Alexander McCall Smith has set the bar awfully high for mysteries set in Africa but I have to say I really liked this first Inspector Darko Dawson mystery by Kwei Quartey.

Inspector Dawson is used to solving crimes in the Ghanian capital of Accra but the murder of a well-liked and promising young medical student (and AIDS activist) takes him to the village of Ketanu. He is chosen for the assignment because his family also came from the village and he speaks the regional dialect. However he hasn't been to Ketanu for 25 years; when he was a young child, his mother disappeared on her way home from visiting her sister living in the village. Now Darko must not only solve a murder but also reacquaint himself with his aunt, uncle and cousin and confront some painful memories.

Solving the murder of Gladys is complicated by the religious practices and superstitions of the rural village. Was it a random killing or did she make a dangerous enemy in the village healer?

Darko is a smart, likeable protagonist but the star of the mystery is Ghana. What a fascinating mixture of modern science clashing with ancient beliefs. Because the mystery is set in Africa, there will be comparisons to McCall Smith; but Quartey's writing has a little edge to it which I think fits the setting very well. ~Patti