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Children of the Street

An Inspector Darko Dawson Mystery
by Kwei Quartey
Children of the Street: An Inspector Darko Dawson Mystery. Random. Jul. 2011. c.352p. ISBN 9780812981674. pap. $15. M
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DI Dawson (Wife of the Gods) has been assigned a homicide case in which the victim is determined to be a teen boy who had been working and living on the busy streets of Accra, Ghana. The body has been mutilated in a very specific way and left to decompose in a particularly unclean location. When a second street child is found dead in a similar manner, and then a third, Dawson pulls in as many experts and as many favors as possible to put him one step ahead of the killer. There's a message being sent; can Dawson decipher it in time? With so many elements of African life to explain to the Western reader, this story could have easily become a confused mess of plot vs. background detail. Instead, the author manages to share details of the harsh conditions of street life in a city that is a difficult mix of traditional ways and modern conveniences.
VERDICT Darko Dawson, with his secret struggle to stop smoking marijuana and his son's chronic illness, is one of the most engaging characters this reader has ever encountered. The police work, the unexpected reveal of the murderer and the motivation for the killings, and the clever interactions among characters of widely different professions and social classes will completely satisfy readers who enjoyed the first book and intrigue newcomers. [Academic and library marketing; Thrillerfest promotion.]
Reviewed by Stacey Hayman, Rocky River P.L., OH , May 01, 2011
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