hospital, needing a job and still fascinated by the letter and the 2 deaths, Jim heads to Bombay, getting himself hired by Adi to investigate the death, applying deductive reasoning a la Sherlock Holmes. His investigation takes him all over India leading to a variety of adventures while he unravels the mystery and finally brings the murderer to justice. Jim also falls in love with the elder daughter of the house, Diana, who has just returned from England and finishing school. Since this is India, caste and social connection dictate all relationships and Jim, being a bastard, half English, half Indian, no real place, might as well be a beggar yearning for a royal princess. It is particularly poignant since Diana returns his love. One of my few criticisms is that this impossible romance is drawn out far too long, with far too many interior morose monologues.
There are adventures full of danger, encounters that bring smiles to your face and tears to your eyes. I sobbed my way through Chapter 54. The mystery is complex. The characters good and evil were interesting and well-developed. One of my few other complaints is that it sounds just a tad too modern and American to be India in 1892. I mean, no young woman weather Indian or British was wearing something called a sundress. I also doubt that telephones, or at least ones that worked, were found as commonly as seemed to occur in this book.
It was a tad long perhaps, but who cares? This was a stunning debut and deserved it Edgar nomination!
Nominated for best novelThe Distant Dead by Heather Young 5 stars
Adam Merkel left his job at a university and moved to tiny ovelock, Nevada to teach middle school math. Adam befriends his student Sal whose mother died last year. Sal now lives with his two reclusive uncles. Sal discovers Adam's body, burned to death by someone, at the beginning of the book. The book alternates between Sal telling the story of how he first met Adam and slowly leading up to the day of his death; Nora the school social studies teacher who begins to care about Sal and look into Adam's death; and Jack the volunteer fire fighter to whom Sal first reports discovering the body. The book is a mystery involved with finding out how Adam ended up dead but it's also a beautifully written tale of a dying small town and of peoples different ways of grieving. It starts a bit slow but gradually sucked me in. It's a book I'll think about for a long time. I liked the authors first book, The Lost Girls, and I think this one is even better.
I just finished The Missing American and quite enjoyed it. The selection committee for these awards did well.Review:
Gordon Tilson is a retiree in DC. He did Peace Corps in Ghana and married the love of his life there but now he is a widower who helps others on social media. He meets Hellene, another lovely Ghanaian lady, on the internet and falls for her. So much so that he sends money for her sister's hospital bills and decides to travel to Ghana to help her in person. He finds a bigger story of internet fraud and decides to do something about it.
Emma Djan grew up on her father's stories as a homicide policeman in Ghana and follows her dream to be like him graduating from the police academy and starting on the Kampala force. It didn't work out and she is very lucky to land a position as a private investigator and her first case is finding Gordon Tilson who has gone missing.
I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure. There were lots of small world coincidences linking everyone to make the story tie up but I loved learning more about life in Ghana at all levels. It was a great setting which added some local twists to the investigation. Emma was great. I would have loved to get deeper into her character and story but she was lovely. I actually had to pause at the end as I was afraid for what would happen. I would read the next in the series.
Jen K wrote: "I just finished The Missing American and quite enjoyed it. The selection committee for these awards did well.Review:
Gordon Tilson is a retiree in DC. He did Peace Corps in Ghana ..."
I have this one too to read. I suspect I'll still be reading some of these Edgar nominees in May! I agree with whoever said that the selection committee did well this year. Incredibly diverse and well written generally. I've never seen a year where I've wanted to read all the books nominated!
Nominated for Best Paperback Original
East of Hounslow - Khurrum Rahman - 4 Stars
Javid Qasim lives in East of Hounslow, a Muslim community in London, where he's a small time drug dealer. He lives with his mother, who adores him and isn't very strict, but his father is just an old memory. He only attends prayers on Friday and is mostly a lackluster practitioner of Islam. When a school in Canada is attacked by Muslim terrorists and his mosque is vandalized, he accidentally gets involved with some of his friends in a revenge plan to attack some white boys. He doesn't realize he's already on MI-5's radar, which quickly turns this "coming of age" novel into an espionage thriller.
This is billed as a the first book of a trilogy. I wasn't sure I had any interest in this book until I saw it as an Edgar nominee. The actual "mystery" thread seemed weak but it ended up being a compelling story. There's plenty of humor, and I liked Javid "Call Me Jay" much more as the story progressed. The story ends in a disturbing cliffhanger that sent me rushing to the Kindle store for a copy of Homegrown Hero. So I'm probably in for the whole trilogy.
I just finished The Thursday Murder Club.The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman
4 1/2 stars
The Thursday Murder Club is about a group of four senior citizens who live at a upscale retirement community who get together to try to solve cold cases (one of the original members was a police detective that kept her old files). When a real live murder happens at the retirement community, the club is excited to get involve and figure out who did it.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved all of the characters and could easily picture each one in my mind. The setting was interesting and the mystery was not easy for me to figure out. There was the need for a little suspension of doubt when it came to Elizabeth's ability to get what she wanted, but that did not bother me. Overall it was a fun read that I sped through reading and I am looking forward to reading more about the Thursday Murder Club when the next book in the series comes out.
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line-Deepa Anappara 3 starsJai is 9 years old and lives in a basti in an unnamed city in India. He loves watching crime shows on television so when one of his classmates disappears he decides to investigate. Soon more children begin disappearing. My main problem with the book is that not much happens for at least two thirds of it. A kid disappears, Jai and his friends question people not learning much, the police are corrupt and don't investigate, repeat. For a mystery it was kind of boring. The book does do a good job of depicting the conditions of the poor in India, especially poor children and the divide between Muslims and Hindus in the country.
Unfortunately not my favorite of the nominated books. Hopefully those of you reading it this month like it better than I did.
Barbara M wrote: "I'm trying to finish The Missing American today for the monthly tag. Its very good!"Me too! Have 100 pages to finish...and a busy work day.
The Missing American by Kwei Quartey - 5 stars! Up for Best Novel and easily could win!LOVED LOVED LOVED this. I've already downloaded the 2nd Emma Djan. Publisher is Soho Crime, one of my favorite mystery publishers for international and diverse mysteries.
Many of us are reading this and if you don't have it on your Edgar list to read in April, add it.
My review:
We don't meet Emma until several chapters into this mystery, after we've met other key characters, including the sakawa (internet scammer) Nii and the fetish priest Ponsu, and been introduced to some of the political themes, corruption, and crimes which impact this murder mystery. Emma's dream is to become a homicide detective like her late father. After graduating from the police academy, Emma is assigned to the mind-numbing, soul-destroying boredom of housing fraud in Commercial Crimes, with little or no chance of ever realizing her dream. After a certain traumatic event, Emma is dismissed for life from the police force. Though demoralized and uncertain, Emma finds herself hired by one of the reputable and successful private detective agencies. There she works on the case of a missing white American, Gordon, a man who had come to Ghana to meet a woman he'd met online and to whom he had sent money. I'm sure you can guess, this is one of those internet scams, where such a woman does not exist, of course. When Gordon fails to come home, his son Derek arrives in Ghana to search for him. After getting no real help from the police or the US Embassy, he hires Emma's company. At the final satisfactory (and in some respects surprising) conclusion of all the plot threads, Emma has gained confidence and come into her own.
This is a complex, well-crafted murder mystery that takes you deep into the world of all those internet scams that to this day find their way into our social media pages and emails. Ghana along with Nigeria are the centers for these scams, which actually originated in one form or another in Nigeria in the 1920s. I thought the author did a very good job of explaining that world while keepng the pace of the mystery moving forward. However, it perhaps went on a little too much disclosing just how these scams are managed. Also, there are a couple of time and event jumps that are quite abrupt, as well as some flashbacks late in the book that confused me initially. But those really do not detract for one's immersion in the mystery.
******* YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THIS ZOOM EVENT *******My local indie bookseller, Boswell Book Company is hosting a zoom event on Thurs April 14, at 7pm (central time) to celebrate the Edgar Awards.
Details at this link: Mystery Writers of America Edgar Awards Virtual Event - The GP Putnam’s Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award Reading and Discussion You'll need to scroll down to find the specific event.
The Sue Grafton award is for the best novel in a series featuring a female protagonist.
The nominated authors are:
Kathleen Kent, author of The Burn
Laurie King, author of Riviera Gold
Rosalie Knecht, author of Vera Kelly Is Not A Mystery
Sara Paretsky, author of Dead Land
Ilaria Tuti, author of The Sleeping Nymph
James Ziskin, author of Turn to Stone
The event will include readings from each of the nominated books, as well as a conversation between the authors.
Registration is free.
Theresa wrote: "The Missing American by Kwei Quartey - 5 stars! Up for Best Novel and easily could win!LOVED LOVED LOVED this. I've already downloaded the 2nd Emma Djan. Publishe..."
So did I. I finished just on time for the monthly tag. I will definitely read the next in the series.
Book Concierge wrote: "******* YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THIS ZOOM EVENT *******My local indie bookseller, Boswell Book Company is hosting a zoom event on Thurs April 14, at 7pm (central time) to celebrate the Edgar A..."
Sounds good! Will see if I can attend. I have
to read yet.
The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman - 4 starsThe Thursday Murder Club surely deserves to be on the Edgar List because it is such an enjoyable book to read. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron, all members of an elite retirement community join forces to establish the Thursday Murder Club, which meets, of course every Thursday to discuss and solve previously unsolved murder cases.
What a surprise when they have a new murder case to solve which directly impacts their community. The characters are fun the mystery is quite intricate. I look forward to more in this series.
Booknblues wrote: "The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman - 4 starsThe Thursday Murder Club surely deserves to be on the Edgar List because it is such an enjoyable book to read. E..."
I am just starting this, and it is the perfect antidote to my gothic read The Shadow of the Wind, light and fun so far.
Theresa wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman - 4 starsThe Thursday Murder Club surely deserves to be on the Edgar List because it is such an enjoya..."
I think you will like it. I am hoping to read The Missing American soon.
I have The Thursday Murder Club on my April list but haven't gotten to it yet. I just finished Sleep Well, My Lady which is the second book of the Emma Djan series. I liked it a little more than The Missing American. In this one we get to meet more members of Sowah Investigations and they are a great group of secondary characters. I listened to the audio which was, once again, brilliantly narrated by Robin Miles.
Olivermagnus wrote: "I have The Thursday Murder Club on my April list but haven't gotten to it yet. I just finished Sleep Well, My Lady which is the second book of the Emma Djan series. ..."Glad to hear that the Emma Djan series is off to a good start. I am finishing up some of my series and looking for new ones. I should be able to read The Missing American later this month.
I am a third of the way through The Thursday Murder Club and enjoying it so much. I have a smile on my face as I read and I have actually laughed out loud at least twice.As we keep saying, the nominees this year are all excellent. From those I have read so far, for any category, the only truly weak one I thought was the Alyssa Cole - When No One is Watching. I still gave that 3 stars.
Theresa wrote: "I am a third of the way through The Thursday Murder Club and enjoying it so much. I have a smile on my face as I read and I have actually laughed out loud at least twice.As we kee..."
I'm so glad we decided to do this Edgar read. I have had some really enjoyable reading over the past few months.
It is all thanks to you BnB! I thank you! We could make this an annual event!I suspect that I will read at least 3 more nominees this month. But I think I will actually try to read all the nominees by end of June, the quality and diversity has been so high.
Theresa wrote: "It is all thanks to you BnB! I thank you! We could make this an annu al event!"Absolutely! I think that is a great idea.
I have 2 more I want to read this month -
The Missing American and Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line.
The Thursday Murder ClubI laughed, I cried, I was surprised, and I did not figure out most of the many layers of mysteries plotted in this refreshing crime fiction read. I was completely engaged and charmed. I have alread preordered the 2nd in what promises to be a wonderful series!
A group of residents in a luxury retirement community, built on the site of a former convent in Kent, have formed a Thursday Murder Club where they review and attempt to solve cold case files provided by a former member of the club who was a police officer. Elizabeth has some mysterious background in high security government work, Ron was a labor union rep, Ibrahim was an accountant, and Joyce, the newbie, was a nurse. The owner and developer of the community is expanding, and his plans include removing the nuns' cemetery located on the adjacent hill. Opposition to this arises and in the middle of a protest, murder happens, and varioius secrets present themselves. The Thursday Murder Club of course sees this as an opportunity to solve a real murder, and develop a very entertaining and useful relationship with 2 of the homicide investigators.
I loved all the characters, the layers and layers of mystery, and the whole gradual resolution of all, from the murders and various mysteries to the personal stories and relationships.
Don't bother reading Turn to Stone BY James W. Ziskin -
. I'm giving it 1.5 stars rounded up to 2 stars. This is nominated for the Sue Grafton Memorial Award and is the only one of the nominees for that Edgar that I have read. Hopefully others will be far better. The Sue Grafton goes to a series book (has to be at least the 2nd in the series) featuring a Kinsey Milhone type detective - the requirements are here: https://mysterywriters.org/edgars/edg...
Here's my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm now reading
and even in the first few pages, I'm enjoying it far more than the one I just posted about! Written by a native american and set on a Lakota reservation in contemporary times, it's definitely different. It's also promising to be pretty gritty and graphic.
Just wanted to give big thanks for this suggestions as well! Mystery/ Thriller are not my usual genres but I've really enjoyed all of the books I read for the Edgar Nominees and might not have read them otherwise.
Finished Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden - It was good, but likely too graphic for some people's tastes. It's nominated for a first novel Edgar. Indigenous author writing contemporary crime fiction set on the Rosebud Reservation and South Dakota offers up a debut that combines modern day problems and characters struggling with their native identity. Virgil is the reservation's enforcer, a vigilante who serves up punishment on miscreants for a small fee, miscreants who neither the reservation police nor when it's a felony, the feds, will bother to prosecute. Virgil is also raising his teenage nephew, Nathan, orphaned when his mother died in a head on collision. You like Virgil and Nathan, and when Nathan nearly dies from a heroin overdose, you really hope they can pull through. In the course of untangling Nathan from the drug dealers, Virgil uncovers more corruption and graft among those he's known his entire life.
The crime plotting is a little rough here and there, but the heart of the plot is really Virgil's redemption and ultimate embracing of native traditions and faith. In setting out to save his nephew (view spoiler) There's an opening left at the end for more books with Virgil, hinting at a slightly different future.
There's a lot about Lakota traditions and spirituality. The book could have used a glossary - although since I was reading an ebook, it was easy to look up the Lakota words/expressions used and historical events mentioned - the more obscure ones that is.
Finished Before She Was Helen. I thought The Thursday Murder Club was much better. Both featured older characters investigating a murder in their retirement community.Before She Was Helen - Caroline B. Cooney
3 1/2 stars
When a neighbor disappears and a dead body shows up next door, Helen Stephens worries that the investigation into this murder will expose her real identity and a thirty year old murder near her home town. Can Helen find out what happened to her neighbor while keeping her decades old secrets from being exposed.
I think I liked reading about young Helen/Clemmie and the cold case more than the current murder at the Retirement community. Current day Helen was a bit wishy washy, which was less true of teenage Clemmie. The current day mystery didn't make much sense to me - even when the perpetrator was revealed. It felt a little rushed and I felt like I missed something. Overall, the more I read the book, the more I was drawn in and wanted to know what happened next. But present day Helen did not seem to have the same spunk that young Clemmie had and the resolution of the case did not satisfy me.
I think this one suffered from being read so soon after The Thursday Murder Club, which I enjoyed a lot more.
Cora wrote: "Finished Before She Was Helen. I thought The Thursday Murder Club was much better. Both featured older characters investigating a murder in their retirement communit..."I think, I will wait a bit before jumping to this one. Maybe then I will appreciate it more.
I've still got 3 books to read for the Edgars - but one is Young Adult and the other 2 are Best Novel, so I've finished with certain categories. Here's my opinions so far:Best First Novel: I read 2 - Winter Counts and Murder in Old Bombay. Both good but I would give a prize to Murder in Old Bombay.
Sue Grafton - read only one, Turn to Stone and would not give it any prize. Would not even have nominated it.
Paperback Originals - I read 2 - When No One is Watching and East of Hounslow - both enjoyable but flawed. However, East of Hounslow earns the prize -- I've already bought the next in the trilogy to read. I'm not so eager to read another Alyssa Cole.
Mary Higgins Clark - I read 3 for this one - Cold Wind, Death of an American Beauty, and The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne. Really liked all of them and will be reading these authors and series going forward, but The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne for me deserves the win. I just think it's a little bit more unique.
Once I've finished reading the Best Novel candidates I've chosen, I'll let you know what my thoughts are on them.
What are your thoughts on who gets or is worthy of a prize?
The Missing American -Kwei QuarteyFor me, Kwei Quartey's debut mystery, The Missing American is the very essence of a page turner. It had excitement, danger, an intricate plot and a PI in Emma Djan who I want to follow on her continued adventures.
Quartey takes the time to introduce the reader to characters and plot so we have the background we need before meeting Emma Djan. We learn about that sakawa who use magic to build them up so they can go on the internet and entrap innocent people into giving them money. We meet American widower Gordon Tilson, who is vulnerable to such a scheme.
I love the way Quartey layered the story and presented it in for the most part chronological order. It is a fairly complex plot and I enjoyed trying to figure it out, which is not impossible. But even knowing who did what did not diminish the enjoyment, because once I started reading this I could not put it down.
As I often do, I looked up information about the author, Kwei Quartey and discovered he was a doctor who gave up his profession to become a writer. I wish him success in this new endeavor as I really want to read more of Emma.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line- Deepa Anappara - 4.5 stars rounded downExtreme heartbreak meshed with childlike joy and exuberance is how I would describe Edgar Nominee, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by debut novelist, Deepa Anappara. When a classmate of theirs disappears, 9 year-old Jai, Pari and Faez decide to do some detective work to find out who took him. They do this with such exuberance and zest for life that the reader wishes the best for them, even though they live in a basti, a slum of India. We see the grinding poverty through the optimistic eyes of the children and begin to be anesthetized to it until it is too late.
Deepa Anappara, worked as a journalist who reported about the impacts of poverty and violence on children and while doing this she interviewed many children, thus finding her voice which worked so well in this book. In the afterward she states:
"I thought of the children I used to interview, their determination to survive in a society that often willfully neglected them, and I realized that the story had to be told from their perspective. Nine-year-old Jai became my way into this novel. In Jai and his friends, I tried to capture the traits that my news articles had ignored: the children’s resilience, cheerfulness, and swagger."
Anappara clearly does capture the resilience, cheerfulness and swagger and that is what makes the book so heartbreaking.
(view spoiler)
I would recommend this book to any interested in life in the Indian slums, with the warning that it is an extremely heartbreaking book.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It is not the end of April, but I have read all the Edgar books which I plan to read for now, so thought I would report back:Best Novel
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line
The Missing American
The Thursday Murder Club
Best First Novel
Murder in Old Bombay
Winter Counts
Best Fact Crime
Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country
Interestingly, a couple of the best novel books I read were also first novels. The best novel category was very diverse and interesting and I loved them all. For me The Missing American was the best mystery, with a very interesting protagonist and setting. It was a very exciting mystery which had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't put it down until it was finished.
The Djinn Patrol of the Purple Line may well be the best book and in many ways I thought it was brilliant for the same reason which I took it down a point, the contrast between the lightheartedness with the extreme heartbreak.
I was lucky to pair Winter Counts and Yellow Bird as they provided a more complete picture of reservation life and the difficulties with law enforcement.
Based on Cora's recommendation, and my need for a light fun read after 2 heavy gothics and several more serious crime fiction reads, I picked up last night The Inheritance Games and just whipped through it! Thoroughly enjoyed it - but I love inheritance/secret will plot lines. Yes you had to suspend disbelief and too often the teenagers sounded and acted like they were 30-something, but it was just a fun ride. I'm definitely reading the sequel to be published later this year. Nominated in the YA category, here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Booknblues wrote: "The Missing American -Kwei QuarteyFor me, Kwei Quartey's debut mystery, The Missing American is the very essence of a page turner. It had excitement, danger, an intricate plot and..."
I don't think this was his debut? I've read Wife of the Gods by Quartey which was published in 2009.
Book Concierge wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "The Missing American -Kwei QuarteyFor me, Kwei Quartey's debut mystery, The Missing American is the very essence of a page turner. It had excitement, danger, an..."
OK, got that wrong.
Stumbled on this, written by Edgar nominee Paige Shelton back pre-pandemic:https://crimereads.com/10-movies-that...
And the winners are: https://crimereads.com/congratulation....I am still reading Djinn Patrol but can see already why it won, and happy to see that Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne grabbed the prize. Most of others that won I did not read, except the Alyssa Cole and I can see why it won although I thought East of Hounslow better, overall.
Theresa wrote: "And the winners are: https://crimereads.com/congratulation....I am still reading Djinn Patrol but can see already why it won, and happy to see that Cabinets..."
I was about to post this.
Has anyone read Please See Us?
I have Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic on my tbr but read Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country for that category instead.
Fun! Moving Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line back up the list again. I read Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic and it was quite well done. It doesn't focus as much on one person like in Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country but it does take on quite a fight against the drug companies.
Since I own Addis Ababa Noir, I will try to at least read the story by Maaza Mengiste next month. Poor Ethiopia is not doing well right now.
Jen K wrote: "Fun! Moving Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line back up the list again. I read [book:Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epide..."
I think Djinn Patrol is up your alley. It is as much a social commentary as it is a mystery.
I am planning on reading Death In Mud Lick this year.
I'm happy The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne won. I really enjoyed seeing everyones reviews. We should definitely do this again next year.
I'll put that one on my list too. I would definitely be interested to do this again next year too.
Rachel N. wrote: "I'm happy The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne won. I really enjoyed seeing everyones reviews. We should definitely do this again next year."It was a lot of fun and renewed my love of mysteries. I definitely want to do it again next year.
I actually have not read any of the winners. I'm almost done with The Thursday Murder Club and it's my favorite of them all. I planned to read Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line but have pushed it to May. I will probably read at least five more during 2021 so I'll move the winners to the top of the list. Mysteries are my favorite genre so I enjoyed all that I read:
Cold Wind
East of Hounslow
The Deep, Deep Snow
Darling Rose Gold
The Missing American
My two 5 Star reads are:
The Thursday Murder Club and Murder in Old Bombay.
I would love to do this again next year. Thanks for setting this up booknblues!
Count me in to repeat next year! I am in middle of Djinn Patrol and have Before She Was Helen lined up in my Kindle library.
I decided given how much I have enjoyed them, I will read most of the nominees during 2021.
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Books mentioned in this topic
The Thursday Murder Club (other topics)Before She Was Helen (other topics)
Angela’s Ashes (other topics)
The Thursday Murder Club (other topics)
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line (other topics)
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Frank McCourt (other topics)Maaza Mengiste (other topics)
Deepa Anappara (other topics)
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The Missing American - Kwei Quartey - 4 Stars
In The Missing American, author Kwei Quartey introduces readers to Emma Djan, the daughter of a homicide detective who wants to follow in her dad’s footsteps. After joining the police department, she is placed in Commercial Crimes. She interviews for a job in Homicide but loses hope when the police commissioner attempts to assault her.
She knows she can't stay with the Ghana police. A former colleague sets her up for an interview with the Sowah Detective Agency, a private investigation firm and she can't wait to begin her new job. Her opportunity comes when Derek Tilson hires the agency to find his missing dad.
Middle-aged American, Gordon Tilson, has traveled to Ghana to track down whoever swindled him out of $4,000 in an Internet scam. The widower, who married his Ghanaian wife years earlier while in the Peace Corps, had been lured into a romance with a nonexistent woman, the creation of “sakawa boys,” Internet scammers. Now he is missing.
After a slow start and a series of mysterious coincidences, the nature of these scams and the corruption preventing exposure are interlinked with the search for the missing American. As in the Darko Dawson series, Quartey provides authentic flavor through Ghana’s food, colorful clothing, and its distinctive landscape.
I listened to the audio version, narrated by Robin Miles, which was very atmospheric, with people speaking mostly colloquial English, but also pidgin English and local dialects. I really liked Emma Djan, who has a compelling backstory, but I didn't quite feel like I got to know her because there were just so many characters. I definitely plan to get Sleep Well, My Lady, the next Emma Djan mystery, published earlier this year.