Cheryl R. (Spuddie) - , reviewed Good first book on 7/18/2009 + 412 more book reviews

Debut novel (not sure if it is an intended series or not) featuring Detective Inspector Darko Dawson in Accra, the major city in Ghana, Africa. Dawson is off to a small village near the city of Ho in the Volta region when a young medical student is found murdered in the forest. Gladys Mensah was an outspoken young medical student who volunteered much of her time educating neighboring villages about HIV and prevention. She was also outspoken against trokosi, or ritual enslavement of women by so-called fetish priests. Were one of these activities what got Gladys killed, or was it something personal? Though she seemed to be universally loved by all who knew her, the suspect list is by no means short. Darko is called in from Accra (bypassing Ho CID) when some political pressure is brought to bear. He's suited to the task as he speaks Ewe, the regional dialect, and he has family in the area--an aunt and uncle whom he hasn't seen since he was a child, when his mother disappeared. The mystery of his mother's disappearance is also brought into the present-day investigation.

I really enjoyed this book--it was from a culture that I know little about which always sparks my interest. I had mixed feelings about Darko--though I liked him, he had a problem with rage that he didn't seem to be able to handle well, which was more than a little disturbing in some instances. The writing style was fluid and easy to read. The only downfall really is that the plot was so transparent. I did figure the mystery out very early on (both of them, actually!) but I do that a lot, so it didn't lower my appreciation for the book as a whole very much. I hope the author continues with more Darko Dawson books--I would definitely look for them and would like to hear more about what happens with Darko, his wife Christine and their son Hosiah. While I enjoy Alexander McCall Smith's series set in Botswana, it's nice to have a flip side to Mma Ramotswe's Africa, a darker and more realistic side. Well-done first book!

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