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Emma Djan Investigation #2
Sleep Well, My Lady
In the follow-up to the acclaimed series debut The Missing American, PI Emma Djan investigates the death of a Ghanaian fashion icon and social media celebrity, Lady Araba.
Hard-hitting talk show host Augustus Seeza has become a household name in Ghana, though plagued by rumors of lavish overspending, alcoholism, and womanizing. He’s dating the imposing, beautiful Lady Araba, who leads a self-made fashion empire. Araba’s religious family believes Augustus is after her money and intervenes to break them up. A few days later, just before a major runway show, Araba is found murdered in her bed. Her driver is arrested after a hasty investigation, but Araba’s favorite aunt, Dele, has always thought Augustus Seeza was the real killer.
Almost a year later, Dele approaches Emma Djan, who has finally started to settle in as the only female PI at her agency. To solve Lady Araba’s murder, Emma must not only go on an undercover mission that dredges up trauma from her past, but navigate a long list of suspects with solid alibis. Emma quickly discovers that they are willing to lie for each other—and that one may still be willing to kill.
Hard-hitting talk show host Augustus Seeza has become a household name in Ghana, though plagued by rumors of lavish overspending, alcoholism, and womanizing. He’s dating the imposing, beautiful Lady Araba, who leads a self-made fashion empire. Araba’s religious family believes Augustus is after her money and intervenes to break them up. A few days later, just before a major runway show, Araba is found murdered in her bed. Her driver is arrested after a hasty investigation, but Araba’s favorite aunt, Dele, has always thought Augustus Seeza was the real killer.
Almost a year later, Dele approaches Emma Djan, who has finally started to settle in as the only female PI at her agency. To solve Lady Araba’s murder, Emma must not only go on an undercover mission that dredges up trauma from her past, but navigate a long list of suspects with solid alibis. Emma quickly discovers that they are willing to lie for each other—and that one may still be willing to kill.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 12, 2021
175 people are currently reading
3642 people want to read
About the author
Kwei Quartey
17 books763 followersKWEI QUARTEY
Biography
Kwei Quartey is a crime fiction writer and physician based in Pasadena, California. In 2018, having practiced medicine for more than 15 years while simultaneously working as a writer, Quartey finally retired from medical practice to become a full-time novelist. Prior to that, though, he had balanced the two professions by dedicating the early morning hours to writing before beginning each day in his clinic.
Quartey was born in Ghana, West Africa, to a Ghanaian father and Black American mother, both of whom were lecturers at the University of Ghana. Quartey describes how his family’s home was full of hundreds of books, both fiction and nonfiction, which inspired him to write novellas as early as the age of eight or nine. By then, Quartey was certain he wanted to be an author.
But his interests shifted by the time he was a teenager, when he decided he wanted to be a doctor. Quartey began on a science-to-medicine track in secondary school. After the death of his father, Quartey’s mother returned to the United States. By then, Quartey had already begun medical school in Ghana. Transferring to a medical school in the United States wasn’t easy, but he successfully gained admission to Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC.
After graduation from his residency training in Internal Medicine, Kwei Quartey returned to his love of writing. He went to a UCLA extension course in creative writing, and wrote two novels while in a writing group that met every Wednesday evening. But it would be a few years yet before Quartey would create the Inspector Darko Dawson series.
As a crime fiction writer, Kwei made the Los Angeles Times Bestseller List in 2009. The following year, the GOG National Book Club voted him Best Male Author. The five Inspector Darko Dawson novels, set in Ghana, are WIFE OF THE GODS, CHILDREN OF THE STREET, MURDER AT CAPE THREE POINTS, GOLD OF OUR FATHERS, and DEATH BY HIS GRACE.
Two novels, KAMILA and DEATH AT THE VOYAGER HOTEL (e-book) are non-Darko books.
In January 2020, Quartey’s new detective series launched to critical acclaim with THE MISSING AMERICAN, the debut of the Emma Djan Investigations and the introduction of the first West African female private eye in fiction. The second in the series, SLEEP WELL, MY LADY, was released January 12, 2021, immediately garnering attention for its unusual style of time shifts in relation to the crime.
THE MISSING AMERICAN was nominated for the 2021 Edgar Allan Poe Award for best novel, and won the 2021 Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel.
LAST SEEN IN LAPAZ, the third Emma Djan novel, was released February 2023, and the fourth, THE WHITEWASHED TOMBS, is expected 2024.
Biography
Kwei Quartey is a crime fiction writer and physician based in Pasadena, California. In 2018, having practiced medicine for more than 15 years while simultaneously working as a writer, Quartey finally retired from medical practice to become a full-time novelist. Prior to that, though, he had balanced the two professions by dedicating the early morning hours to writing before beginning each day in his clinic.
Quartey was born in Ghana, West Africa, to a Ghanaian father and Black American mother, both of whom were lecturers at the University of Ghana. Quartey describes how his family’s home was full of hundreds of books, both fiction and nonfiction, which inspired him to write novellas as early as the age of eight or nine. By then, Quartey was certain he wanted to be an author.
But his interests shifted by the time he was a teenager, when he decided he wanted to be a doctor. Quartey began on a science-to-medicine track in secondary school. After the death of his father, Quartey’s mother returned to the United States. By then, Quartey had already begun medical school in Ghana. Transferring to a medical school in the United States wasn’t easy, but he successfully gained admission to Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC.
After graduation from his residency training in Internal Medicine, Kwei Quartey returned to his love of writing. He went to a UCLA extension course in creative writing, and wrote two novels while in a writing group that met every Wednesday evening. But it would be a few years yet before Quartey would create the Inspector Darko Dawson series.
As a crime fiction writer, Kwei made the Los Angeles Times Bestseller List in 2009. The following year, the GOG National Book Club voted him Best Male Author. The five Inspector Darko Dawson novels, set in Ghana, are WIFE OF THE GODS, CHILDREN OF THE STREET, MURDER AT CAPE THREE POINTS, GOLD OF OUR FATHERS, and DEATH BY HIS GRACE.
Two novels, KAMILA and DEATH AT THE VOYAGER HOTEL (e-book) are non-Darko books.
In January 2020, Quartey’s new detective series launched to critical acclaim with THE MISSING AMERICAN, the debut of the Emma Djan Investigations and the introduction of the first West African female private eye in fiction. The second in the series, SLEEP WELL, MY LADY, was released January 12, 2021, immediately garnering attention for its unusual style of time shifts in relation to the crime.
THE MISSING AMERICAN was nominated for the 2021 Edgar Allan Poe Award for best novel, and won the 2021 Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel.
LAST SEEN IN LAPAZ, the third Emma Djan novel, was released February 2023, and the fourth, THE WHITEWASHED TOMBS, is expected 2024.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews
December 22, 2020
This is the second in Kwei Quartey's Ghana set crime series featuring Emma Djan, the only female private investigator in Yemo Sowah's Private Investigations Agency, based in Accra. This is my first read in the series, and it can be reasonably read as a standalone. In a non-linear narrative that shifts from various points in the past to the present, it focuses on the murder of self made fashion designer and icon, Lady Araba Tagoe at the start of Accra's prestigious fashion week, with the theme of her show 'WeToo' a play on #MeToo, to highlight the rampant sexual assaults in the fashion industry, as part of her role as an activist and influencer. Lady Araba was murdered in her multi-million dollar home in the gated community of Trasocco Valley, Ghana's version of Beverly Hills.
Ten months after the murder, the chauffeur, Kweku-Sam, languishes in prison after apparently signing a confession, with the police investigation stalling and no action taken on the evidence collected at the crime scene by one of the few forensically trained officers, Sergeant Paul Boateng, moved shortly after the murder to a different police unit. Araba's favourite aunt, Aunt Dele, along with many others, does not for one minute believe the chauffeur is guilty, picked by the corrupt police service to take the fall for the murder. Dele believes the real killer is Araba's on-off married boyfriend, the sacked famous TV presenter Augustus Seeza, a troubled alcoholic being supported by Araba, including financially. She contends that Seeza's powerful parents, the judge Julius and doctor, Caroline, managed to get the police to scupper any real investigation to protect their beloved son. Emma plays a significant role in the investigation, including going undercover, along with Yemo, Jojo, Walter and Gideon, as they look into a host of suspects.
Quartey gives the reader insights into Ghanian culture, the social, economic and political circles, where the rich and powerful carry enormous influence in a nation where there are vast inequalities. The prose carries a pacing and feel that makes it feel distinctly different from European and American crime fiction, including specific ways that the characters relate to each other, along with the greater need to tread extremely carefully around and not upset people in power. This is a engaging and entertaining crime read which kept my interest throughout, and I particularly liked the character of Emma. I think it will appeal to readers looking for something different within the crime genre whilst being informative of Ghana. Many thanks to Allison and Busby for an ARC.
Ten months after the murder, the chauffeur, Kweku-Sam, languishes in prison after apparently signing a confession, with the police investigation stalling and no action taken on the evidence collected at the crime scene by one of the few forensically trained officers, Sergeant Paul Boateng, moved shortly after the murder to a different police unit. Araba's favourite aunt, Aunt Dele, along with many others, does not for one minute believe the chauffeur is guilty, picked by the corrupt police service to take the fall for the murder. Dele believes the real killer is Araba's on-off married boyfriend, the sacked famous TV presenter Augustus Seeza, a troubled alcoholic being supported by Araba, including financially. She contends that Seeza's powerful parents, the judge Julius and doctor, Caroline, managed to get the police to scupper any real investigation to protect their beloved son. Emma plays a significant role in the investigation, including going undercover, along with Yemo, Jojo, Walter and Gideon, as they look into a host of suspects.
Quartey gives the reader insights into Ghanian culture, the social, economic and political circles, where the rich and powerful carry enormous influence in a nation where there are vast inequalities. The prose carries a pacing and feel that makes it feel distinctly different from European and American crime fiction, including specific ways that the characters relate to each other, along with the greater need to tread extremely carefully around and not upset people in power. This is a engaging and entertaining crime read which kept my interest throughout, and I particularly liked the character of Emma. I think it will appeal to readers looking for something different within the crime genre whilst being informative of Ghana. Many thanks to Allison and Busby for an ARC.
April 16, 2021
Review originally published on mysteryandsuspense.com
Lady Araba is a successful fashion designer who lives and works in Accra, a city on the Gulf of Guinea and the capital of Ghana. It’s a big day as it’s the launch her latest fashion show but her assistant is in a panic as she’s failed to appear, on this of all days. As frantic calls are made in an effort to track her down, a worker at the guarded community where she lives spots Araba’s prone and blood covered body as he is delivering plant pots to her home.
At this point we’re taken back in time to when Araba as a young girl helped her aunt, Deli, design, make and sell clothes. This small scale operation proved to be the catalyst for Araba’s future ambitions. We also meet other members of the family: her dominant and abusive preacher father, her acquiescent mother and her brainiac brother. It becomes clear that Araba’s father always saw a future for his daughter in one of the learned professions but her aspirations and determined nature were to take her in a different direction.
We are also introduced to a respected talk show host called Augustus Seeza, a quick witted and handsome man who is to become Araba’s lover, at a point she herself has also become successful. Seeza’s father, an overbearing a high court judge and his mother, a doctor, both detest the fact that their son is in an extra-marital relationship with Araba. In addition to this on-off love affair, Seeza has one other compelling relationship… with booze.
Most of the above are later to become suspected of being involved in the murder for one reason or another, together with the worker who found the body. But oddly the one man nobody thought could have committed the crime – Araba’s personal driver – is actually arrested and charged with the murder by the chaotic and possibly corrupt local police force. It’s not until Araba’s aunt Deli approaches a local private investigator named Emma Djan, some ten months after the event, that she and her colleagues in the small firm she works for belatedly begin a proper investigation.
The tone of the story is somewhat whimsical, but with some darker undertones. The investigators receive a surprising degree of assistance from just about everyone they approach and soon they’ve compiled an exhaustive list of possible suspects. But hard evidence is difficult to come by, thanks mainly to the incompetent way police handled the evidence collected from the crime scene and possibly due to some external meddling.
In truth, it did all feel little slow in places and the constantly changing timeline, between the present and various points in the past, made the story telling a little lumpy. But I was captivated by the sweet nature of many of the characters and fascinated by the picture painted of life in this enchanting place, on the Atlantic coast of West Africa. And the pace picked up in the last third of the book as pieces of the puzzle started, suddenly, to come together. If, like me, you’ve previously enjoyed Agatha Christie style whodunnit stories then I’m pretty sure you’ll get some pleasure out of this one too.
My thanks to Soho Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Lady Araba is a successful fashion designer who lives and works in Accra, a city on the Gulf of Guinea and the capital of Ghana. It’s a big day as it’s the launch her latest fashion show but her assistant is in a panic as she’s failed to appear, on this of all days. As frantic calls are made in an effort to track her down, a worker at the guarded community where she lives spots Araba’s prone and blood covered body as he is delivering plant pots to her home.
At this point we’re taken back in time to when Araba as a young girl helped her aunt, Deli, design, make and sell clothes. This small scale operation proved to be the catalyst for Araba’s future ambitions. We also meet other members of the family: her dominant and abusive preacher father, her acquiescent mother and her brainiac brother. It becomes clear that Araba’s father always saw a future for his daughter in one of the learned professions but her aspirations and determined nature were to take her in a different direction.
We are also introduced to a respected talk show host called Augustus Seeza, a quick witted and handsome man who is to become Araba’s lover, at a point she herself has also become successful. Seeza’s father, an overbearing a high court judge and his mother, a doctor, both detest the fact that their son is in an extra-marital relationship with Araba. In addition to this on-off love affair, Seeza has one other compelling relationship… with booze.
Most of the above are later to become suspected of being involved in the murder for one reason or another, together with the worker who found the body. But oddly the one man nobody thought could have committed the crime – Araba’s personal driver – is actually arrested and charged with the murder by the chaotic and possibly corrupt local police force. It’s not until Araba’s aunt Deli approaches a local private investigator named Emma Djan, some ten months after the event, that she and her colleagues in the small firm she works for belatedly begin a proper investigation.
The tone of the story is somewhat whimsical, but with some darker undertones. The investigators receive a surprising degree of assistance from just about everyone they approach and soon they’ve compiled an exhaustive list of possible suspects. But hard evidence is difficult to come by, thanks mainly to the incompetent way police handled the evidence collected from the crime scene and possibly due to some external meddling.
In truth, it did all feel little slow in places and the constantly changing timeline, between the present and various points in the past, made the story telling a little lumpy. But I was captivated by the sweet nature of many of the characters and fascinated by the picture painted of life in this enchanting place, on the Atlantic coast of West Africa. And the pace picked up in the last third of the book as pieces of the puzzle started, suddenly, to come together. If, like me, you’ve previously enjoyed Agatha Christie style whodunnit stories then I’m pretty sure you’ll get some pleasure out of this one too.
My thanks to Soho Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 18, 2020
One of the things I like best about reading is traveling to places I would never visit on my own. Ghana is one of those places and I like this series set there with Emma Djan, private investigator, as the main character. She used to work for the police but wasn't corrupt enough to succeed so joined forces with a place where the employees actually care about arresting the person who committed the crime.
This case involves Lady Araba, a famous fashion designer, who is found murdered in her bed in her home in an exclusive gated community. I was surprised at the number of million dollar homes but apparently there are people in Ghana who are doing quite well. Lady Araba is preparing for a big fashion show before her death gets in the way. Her chauffer is arrested but nobody really believes he did it and her aunt ends up hiring the agency where Emma works. She wants answers.
It turns out there are a lot of suspects. There is the gardener who finds the body and likes to do some peeping. There is the alcoholic boyfriend who used to be an important TV interviewer before he does a drunken interview live. There are his parents, a judge and a doctor, who blame their son's alcoholism on Lady Araba. There is her family desperately trying to keep a family secret hidden. There is a business rival and a handsome assistant. It seems like everybody has a motive but the poor chauffer doing time in the prison.
It is an interesting story and I didn't guess the murderer although when I looked back the clues were there just like a good Agatha Christie novel. I really liked this book except for one thing. It roamed around in different time periods, a device I do not particularly care for but seems to be popular lately.
I love the sense of place and the armchair traveling. This is a nice series with lots of promise. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
This case involves Lady Araba, a famous fashion designer, who is found murdered in her bed in her home in an exclusive gated community. I was surprised at the number of million dollar homes but apparently there are people in Ghana who are doing quite well. Lady Araba is preparing for a big fashion show before her death gets in the way. Her chauffer is arrested but nobody really believes he did it and her aunt ends up hiring the agency where Emma works. She wants answers.
It turns out there are a lot of suspects. There is the gardener who finds the body and likes to do some peeping. There is the alcoholic boyfriend who used to be an important TV interviewer before he does a drunken interview live. There are his parents, a judge and a doctor, who blame their son's alcoholism on Lady Araba. There is her family desperately trying to keep a family secret hidden. There is a business rival and a handsome assistant. It seems like everybody has a motive but the poor chauffer doing time in the prison.
It is an interesting story and I didn't guess the murderer although when I looked back the clues were there just like a good Agatha Christie novel. I really liked this book except for one thing. It roamed around in different time periods, a device I do not particularly care for but seems to be popular lately.
I love the sense of place and the armchair traveling. This is a nice series with lots of promise. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
January 27, 2021
In the second book in this series, female investigator Emma Djan delves into the murder of fashion designer Araba Tahoe ten months after the crime has occurred.The police in Accra, Ghana have arrested Araba’s driver and he has been languishing in jail. Araba’s Aunt Dele does not believe that the driver is guilty and engages the agency where Emma is employed, hoping to re-examine the incident and discover the person who is truly guilty.There are a host of possible suspects: Araba’s abusive and alcoholic boyfriend, the boyfriend’s powerful and politically connected family, the victim’s family members, the staff at her luxury condo, and her competitors in the fashion industry.
Emma and the team at Sowah Investigative Agency doggedly sort through the possibilities to arrive at a solution. The procedural aspect of this quest is extremely well plotted. There is a nuanced description of the different levels of Ghanaian society, highlighting the undue influence and, sometimes, corruption of the rich and powerful.The tone and dialogue set this procedural apart from its Western counterparts.
Despite all these strengths, the book falls a bit short in character development, which is important for me. The characters are not fully fleshed out.To the author’s credit, the major players on the investigative team are interesting enough to make one want to engage with them more fully. This book, and presumably this series,has a lot of potential. The backdrop is set for a marvelous series with just a few tweaks.
Emma and the team at Sowah Investigative Agency doggedly sort through the possibilities to arrive at a solution. The procedural aspect of this quest is extremely well plotted. There is a nuanced description of the different levels of Ghanaian society, highlighting the undue influence and, sometimes, corruption of the rich and powerful.The tone and dialogue set this procedural apart from its Western counterparts.
Despite all these strengths, the book falls a bit short in character development, which is important for me. The characters are not fully fleshed out.To the author’s credit, the major players on the investigative team are interesting enough to make one want to engage with them more fully. This book, and presumably this series,has a lot of potential. The backdrop is set for a marvelous series with just a few tweaks.
January 30, 2021
Lady Araba is a leading Ghanaian fashion designer, about to kick off a major show during which she planned to campaign against sex abuse in the industry. However, she is murdered in her bedroom in a secure, gated community the night before the show opens. Her aunt Dele refuses to believe that her driver, upon whom the Ghanaian police have pinned the murder, is guilty, and hires PI Emma Djan and the Sowah Agency to investigate about a year later. There are multiple suspects, but Dele and her family place the blame on her alcoholic boyfriend, Augustus Seeza, a famous television personality who does hard-hitting interviews. The skipping back and forth to events leading to the crime and the investigation is somewhat disconcerting, but the author does lead each chapter with the relevant time period. Like the first book in this series (and his Darko Dawson series), readers are treated to a rich description of culture and life in Ghana, especially on the differences between men and women.
October 21, 2024
This was fantastic.
This series is a fun cross between cozy mystery and police procedural. I like that these start off like an episode of Law & Order with the crime. The book then introduces the subjects, the potential suspects, and eventually, the story is tied to Emma's detective agency.
I started this series by reviewing the 4th book for NetGalley, and I'm now making my way through the series in order.
This featured a cold case, almost, of a missing successful clothing designer the night before her big show. This novel introduced the Cuban doctor teaching & working in Ghana who sometimes assists her cases as well as a young Ghanaian forensics expert who I also was familiar with from the fourth book in this series.
This featured the usual engaging cast of characters, interesting tidbits about Ghanaian culture, and a reveal I didn't guess.
This is a great series and should appeal to readers of cozy mysteries and police procedurals. Also, folks who like the format of Law & Order TV show.
This series is a fun cross between cozy mystery and police procedural. I like that these start off like an episode of Law & Order with the crime. The book then introduces the subjects, the potential suspects, and eventually, the story is tied to Emma's detective agency.
I started this series by reviewing the 4th book for NetGalley, and I'm now making my way through the series in order.
This featured a cold case, almost, of a missing successful clothing designer the night before her big show. This novel introduced the Cuban doctor teaching & working in Ghana who sometimes assists her cases as well as a young Ghanaian forensics expert who I also was familiar with from the fourth book in this series.
This featured the usual engaging cast of characters, interesting tidbits about Ghanaian culture, and a reveal I didn't guess.
This is a great series and should appeal to readers of cozy mysteries and police procedurals. Also, folks who like the format of Law & Order TV show.
January 14, 2021
I was blown away and Quartey came and delivered. I really like how the story went from the past and present to me that’s what brought the story alive. I got to see what was going on from 10 months earlier to 10 months after. I also loved how I got to feel like I was solving the murder myself. I was over here like now we need to look more into this person. What really put the icing on the cake is the fact Quartey gives the pursuer experiences into Ghanian culture, the social, monetary, and political circles, where the rich and ground-breaking convey gigantic impact in a country where there are huge disparities. The composition conveys pacing and feels that cause it to feel particularly not the same as European and American wrongdoing fiction, including explicit ways that the characters identify with one another, alongside the more prominent need to proceed incredibly cautiously around and not agitated individuals in force. This is a connecting with and engaging wrongdoing read which kept my advantage all through, and I especially preferred the personality of Emma. I figure it will speak to pursuers searching for something other than what's expected inside the wrongdoing sort while being instructive of Ghana. Being able to step into another cultural dynamic was and honored. Learning a little bit of Ghana language, food, clothing, etc. Was all mind-blowing this is differently a step outside of the box mystery read. Big Thanks to Quartey for sending me an autograph copy I will forever cherish.
March 4, 2021
Just as was the case for me with Quartey's first book in this Emma Djan Investigation series, this second one entertains with its exotic Ghanaian setting and all the local color and characters.
In this entry, Lady Araba, famous fashion designer, has been murdered. At the time, she was romantically involved with well-known talk show host Augustus Seeza, a womanizing alcoholic. Could he have murdered her in a jealous rage? Well, the police don't think so, or at least don't want to think so, since Seeza is famous and is also the son of a very influential Ghanaian power couple. So instead the police focus their attention on Lady Araba's chauffeur and he ends up in prison for the crime.
Is the chauffeur guilty? Lady Araba's aunt doesn't think so and hires the detective agency where our titular main character, Emma Djan, works. As the investigation progresses, the story goes back and forth in time, from the day of the murder, to before the murder, to the months afterwards. Blanks are filled in about relationships (Lady Araba, Seeza, Lady Araba's family, Seeza's family) and the lead-up to the murder. We are also privy to the investigation (or lack thereof) by the Ghanaian police and the follow-up investigation by the P.I. agency where Emma works.
I enjoyed the local color and the setting. My biggest complaint, and the same one I had about the first story, is that most characters, whether main or secondary, are sketches of people that have not been filled in completely, and Emma, who is supposedly the star of the whole series, is little more than a one-dimensional woman.
A second complaint about this second entry, one I did not have about the first book, is that the story suffered, or at least my reading of it did, in having so much skipping around in time. And I believe the author himself didn't track events well and ended up repeating several aspects of the mystery, making the read longer and slower than necessary.
But since I like the African setting, I may try one more Emma mystery whenever it is released.
In this entry, Lady Araba, famous fashion designer, has been murdered. At the time, she was romantically involved with well-known talk show host Augustus Seeza, a womanizing alcoholic. Could he have murdered her in a jealous rage? Well, the police don't think so, or at least don't want to think so, since Seeza is famous and is also the son of a very influential Ghanaian power couple. So instead the police focus their attention on Lady Araba's chauffeur and he ends up in prison for the crime.
Is the chauffeur guilty? Lady Araba's aunt doesn't think so and hires the detective agency where our titular main character, Emma Djan, works. As the investigation progresses, the story goes back and forth in time, from the day of the murder, to before the murder, to the months afterwards. Blanks are filled in about relationships (Lady Araba, Seeza, Lady Araba's family, Seeza's family) and the lead-up to the murder. We are also privy to the investigation (or lack thereof) by the Ghanaian police and the follow-up investigation by the P.I. agency where Emma works.
I enjoyed the local color and the setting. My biggest complaint, and the same one I had about the first story, is that most characters, whether main or secondary, are sketches of people that have not been filled in completely, and Emma, who is supposedly the star of the whole series, is little more than a one-dimensional woman.
A second complaint about this second entry, one I did not have about the first book, is that the story suffered, or at least my reading of it did, in having so much skipping around in time. And I believe the author himself didn't track events well and ended up repeating several aspects of the mystery, making the read longer and slower than necessary.
But since I like the African setting, I may try one more Emma mystery whenever it is released.
February 6, 2021
I missed the first book in this series but if it is as good as this one, it will be a real treat. A murder of a well known fashion designer in Ghana brings the private.investigator back on the scene. Emma goes undercover in various roles to solve the crime with her colleagues. A family secret, a fashion rival, a former lover are just some of the suspects in this methodical and colorful investigation. Brings the culture to life. Helpful recaps of the evidence through the investigative meetings enhance the story. Well plotted. Too much hoping around in time but still a satisfying read.
Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley
Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley
August 7, 2021
Book 231 of 2021
This was an immersive read, and I enjoyed it a lot. I found it so much better than 'The Missing American', the first book in the series. The characters in this book had so much more life to them and the murder drew me in from the first chapter.
We get to see more about Emma's life, but just like in the first book, she is never framed as the main character.
I found myself very invested in lady Araba's life and story, and her death was so heartbreaking. The entire mystery was well built and I love that there were so many solid suspects. My biggest problem with this book is that even though the killer was apprehended, there's another culprit that basically went scot-free (no spoilers).
This is an ensemble cast book, and we get to follow different characters, and the story is told in the third person POV.
Corruption and incompetence in the Ghanaian police force and its companion agencies are examined here. We also get a glimpse into the life of the rich and affluent.
This book had dark undertones throughout, so humour wasn't very prevalent, but it was still very enjoyable.
I enjoyed this and would recommend it.
This was an immersive read, and I enjoyed it a lot. I found it so much better than 'The Missing American', the first book in the series. The characters in this book had so much more life to them and the murder drew me in from the first chapter.
We get to see more about Emma's life, but just like in the first book, she is never framed as the main character.
I found myself very invested in lady Araba's life and story, and her death was so heartbreaking. The entire mystery was well built and I love that there were so many solid suspects. My biggest problem with this book is that even though the killer was apprehended, there's another culprit that basically went scot-free (no spoilers).
This is an ensemble cast book, and we get to follow different characters, and the story is told in the third person POV.
Corruption and incompetence in the Ghanaian police force and its companion agencies are examined here. We also get a glimpse into the life of the rich and affluent.
This book had dark undertones throughout, so humour wasn't very prevalent, but it was still very enjoyable.
I enjoyed this and would recommend it.
December 31, 2020
In a year with no international travel the next best thing is becoming absolutely immersed in a book set in another country. This one transported me right to Ghana with the food, the heat, the language, and the cultural practices. I listened to the audio version of the first book in this series so I am familiar with the accents and speech patterns and I could hear the dialogue as it is spoken. If you get a chance to sample the audio, please do because it adds so much character to the story. One example is the constant use of “yes please” which looks a bit strange in writing but hearing it used in conversation it becomes clear that this is a dialect quirk much like we Canadians say “eh.”
Emma returns along with a caste of quirky characters from the detective agency she has now joined. She still must deal with the general misogyny and sexism of Ghanaian society but being out of the corrupt police force seems to have given her new life and a fresh outlook. She has a new direction and new opportunities but still feels that she needs to prove herself as a detective in an agency full of men. This situation is a vast improvement over working for the police and her new boss gives her the chance to shine. Emma is such a likable, smart, determined character that I couldn’t help but cheer for her to be the one to figure everything out.
The murder mystery was entertaining, compelling, and not at all predictable. There were so many characters who were possible suspects, and they were sure a curious bunch! I changed my mind more than once about who I though killed her. In the end I was surprised but not completely shocked. All the clues were there mixed in with the signs pointing at everyone else. The story wrapped up in a satisfying way. Justice in Ghana seems like an unsure prospect at best, so it was satisfying to see it work out in this case.
I don’t think I would go so far as to categorize this series as “cozy”, but it isn’t overly dark or gruesome either. There is some moderately graphic child sexual abuse that is appalling and infuriating. This is undeniably the most disturbing element in the story as the violence and gore is kept to a minimum. It is a good, old-fashioned detective novel but the setting adds a whole new element that I find fascinating. I have enjoyed this series very much and I look forward to more cases with Emma and the Sowah Agency in the future.
Thank you Soho Crime for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.
Emma returns along with a caste of quirky characters from the detective agency she has now joined. She still must deal with the general misogyny and sexism of Ghanaian society but being out of the corrupt police force seems to have given her new life and a fresh outlook. She has a new direction and new opportunities but still feels that she needs to prove herself as a detective in an agency full of men. This situation is a vast improvement over working for the police and her new boss gives her the chance to shine. Emma is such a likable, smart, determined character that I couldn’t help but cheer for her to be the one to figure everything out.
The murder mystery was entertaining, compelling, and not at all predictable. There were so many characters who were possible suspects, and they were sure a curious bunch! I changed my mind more than once about who I though killed her. In the end I was surprised but not completely shocked. All the clues were there mixed in with the signs pointing at everyone else. The story wrapped up in a satisfying way. Justice in Ghana seems like an unsure prospect at best, so it was satisfying to see it work out in this case.
I don’t think I would go so far as to categorize this series as “cozy”, but it isn’t overly dark or gruesome either. There is some moderately graphic child sexual abuse that is appalling and infuriating. This is undeniably the most disturbing element in the story as the violence and gore is kept to a minimum. It is a good, old-fashioned detective novel but the setting adds a whole new element that I find fascinating. I have enjoyed this series very much and I look forward to more cases with Emma and the Sowah Agency in the future.
Thank you Soho Crime for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.
June 13, 2021
3.5 Stars
Full review to follow later!
Full review to follow later!
May 7, 2023
I have been a fan of author Kwei Quartey since his first novel, The Missing American, and this, his follow up, is even better. Highly HIGHLY recommend the audiobook as Robin Miles’ narration is a vivid view into Ghanaian life, food, and culture. The story is told in two timelines that helps the reader understand why the murder was committed.
Devoured this book in two days.
Devoured this book in two days.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2022
I haven't read his books in awhile which was chosen years prior as a book club read. I used to love mystery and my go-to was Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlings then tried to read the series thereafter, but I am absolutely loving this author's style and gaining the insight of Ghana in the reading. Author taps into surreal events and life experiences that go on in Ghana, culture, and still modern as if you are in the U.S. Relatable. Love the audiobook version and followed by ebook too. I hope to get these series in the future in the working library I am at to give those guys who read mystery a new author to lean onto.
Borrowed copy. Leisure read.
Borrowed copy. Leisure read.
September 5, 2021
"Aruba didn’t even like sex. It was overrated, not to mention painful sometimes. Most men didn’t understand how to touch women the right way. They appeared to think their own pleasure was the centre of the sexual universe around which women's heavenly bodies revolved."
Trigger warning: rape, child abuse
Kwei's enthralling mystery thriller follows his usual style, combining rich, Ghanaian culture between a complex, diluted case. Left guessing until the very end, the reader is taken on a journey, jumping before and after the event in question as clues are revealed and characters introduced. I like to think I'm good at picking up hints, yet as usual, I was unable to guess until the very moment Kwei chose to reveal the final nail in the coffin.
Bravo for yet another marvellous tale. It will never cease to amaze me how he can write so many different detective-novels and characters without recycling characters or plots and yet, I learnt so much. The book included a lot of sensitive content which should definitely be considered before embarking on the journey, however, I believe it was handled appropriately.
Solid 4/5, great work.
Trigger warning: rape, child abuse
Kwei's enthralling mystery thriller follows his usual style, combining rich, Ghanaian culture between a complex, diluted case. Left guessing until the very end, the reader is taken on a journey, jumping before and after the event in question as clues are revealed and characters introduced. I like to think I'm good at picking up hints, yet as usual, I was unable to guess until the very moment Kwei chose to reveal the final nail in the coffin.
Bravo for yet another marvellous tale. It will never cease to amaze me how he can write so many different detective-novels and characters without recycling characters or plots and yet, I learnt so much. The book included a lot of sensitive content which should definitely be considered before embarking on the journey, however, I believe it was handled appropriately.
Solid 4/5, great work.
January 9, 2022
I enjoyed Sleep Well, My Lady a lot and found it much more entertaining than its predecessor (The Missing American). The temporal and point-of-view shifts are not at all hard to follow, but they create a richer picture and allow the author to delay the release of important information in ways that do not disrupt the integrity of the story. I also loved the setting. This is one of the best mysteries I have read set in modern Africa. It is a compelling non-police procedural, meaning that it follow all of the conventions of a police procedural, but the people doing the proceduraling are private investigators who come to the case almost a year after the murder. The trick is that the urban police department in Acra, Ghana, is so riddled with cronyism, corruption, and incompetence, that the police can't follow the clues, so it falls to the private detective agency to do it. In the process, we get a good sense of what life is like in a modern African capital city.
January 11, 2021
The opening chapters of Sleep Well My Lady jump back and forth between various time frames so often that this caused me some minor annoyance, but once the backstory was established, I became immersed in the story-- something that is very easy for me to do each time I pick up a book written by Kwei Quartey.
The murder of Lady Araba is an intricately layered puzzle, and even though this is the second book in the Emma Djan mystery series, it takes the hard work of the entire detective agency to solve the crime. The work of a talented ensemble cast slowly peels back layer after layer of the truth. So many people have strong motives to want this talented woman dead that the reader will probably have trouble deducing which person had not only the desire but the will, to carry out the murder.
One of the things that Quartey illustrates so ably in Sleep Well My Lady is that the problems with the Ghana police force are not just limited to bribery or "looking the other way," and it's in showing readers this that he created two striking minor characters whom I hope to see in future books. One is the forthright Dr. Jauregui from Cuba, and the other is a member of the police force who is told: "...it's tough to be an island of integrity when sneaky crocodiles are all around, circling you." With the world events of the past four years, I think we all know how rare these "islands of integrity" are.
If you enjoy well-written mysteries with standout characters and a strong sense of place, you can't go wrong with anything written by Kwei Quartey. Once you've read the Emma Djan series (the first book is The Missing American), try his Darko Dawson series beginning with Wife of the Gods. You've got some excellent reading ahead of you.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
The murder of Lady Araba is an intricately layered puzzle, and even though this is the second book in the Emma Djan mystery series, it takes the hard work of the entire detective agency to solve the crime. The work of a talented ensemble cast slowly peels back layer after layer of the truth. So many people have strong motives to want this talented woman dead that the reader will probably have trouble deducing which person had not only the desire but the will, to carry out the murder.
One of the things that Quartey illustrates so ably in Sleep Well My Lady is that the problems with the Ghana police force are not just limited to bribery or "looking the other way," and it's in showing readers this that he created two striking minor characters whom I hope to see in future books. One is the forthright Dr. Jauregui from Cuba, and the other is a member of the police force who is told: "...it's tough to be an island of integrity when sneaky crocodiles are all around, circling you." With the world events of the past four years, I think we all know how rare these "islands of integrity" are.
If you enjoy well-written mysteries with standout characters and a strong sense of place, you can't go wrong with anything written by Kwei Quartey. Once you've read the Emma Djan series (the first book is The Missing American), try his Darko Dawson series beginning with Wife of the Gods. You've got some excellent reading ahead of you.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
February 1, 2021
I loved THE MISSING AMERICAN, the first book in Kwei Quartey's new series, and enjoyed SLEEP WELL, MY LADY, just as much. Set in Ghana, Emma Djan and her fellow private investigators look into the death of Lady Araba Tagoe. A famous fashion designer, her body is discovered in her elegant Trosacco home on the morning of the most important fashion show. Who killed Lady Araba? Her lover? Her chauffeur? Her father? Secrets are uncovered, motive are revealed in this page turner. Good to the very last page!
November 22, 2020
Kwei Quartey maintains his standard of excellence with this second book in the private investigator Emma Djan series. Quartey is not a "flashy" writer, but he knows how to tell a good story, filled with red herrings but also with solid clues that could lead the observant reader to figure out the identity of the murderer. Sleep Well My Lady doesn't amble; there isn't a wasted scene or interaction. It also doesn't rush past something a less skilled writer might wish the reader to overlook. For those of us who have read all of Quartey's books, this one adds to our cumulative knowledge of Ghanaian culture and to our admiration for his skill. Should I ever have the opportunity to travel to Ghana, it will not seem quite as foreign as it might otherwise. All-in-all this is an enjoyable mystery novel that readers should relish.
December 23, 2020
A good old fashioned mystery - that's what this book felt like - except it was set in Ghana. There was an authentic feel all throughout the novel - the mention of foods and places as well as the day to day customs / greetings. Love this! The book was paced very well and the mystery held my attention as I tried to figure out who did it - but all the details along the way were interesting too - not just who did it, but damn there were a lot of suspects. I have to agree with another reviewer though - I didn't feel as connected as I would like to some of the characters - Emma and DC Boateng ... Also, some of the way the "clues" were put together was a little too convenient / abrupt. Despite this, I really enjoyed the novel. It felt less like it was about Emma, and more like it was about the Sowah Detective Agency (I haven't read the previous book featuring Emma) and I do hope there'll be more.
February 16, 2021
When I started this book, I was still reeling from the high of the missing American which i read last year.
My expectations were high.
The author didn't let me down at all, right from the onset I was glued and started making my own suspect list...
Kudos to Kwei Quartey for delivering such an interesting read. I would have given this 5 stars but for the fact that I fell in love with Emma Djan's character and wanted more of her, but the author served me with other lovable characters from the agency.
I must say Jojo, Sowah and Gideon are now competing for Emma's place in my list and that's why the book got 4 stars..
Definitely recommending this book.
My expectations were high.
The author didn't let me down at all, right from the onset I was glued and started making my own suspect list...
Kudos to Kwei Quartey for delivering such an interesting read. I would have given this 5 stars but for the fact that I fell in love with Emma Djan's character and wanted more of her, but the author served me with other lovable characters from the agency.
I must say Jojo, Sowah and Gideon are now competing for Emma's place in my list and that's why the book got 4 stars..
Definitely recommending this book.
January 3, 2022
Kwei Quartey always showing how corrupt and rotten the system can be. Loved it. Can't wait for Emma Djan #3.
However, I felt attention wasn't centered on Emma that much. It rather emphasizes on great team work
However, I felt attention wasn't centered on Emma that much. It rather emphasizes on great team work
February 2, 2021
Ghana’s most celebrated women’s fashion designer has been murdered in her bed, and the police investigation has, as is so often the case, gone awry. Lacking even a shred of evidence, they’ve arrested and imprisoned without trial Lady Araba’s driver and prevented the police lab from analyzing DNA gathered at the scene. Months later, Lady Araba’s sister-in-law hires the Sowah private detective agency to ferret out the truth. Emma Djan, her colleagues Walter, Gideon, and Jojo, and Temo Sowah himself all go undercover in a series of sometimes dangerous assignments in Kwei Quartey’s engrossing Ghana murder mystery, Sleep Well, My Lady.
A conventional mystery in an unconventional setting
Like so many (perhaps too many) mystery novels, Sleep Well, My Lady is a whodunit. Emma Djan and her colleagues find reasons to suspect new characters, one after another. If, like me, you have limited patience for the contrivances that make whodunits work, you may be tempted to overlook this novel. But the setting, which is unusual for most Western readers (decidedly including me), offers rewards that the likes of mysteries set in English country manors do not. And Quartey makes the most of the Ghanaian locale, painting an intriguing picture of the country’s elite that can only have come from intimate personal connections. Had this Ghana murder mystery been set instead in contemporary England or the US, it would not have been nearly so interesting.
Geographically challenged? This is Ghana
Ghana lies on the West Coast of Africa 560 miles north of the Equator. Its thirty million people power one of the most dynamic economies on the continent. The International Monetary Fund forecasts 4.2% growth above inflation in Ghana’s GDP in 2021. A former British colony known as the Gold Coast, Ghana has been independent since 1957. The official language is English, although some eighty other tongues are also in use there. Twi, a variant of Akan spoken by many of Quartey’s characters, is one of the most common. Ghana’s capital, Accra, houses a population estimated at 4.2 million.
On Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, Ghana ranks eightieth out of 180 countries studied. Its score is 41, equivalent to that of China, India, and Morocco, and far, far higher than South Sudan at 12 and Somalia at 9, the two lowest countries in the ranking.
About the author
Kwei Quartey is a retired Ghanaian-American physician and author. Sleep Well, My Lady is the eighth of the detective novels he has written since 2009 and the second in his new Emma Djan series. Quartey was born to a Ghanaian father and an African-American mother, both of whom were university lecturers. He was educated both in Ghana and in the United States and possesses degrees from Howard University and the University of California, Los Angeles. If anyone is well equipped to write a Ghana murder mystery, it’s Kwei Quartey.
A conventional mystery in an unconventional setting
Like so many (perhaps too many) mystery novels, Sleep Well, My Lady is a whodunit. Emma Djan and her colleagues find reasons to suspect new characters, one after another. If, like me, you have limited patience for the contrivances that make whodunits work, you may be tempted to overlook this novel. But the setting, which is unusual for most Western readers (decidedly including me), offers rewards that the likes of mysteries set in English country manors do not. And Quartey makes the most of the Ghanaian locale, painting an intriguing picture of the country’s elite that can only have come from intimate personal connections. Had this Ghana murder mystery been set instead in contemporary England or the US, it would not have been nearly so interesting.
Geographically challenged? This is Ghana
Ghana lies on the West Coast of Africa 560 miles north of the Equator. Its thirty million people power one of the most dynamic economies on the continent. The International Monetary Fund forecasts 4.2% growth above inflation in Ghana’s GDP in 2021. A former British colony known as the Gold Coast, Ghana has been independent since 1957. The official language is English, although some eighty other tongues are also in use there. Twi, a variant of Akan spoken by many of Quartey’s characters, is one of the most common. Ghana’s capital, Accra, houses a population estimated at 4.2 million.
On Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, Ghana ranks eightieth out of 180 countries studied. Its score is 41, equivalent to that of China, India, and Morocco, and far, far higher than South Sudan at 12 and Somalia at 9, the two lowest countries in the ranking.
About the author
Kwei Quartey is a retired Ghanaian-American physician and author. Sleep Well, My Lady is the eighth of the detective novels he has written since 2009 and the second in his new Emma Djan series. Quartey was born to a Ghanaian father and an African-American mother, both of whom were university lecturers. He was educated both in Ghana and in the United States and possesses degrees from Howard University and the University of California, Los Angeles. If anyone is well equipped to write a Ghana murder mystery, it’s Kwei Quartey.
January 24, 2021
Sleep Well My Lady was my introduction to the author and book series and although it reads really well on its own, it is part of a larger narrative from Kwei Quartey's earlier novels.
The story takes place in Accra, Ghana where we learn that Lady Araba, a successful self-made fashion icon has been found murdered in her bed, the morning of the first day of Accra Fashion Week. Although her driver was quickly arrested for the murder, Araba's Auntie Dele believes that real killer was Araba's boyfriend, famous TV presenter and notorious alcoholic, Augustus Seeza. Determined to get justice for her niece, Dele hires Emma Djan and her colleagues at the Sowah Private Investigators Agency.
I enjoyed the immersion of Ghanaian culture throughout, the language, the food yet also the insight to the class and wealth disparities, and political corruption. Quartey masterly takes us through many twists and turns, shifting from past to present and different POV's in a way that was very natural and added multiple layers to the story. Through this excellent storytelling the readers are instantly draw into Araba's life, meeting possible suspects who all seem to have motives and had me constantly rethinking my original speculations. Quartey does such a great job at making you warm to Araba, you feel concerned about her welfare, by knowing her family ordeals, the issues in her love life and all the positive ambitions she had for her business. I was rooting for her, even while knowing that ultimately her life ended tragically, it was heart-breaking but makes you really determined to find the killer along with Emma and the PI team.
Sleep Well My Lady needs to be a part of your book club because you are going to want to discuss it with someone, especially if you love crime mysteries. I'll be keeping my eye out for the next instalment.
TW: Sexual abuse, alcoholism
Thank you Allison & Busby and NetGalley for providing me with a copy to review.
The story takes place in Accra, Ghana where we learn that Lady Araba, a successful self-made fashion icon has been found murdered in her bed, the morning of the first day of Accra Fashion Week. Although her driver was quickly arrested for the murder, Araba's Auntie Dele believes that real killer was Araba's boyfriend, famous TV presenter and notorious alcoholic, Augustus Seeza. Determined to get justice for her niece, Dele hires Emma Djan and her colleagues at the Sowah Private Investigators Agency.
I enjoyed the immersion of Ghanaian culture throughout, the language, the food yet also the insight to the class and wealth disparities, and political corruption. Quartey masterly takes us through many twists and turns, shifting from past to present and different POV's in a way that was very natural and added multiple layers to the story. Through this excellent storytelling the readers are instantly draw into Araba's life, meeting possible suspects who all seem to have motives and had me constantly rethinking my original speculations. Quartey does such a great job at making you warm to Araba, you feel concerned about her welfare, by knowing her family ordeals, the issues in her love life and all the positive ambitions she had for her business. I was rooting for her, even while knowing that ultimately her life ended tragically, it was heart-breaking but makes you really determined to find the killer along with Emma and the PI team.
Sleep Well My Lady needs to be a part of your book club because you are going to want to discuss it with someone, especially if you love crime mysteries. I'll be keeping my eye out for the next instalment.
TW: Sexual abuse, alcoholism
Thank you Allison & Busby and NetGalley for providing me with a copy to review.
July 7, 2023
I was pleased to get back to the Emma Djan series with book 2. Emma doesn't come into the story for quite a while. First, we get the background of Lady Araba's life with her parents and her older brother. Her father is a minister but he has a dark secret which Araba knows all too well. Her parents have a career plan for her but she loves fashion and learned to sew at her aunt Dele's home. She forges her own path and becomes Lady Araba of fashion fame. At the same time, we learn of Augustus Seeza (pronounced like Caesar) whose family has always chosen an ancient Roman name for the males. He finds his way into broadcasting. The two start dating.
The structure of the story is interesting. Early on we know that Lady Araba is murdered just before a big fashion show. Each new chapter is headed with the time period before or after her death. For instance, 13 years before or 2 days after. It bounces around and is not at all linear. Since I was listening to this book, I had to be aware of what time period this particular chapter was in the scheme of things.
The detective agency is brought in by Aunt Dele quite a while after Lady Araba's death. The police have found their suspect, he's been imprisoned but not tried. Dele feels that they haven't solved the murder but have ended their investigation. Emma gets to go on her first undercover job and does well. We have more action by the other members of the agency including another undercover action and the murder gets a very thorough investigation.
The narrator does an excellent job and this was a good addition to the series. I'll definitely add more of these titles to my TBR.
The structure of the story is interesting. Early on we know that Lady Araba is murdered just before a big fashion show. Each new chapter is headed with the time period before or after her death. For instance, 13 years before or 2 days after. It bounces around and is not at all linear. Since I was listening to this book, I had to be aware of what time period this particular chapter was in the scheme of things.
The detective agency is brought in by Aunt Dele quite a while after Lady Araba's death. The police have found their suspect, he's been imprisoned but not tried. Dele feels that they haven't solved the murder but have ended their investigation. Emma gets to go on her first undercover job and does well. We have more action by the other members of the agency including another undercover action and the murder gets a very thorough investigation.
The narrator does an excellent job and this was a good addition to the series. I'll definitely add more of these titles to my TBR.
January 7, 2021
Who murdered Lady Araba? The Ghanaian fashion designer was at the top of her game and she was about to push a reckoning on sexual abuse. Her aunt doesn't believe that her driver, who has been in jail for almost a year did it, and she hires Emma Djan and her PI firm to find the truth. This moves back and forth in time (a lot) especially in the beginning to tell Lady Araba's story. She was not well served by her family, especially her father who routinely assaulted her, or by her lover Augustus, an alcoholic media personality. But were these the ones who did it? No spoilers from me but know that you might be surprised by what happened. I liked this for the setting (I learned about Ghana) and the resulting atmospherics. While this is meant to be the second in a series featuring Emma, I read it as a standalone and it was fine. Emma was not, however, the star here but rather a player in a more complex set of characters. She's not introduced until about 25 percent in. I'm not sure how well the time shifts worked but the plot kept me reading. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm looking forward to another installment.
January 31, 2021
Sleep Well, My Lady by Kwei Quartey
As soon as I picked this up it reminded me just how much I love a good murder mystery. A gruesome murder, a missing murder weapon, and multiple suspects…all of which have their own compelling motives. All of it was there, a classic murder mystery with a modern twist. What’s not to love?
‘Sleep Well, My Lady’ is a Ghanaian murder mystery that follows private investigator Emma Djan and her team as they attempt to find the killer of the wonderous Lady Araba who has been brutally murdered in her bed at night. The team must overcome fraud, unreliable witnesses, and powerful politicians to see justice come to light.
Like all good murder mysteries this was a quick and enticing read. It flitted through time culminating with the unravelling of the multiple story lines with the real killer and their motive coming to light. I found it to be an interesting look at Ghanaian society, which I do not think I have ever read about before, and I found its large cast of strong female characters hugely refreshing, especially the role of PI Emma Djan.
Another aspect of the novel which I really enjoyed was the social commentary that it provided with its look at abusive relationships, alcoholism, trauma, class inequalities, and ultimately, the way in which women are punished for the actions of men.
TW/ Alcoholism, Graphic Imagery, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, Sexual Assault on a minor.
A massive thank you to Allison and Busby for including me on their Blog Tour for this book! Also, thank you to Netgalley for approving my request!
#SleepWellMyLady #NetGalley @AllisonandBusby
As soon as I picked this up it reminded me just how much I love a good murder mystery. A gruesome murder, a missing murder weapon, and multiple suspects…all of which have their own compelling motives. All of it was there, a classic murder mystery with a modern twist. What’s not to love?
‘Sleep Well, My Lady’ is a Ghanaian murder mystery that follows private investigator Emma Djan and her team as they attempt to find the killer of the wonderous Lady Araba who has been brutally murdered in her bed at night. The team must overcome fraud, unreliable witnesses, and powerful politicians to see justice come to light.
Like all good murder mysteries this was a quick and enticing read. It flitted through time culminating with the unravelling of the multiple story lines with the real killer and their motive coming to light. I found it to be an interesting look at Ghanaian society, which I do not think I have ever read about before, and I found its large cast of strong female characters hugely refreshing, especially the role of PI Emma Djan.
Another aspect of the novel which I really enjoyed was the social commentary that it provided with its look at abusive relationships, alcoholism, trauma, class inequalities, and ultimately, the way in which women are punished for the actions of men.
TW/ Alcoholism, Graphic Imagery, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, Sexual Assault on a minor.
A massive thank you to Allison and Busby for including me on their Blog Tour for this book! Also, thank you to Netgalley for approving my request!
#SleepWellMyLady #NetGalley @AllisonandBusby
April 10, 2021
Kwei Quartey never underestimates the intelligence of his readers. Just as we feel we've seen through the plot the author takes away with his left hand what he's just offered with his right. While like most sequels this offering doesn't live up to the first in series "The Missing American", it's still character-rich with a compelling flow between timeframes and viewpoints.
Another ensemble cast keeps the guesswork alive and, in true mystery fashion the suspects are all still viable long after the titular character has ceased to be.
I took away one star because I seldom give five and in this case because the pacing dragged a LITTLE here and there. All in all a very good read. Picked it up as soon as I'd finished Missing American. Love this writer's voice.
August 6, 2021
4+ what a well organized private investigation team. I liked the way they all worked together. It was a good story with interesting characters. I like the series and plan to try the other series. It’s nice that some of the police are honest and want to see killers caught.
January 4, 2021
Thank you to the author, Soho Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this combination of a murder mystery and an exploration of Ghanaian culture and political life. In spite of a massive cast, the characters were well-drawn and the mystery remained thus for much of the book. The way the author described how the staff at the detective agency worked together to uncover various aspects was very well done, and how they were hindered by the authorities (and the suspects), in some part also due to cultural reasons, was fascinating. The timeline jumps all over the place, which was a bit of challenge, but overall I definitely recommend. I had not read the first book in the series, but will be on the lookout for it.
I really enjoyed this combination of a murder mystery and an exploration of Ghanaian culture and political life. In spite of a massive cast, the characters were well-drawn and the mystery remained thus for much of the book. The way the author described how the staff at the detective agency worked together to uncover various aspects was very well done, and how they were hindered by the authorities (and the suspects), in some part also due to cultural reasons, was fascinating. The timeline jumps all over the place, which was a bit of challenge, but overall I definitely recommend. I had not read the first book in the series, but will be on the lookout for it.
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