A 2021 Edgar Nominee for Best NovelAccra 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 … 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.
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I usually read novels set in the U.S., so it was fun to switch it up and read this novel set primarily in Ghana. Also, like anyone who uses email, for years I’ve gotten spam solicitations from Nigerian and Ghanaian scam artists; and The Missing American gives an inside view of these scammers and their victims. All of the main characters – cops, crooks, victims, and their families – are treated with graciousness and respect by the author. There’s a Ghanaian college grad who can’t make a living, so he turns to scamming; a white American widower whose wife was Ghanaian, who gets taken in by a romance scan; a young Ghanaian investigator who leaves the police when she’s sexually assaulted by her boss, and becomes a P.I.; a wealthy Ghanaian woman who is willing to go to any lengths for her autistic son; and a variety of other complex characters, all of whom I found intriguing. This novel succeeds as a crime novel, a portrait of a society, and a fun read.
The world of Sakawa Boys exposed and a visit to Accra, magnificent city of Ghana (never been but want to go, although I hear it gets terribly hot). A brilliant take on the phenomenon of Sakawa (internet fraud schemes) with a host of compelling characters. I enjoyed the short chapters with exciting ends that kept my interest in reading one and another. I hope to see more of Bruno, Sana Sana, and see her character and hopefully a few others in this captivating book. A good read and very entertaining. Emma Djan has arrived! A good first novel!
Quartey is one of the best African authors working today to bring African stories to western audiences. He knows Ghana and he knows Americans and he combines both well here in introducing his new lead. I think his Darko series is slightly better but this series is just getting off the ground. The subject matter is difficult if, like me, you have run into internet scammers, but it also is realistic and compelling and well researched and his world building of Ghanaian culture is spot on.
Mr. Quartey combines African internet scams, a menacing juju priest and political corruption with a cast of unforgettable characters, led by the formidable young Emma, who could easily become my favorite new detective. The sounds, sights, troubles and aspirations of modern-day Ghana are revealed with an unsparing eye and an understanding heart.
In this twisty page-turner featuring an appealing new protagonist, Kwei Quartey delves into the dark domain of the Ghanaian internet fraudsters. The ‘sakawa boys’ play their victims like game fish, but they are only part of a vicious web of corruption and witchcraft that reaches all the way to the top. Rich with the colors of Ghana, this is great Sunshine Noir.
The Missing American is diabolically plotted and elegantly written. An atmospheric, heart-pounding mystery that just may be Quartey’s best — and that’s saying a lot.
THE MISSING AMERICAN by Kwei Quartey. Gordon Tilson, a retired widower, thinks he’s found a new love through an online senior dating site. Helena is Ghahaian like his dead wife, and when she mentions a family emergency they can’t afford, he’s happy to send her the money. Gordon goes to Ghana to meet Helena and discovers that she doesn’t exist. He’s been the victim of a widespread scam that involves people in every social strata. Angry, Gordon starts to ask questions, and soon he’s gone missing. No one knows where he is. Young Emma Djan, now working for a private detective, is determined to find him. The talented Kwei Quartey has given us a powerful story with a cast of three-dimensional wonderful characters. A wonderful read!