Marcelo Tetteh's wealthy father does not trust the Ghana Police Service to find his son's killer. There is rampant homophobia in Ghana, and Marcelo was a well-known LGBTQ+ activist. Instead, Mr. Tetteh goes to the Sowah Private Investigations Agency for help.
PI Emma Djan is assigned the case, but she can't team up with her trusted colleague, Jojo. Emma is the only one at work who knows that Jojo is gay, and he tells her something else: he had been dating the victim for some time.
Emma goes undercover in the International Congress of Families, a powerful organization seeking to criminalize homosexuality in African countries. Emma quickly finds herself navigating the dangerous waters of politics, power, and personal secrets while she tries to unmask the killer, bring justice to the victims, and protect the vulnerable LGBTQ+ community.
~
Once again, author Kwei Quartey has given readers a tense, compelling mystery that takes them right into the heart of politics, power, and the LGBTQ+ community. I found The Whitewashed Tombs (a very apt title) to be chilling in the scope of what homophobic organizations are trying to do to force everyone to kowtow to their vision of what the world should be. There's no doubt that, if successful in this quest, they would turn their gimlet eye on heterosexuals. But I digress.
The Sowah Private Investigations Agency is a strong cast of characters: Sowah himself, Jojo, the less likable Manu, and Emma herself. They all work together well with Dr. Rosa Jauregui, the Cuban forensic pathologist, and DCI Boateng of the Ghana Police Service. In The Whitewashed Tombs, Emma's mother proves to be not just annoying but helpful as well, and Emma has troubles with her boyfriend, Courage to deal with. If there's any one thing that bothers me, it's Emma's lack of undercover skills. She can be so heavy-handed and obvious at times that it's a miracle her body hasn't already been hidden in a landfill somewhere.
However, she does have time to learn, and for that I'm grateful. I enjoy her investigations, and I look forward to another visit to Ghana with Kwei Quartey and his characters.
The Whitewashed Tombs by Kwei Quartey
eISBN: 9781641295895
Soho Press © 2024
eBook, 336 pages
Private Investigator, #4 Emma Djan
Rating: A-
Source: Net Galley
Wow. I can't believe you read this already when it was just on your September releases list. I wasn't sure about this series, but this review pushes me to try this book. And I certainly agree with you, the writer and Emma about protecting the LGBTQIA2S+ (this is the latest acronym; my friends in this community explain that 2S means two-spirit, the term used by Indigenous people for lesbian and gay people. I try to keep up.)
ReplyDeleteThanks for keeping me up-to-date on that acronym, although I doubt I'll ever remember the whole thing to use it. I did know, however, about two-spirit people (just not that it had been added to the acronym).
DeleteQuartey is such a talented writer, Cathy. I always feel that I really am in Ghana when I'm reading his work. And his two series both feature characters I think are so interesting! This gets to the heart of a major issue in Africa, too. Definitely one for my wish list.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoy Quartey's work, too, Margot.
DeleteAnd yet another series for the reading list.
ReplyDeleteI think of my reading list like it's akin to Linus' blanket.
Delete