Wife of the Gods

May 3, 2010
The murder of a young med student brings Det. Insp. Darko Dawson from his police department in Ghana’s capital, Accra, to the smalltown of Ketanu, where some dark secrets of his own lie buried. In returning to this familiar landscape, Dawson looks to solve this murder as well as unlock the secrets surrounding the disappearance of his mother so many years ago. Quartey delivers an intriguing and enjoyable mystery set against the backdrop of a Ghana in turmoil over its changing cultural values, from its traditional roots into a disconnected, modernized world. With a crisp English accent and deep but deliberate projection, Simon Prebble is a boon to any production. He creates clear and distinct voices that make it easy to follow the different speaking roles, regardless of the African names that listeners may not be familiar with. His narration is consistent and compelling in his rhythm and emphasis, and blends beautifully with Quartey’s style. A Random hardcover.

April 13, 2009
Quartey's winning debut, a police procedural set in modern Ghana, introduces gifted detective Darko Dawson. Dawson leaves the capital city of Accra to investigate a murder in remote Ketanu, where traditional beliefs about the spirit world still reign. He finds no lack of suspects, as the beautiful victim was a married man's impatient mistress and a controversial crusader against AIDS and trokosi
, the ancient custom in which young girls become slave wives to local priests. Ketanu is also the village from which Dawson's mother disappeared years before, and his visits awaken a buried need to solve that mystery as well. Dawson is a wonderful creation, a man as rich with contradictions as the Ghana Quartey so delightfully evokes—a loving husband and father with anger management issues on the job and a personal fondness for marijuana. Despite a not hugely exciting denouement, readers will be eager for the next installment in what one hopes will be a long series.

This grand book has everything: a moving story of love in its many forms and an exotic setting that is elegantly described. Accra (Ghana) policeman Darko Dawson is called to remote Ketanu to solve the murder of a woman who was questioning the practice of giving young local girls to the priests. Narrator Simon Prebble perfectly pronounces gorgeous Ghanaan words and names, and recounts the novel's clash of cultures, urban and rural, with drama. Women and children sound lively and can be visualized as they speak. Particularly moving is Prebble's delivery of passages from the murdered woman's diary. We also learn of Dawson's own pain and meet his wife, frail son, domineering mother-in-law, and missing mother. This bittersweet story should have wide appeal for its unique story and perfect presentation. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine