"An Internet love scam leads to disappearance..."
The Missing American
By: Kwei Quartey
Genres: Thriller Police Procedural | Mystery
Posted: December 15, 2020
Gordon Tilson, an American widower who is all too familiar with Ghana, has finally found the love of his dreams, beautiful Helena. However, when Helena needs financial support, Gordon jumps into the plane to travel to Ghana, and it is there he disappears, plunging his only son, Derek, into a tangled mystery that will end up in either life or death.
Emma Djan is a woman working for local police, but it is not the job she loves, for she desires to follow in her father's footsteps in becoming a homicide detective. However that road is blocked when she refuses to obey her interviewer, and in the end she has no choice but to work as a private detective, and her first case is to solve the mysterious disappearance of Gordon Tilson.
This is the first time I've read a mystery that takes place in the continent of Africa, in Ghana in particular, and I sincerely hope it won't be my last time because THE MISSING AMERICAN by Kwei Quartey truly kept me riveted and spellbound throughout the pages that detail the scams as well as what's behind them, in addition to details about Ghana's culture, and I have to say that its a horrifying experience in multiple ways because the scams are a lot more closer to reality than other mysteries I have had a chance to read.
What I loved about THE MISSING AMERICAN are the details about Ghana that author includes, from food to music to how the society works as well as sakawa boys and the fetish priests, although I wanted more explanations on how fetish priests help sakawa boys. Aside from that, I am eager to come back to Emma Djan's world and learn more about Ghana.
If you are seeking a read that takes place somewhere outside of Europe or America and that helps a reader travel to Africa as well as gives more details about those infamous scams, then THE MISSING AMERICAN by Kwei Quartey will be the perfect guide as well as an eye opening read that will long be remembered.
Book Summary
Accra private investigator Emma Djan's first missing persons case will lead her to the darkest depths of the email scams and fetish priests in Ghana, the world's Internet capital.
When her dreams of rising through the Accra police ranks like her late father crash around her, 26-year-old Emma Djan is unsure what will become of her career. Through a sympathetic former colleague, Emma gets an interview with a private detective agency that takes on cases of missing persons, theft, and infidelity. It’s not the future she imagined, but it’s her best option.
Meanwhile, Gordon Tilson, a middle-aged widower in Washington, DC, has found solace in an online community after his wife’s passing. Through the support group, he’s even met a young Ghanaian widow he’s come to care about. When her sister gets into a car accident, he sends her thousands of dollars to cover the hospital bill—to the horror of his only son, Derek. Then Gordon decides to surprise his new love by paying her a visit—and disappears. Fearing for his father’s life, Derek follows him across the world to Ghana, Internet capital of the world, where he and Emma will find themselves deep in a world of sakawa scams, fetish priests, and those willing to kill to protect their secrets.
Read an Excerpt
by: Kwei Quartey
Emma Djan Investigation #1 Soho Crime
December 1, 2020
On Sale: December 8, 2020
Featuring: Emma Djan
448 pages
ISBN: 1641292121
EAN: 9781641292122
Kindle: B07QLJ5Y7F
Trade Size / e-Book (reprint)