Life is now getting a little better for Christine, the wife of Chief Superintendent Darko Dawson of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service. Darko has more time now to help with their two sons, Sly and Hosiah, as his work is more likely to let him come home when not working, despite the fact that he has to spend much of his spare time caring for his father who has Alzheimer's Disease.

Still, Christine has her share of worries and right now, she is very concerned about her favorite cousin Kate. Katherine Yeboah Vanderpuye is having her share of problems in her marriage and now wants to divorce her husband Solomon. Christine has driven to Kate's gated and expensive house to help her move, but why are all the police and neighbors here? What has happened?

In this fifth mystery story involving Darko Dawson, author Kwei Quartey instantly pulls you into a glitzy high fashion wedding in Accra, the capital of Ghana, complete with a beautiful bride and a handsome groom who also is rich and has a great job as an attorney. Their future together promises to be happy, despite the snootiness of her mother-in-law and the sister of the groom. Yet when the usual "after love and marriage, comes the baby carriage" didn't happen, gossip and nastiness starts and escalates right up to Kate's husband and his sister accusing Kate, a professional accountant, of witchcraft. But now, it seems that Kate's gatekeeper Gabriel been murdered the night before Kate is to leave her home and divorce Solomon. Who could have committed this very vicious crime?

With its rich and colorful dialogue, strong sense of place and fast-changing plot development, DEATH BY HIS GRACE should appeal to readers of all genders, whether mystery or police procedural fans or not. Having read some of the other books in this series, I will also vouch that long-standing fans of Quartey will be thrilled by this compelling new mystery. New fans can still definitely enjoy DEATH BY HIS GRACE as a standalone mystery and then will want to read some of the previous stories about detective Darko Dawson. He is a complex character who is compassionate and principled, yet with his own small self-justified indulgences and love for his native food.

With Quartey's family history of having a black American and a Ghanaian father as well being a practicing medical doctor, the author certainly knows how to convey that special and authentic spirit of Ghana and its people that make his books so compelling. His descriptions of secondary characters, such as Clem Howard, the Bishop, and Lance Corporal Mabel Kusi, his new trainee detective, and the reactions of others to them are so vivid it makes them instantly alive in the mind's eye.

Equally well, Quartey poignantly and with humor points out the dark undercurrents that affect people in Ghana. He highlights issues of social justice in his books and DEATH BY HIS GRACE is no exception. In this mystery. Quartey focuses on how religion, particularly traditional beliefs and the impact of the mega Pentecostal churches, influences the people as well as the systems in which they intertwine in Ghana. I fully appreciate how he skillfully makes this information part of the plot in DEATH BY HIS GRACE.

If you are a reader who likes to figure out the WHODONEIT, there are lots of good possibilities for you and Darko. As they say, the devil is in the details as alibis don't always add up. So, check out DEATH BY HIS GRACE for a totally enthralling reading experience! You will be glad you did! Enjoy!

Book Summary

Accra, Ghana: 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 brutally murdered by an intruder.

Chief Inspector Darko Dawson of the Ghanaian federal police has personal as well as professional reasons to find the killer fast: Katherine was the first cousin of his wife, Christine, who is devastated by the tragedy. As Darko investigates, he discovers that many people close to Katherine had powerful motives to kill her, including: Solomon, her husband; James Bentsi-Enchill, her lawyer and ex-lover; and her filthy rich pastor, Bishop Clem Howard-Mills. In order to expose the truth, Darko must confront the pivotal role religion plays in Ghana—and wrestle with his old demons the investigation stirs up.

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