Review: Wife of the Gods

Title: Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey

Source: Downloaded from Overdrive, through Verona Public Library
LendMe Status: Not available, see special note below.

Here I say I don't usually read mysteries, and this is my second one in a row! That aside, I was too intrigued by the mix of traditional Ghanaian folklore, myth and beliefs with the modern world to pass this novel up. 

This is the story of Darko Dawson. Dawson is a modern policeman in the large city of Accra, Ghana. A murder has taken place in a small town (where Dawson's Aunt and Uncle live, and where he visited as a child) that is still much ruled by traditionally practices and beliefs. While he's there trying to solve the murder he ends up finding much more then he may have bargained for when it turns out ghosts from his own past may play a part in the current crime. 

The storytelling in this novel is wonderfully poetic with the Ewe and Ga (two languages spoken in the are the story takes place) phrases mixed in very naturally. I love novels where I end up learning so much about another culture to even include the language and intricacies of day to day life. I'm greatly looking forward to Quartey's next novel, due out in 2011, which will feature Darko Dawson again!

As far as experience of reading this title on my Nook goes, I just want to point out that without services like Overdrive from my Public Library, I would probably never have even picked up this title. As I said, I am usually not a big fan of mysteries, but browsing through the ebooks available through Overdrive turned me on to this new author. The convenience of ebooks from the library (which, of course, are free for me to use) is amazing! Support your local libraries! 

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Special Note:

Overdrive is a service provided by some libraries which allows patrons with valid library cards to check out ebooks, audio books, music and more directly to their computers or other portable devices. Ask your library if they have this service available!