Latest in Mystery Series Tackles Human Rights and Deadly Crimes

The Whitewashed Tombs by Kwei Quartey

"It’s an exhilarating, suspense-filled read with excitement that doesn’t let up until the final page."

The Whitewashed Tombs is the fourth book featuring Private Investigator Emma Djan in this “sunshine noir” mystery series so named for its basis in coastal equatorial Ghana by Ghanaian American author, Howard University College of Medicine graduate, and retired physician Kwei Quartey. 

For 20 years during his successful career in medicine, he disciplined himself to rise pre-dawn to write, motivated by his passion for creating memorable detective fiction literature celebrating the country of his birth. His Ghanaian father and Black American mother were both university lecturers who filled their home with books. Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are acknowledged influences on a budding author who began writing crime novellas at a young age and also creating the cover art for them! 

His books are based in and around Accra, the capital, largest city and the administrative and business center of Ghana, situated on the Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. The country borders the Ivory Coast to the west, Burkina Faso is due north with tiny Togo to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Lagos, Nigeria, important in the third book Last Scene in Lapaz, is 50 minutes by plane or torturous 10 or more hours by vehicle with multiple checkpoints and border crossings through narrow Togo and Benin.

Kwei Quartey assists readers by beginning each volume with a handy list of primary characters and a map of book locations following his introductory notes. At the back of each book, he includes closing remarks, tribes and their languages referenced and a glossary of commonly used slang. 

English has been the official language in Ghana since the colonial era. Over 80 languages are spoken there with 11 separate tribal African languages officially recognized by the government. Ewe, Ga and Twi are the three most frequently spoken in the Emma Djan series. Descriptions of foods, clothing, marketplaces, customs and traditions are as richly, colorfully vivid as the finest travel guides. One envisions many people draped in Kente cloth, the cloth of royalty since the 12^th century; hand-woven strips of brightly hued silk and cotton, worn toga style for ceremonial occasions.  

You can sense the shimmering year-round constant equatorial heat and high humidity and hear a deafening cacophony of sounds. Ghana, particularly Accra at night, has earsplitting music and is LOUD at all times. Kwei Quartey beckons and welcomes readers to modern Africa.

Mystery Series Based on Real-Life Conflicts in Ghana

His compelling novels are densely layered and thought-provoking with each combining an intricate central plot that includes the mystery at the heart of the novel and several subplots that shine a probing light on actual human rights violations and other problems inherent in a fast-growing country. 

There have been political assassinations. Many issues result from the rampant uncontrolled growth of Accra with its crushing poverty for the majority and horrendous constant traffic jams. This extreme disparity in wealth has contributed to bribery and corruption becoming so commonplace that they are accepted and ignored within the government and the police. Scapegoating or targeting innocent parties to make quick arrests and coerced confessions has left innocent individuals to rot or die in jail with little or no legal representation or recourse. 

Sexual abuse of women workers is tolerated or covered up. Sex trafficking is a major problem and there are numerous prostitution rings operating out of hotels with brothel owners taking the lion’s share of the earnings. Human trafficking schemes abound designed to fleece prospective migrants by “arranging” for their illegal transportation through Niger and Libya across the deserts with spurious promises of better opportunities in Italy and Germany. 

These crossings are expensive and perilous; frequently additional payments are demanded. It is not unusual that the lure of false promises ends with indentured servitude, imprisonment, prostitution and all too frequently death before the hardiest succeed in reaching Europe which then does not welcome them with open arms. 

Introduction to the Series and Characters

While it is not necessary to have read the three previous books in the series to fully enjoy reading The Whitewashed Tombs, it might be helpful to get acquainted with the recurring characters through synopses of their essential plots. (This reviewer read all four in quick succession in two weeks but not all of us are book obsessives.)

The Missing American, nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Novel, introduces the 26-year-old Emma Djan whose life ambition is to follow in the footsteps of her late father Chief Superintendent Emmanuel Djan, a highly respected Homicide Detective in the Ghana Police Service (GPS) who died suddenly six years earlier of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 55. 

Instead of playing with toys and dolls, his only child cherished conversations with him about his cases, quizzed him on police procedures and the introduction of forensic analysis in Ghana. The principles of detecting were her legacy along with the self-defense tactics he taught her. Emma graduated from the Police Academy with the rank of Constable. The GPS did not permit new recruits to request assignments and arbitrarily sent her to a tedious dead-end job with the Commercial Crimes Unit (CCU) investigating fraudulent land acquisition transactions. 

Frustrated and ambitious, she soon met with Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Cleophus Laryea, an honest man and recurring character, to express her interest in working in the homicide division. He agreed to the transfer pending a final decision from Commissioner Andoh whose prevailing interest in her was as a sexual object. Emma’s self-defense training effectively thwarted his rape attempt but also terminated her career with the police. 

DCOP Laryea suspected something untoward had occurred and offered her an opportunity to meet his old friend Yemo Sowah, owner of Sowah Private Investigators Agency, a small but effective bureau in Accra specializing in cases involving marital infidelity, missing persons, insurance investigations, and assorted work for legal firms. He immediately hires her. Emma is razor sharp, fearless, intuitive and eager to work the agency’s rare homicide cases.

The team, featured in all four novels consists of their director Yemo, his administrative assistant Beverly, tech guru Gideon who can expertly obtain data from phones, computers and CCT cameras, private investigator Jojo Ayitey who becomes Emma’s frequent partner and good friend and Walter Manu another older, more experienced investigator. The team works closely with forensic pathologist Rosa Juaregui and CID homicide Detective Chief Inspector Boateng whom they secretly nicknamed “Diboat”. Both are dedicated and incorruptible individuals who willingly cooperate with the Sowah Agency.

The Missing American is Emma Djan’s first homicide case and nearly her last. American Gordon Tilson, a lonely widower who met his Ghanaian wife while serving in the Peace Corps was The Missing American. He was bilked out of several thousand dollars by a “woman” he met online. Convinced he is in love, he flew to Accra to meet her at the airport and was stunned to discover she didn’t exist. He had fallen victim to one of the many Sakawa scams; computer based robbery with criminals trained by fetish priests who demand various sacrifices as well as money from their acolytes. The Sakawa system is secret and hierarchical with the priests reporting to the overlord or Godfather; a top level member of the police force which is rife with corruption.  

They will readily kill anyone who attempts to get in their way. When Tilson decides to stay in Ghana and attempt to expose the criminals who scammed him, he turns up dead. Emma and the agency solve the crime while identifying those in charge of this criminal network in this exciting, gritty drama. Ghana and Nigeria are leaders in computer based scams. This case is closed but new leaders will emerge and the hazards to the unwary will only grow worse with increasing AI fakery.    

Murder, Trafficking and Dangerous Assignments

In the second book Sleep Well, My Lady, Emma is assigned a high profile murder case when Lady Araba, Ghana’s top clothing designer and head of a fashion empire is found murdered in her bed hours before a major fashion show. This self-made wealthy, respected business leader had first learned to sew as a child, taught by her Aunt Dele who was a seamstress. She quickly was creating unique, sought-after designs. 

Lady Araba resided in a multi-million dollar Beverly Hills type gated community in an overcrowded city where many laborers earn less than one US dollar per day.  After the police scapegoat Lady Araba’s trusted chauffeur through a sham confession, her auntie hires the detective agency to discover the real killer. Suspects include family members, the alcoholic wastrel boyfriend, his family who disliked her and jealous fashion industry rivals. It’s another dangerous assignment for the courageous, thorough young detective.  

Last Seen in Lapaz tackles twin scourges of criminality, sex and human trafficking networks through a gripping story about a young Nigerian woman who vanishes and is presumed to be kidnapped. Ngozi is the beautiful, well-educated, pampered and naive daughter of a prominent Nigerian Diplomat, until recently the chief envoy to Ghana, and close personal friend of Yemo Sowah who owns the eponymous detective agency. 

Instead of preparing to attend law school, she becomes attracted to Femi, an alluring “bad boy”. He is a handsome con artist and criminal a decade her senior. When she disappears from her parents’ luxurious home in Lagos, it is believed she fled to Accra. Fears for her safety mount when Femi is found murdered in an upscale brothel masked as an opulent hotel. Emma balances hazardous situations with time spent with the two people most important in her life, her mom and Emma’s boyfriend Courage whom she met in The Missing American. His tribe is Ewe known for giving children strong, aspirational names. He works for the GPS in their Panther SWAT Division.

Solving Homicides and Hate Crimes

PI Emma Djan returns in The Whitewashed Tombs in what may be her most perilous assignment yet to solve several brutal homicides of prominent LGBTQ+ community members. The first person killed was activist Marcelo Tetteh, lured to his death at a deserted construction site through a dating app and hacked to death with machetes. 

The Sowah Detective Agency is hired by the young man’s wealthy father who doesn’t trust the police force to thoroughly investigate the case. Many turn a blind eye to the frequent harassment and attacks on homosexual men and most cases are either not investigated or simply dismissed. Other friends and associates become subsequent victims brutally killed in the same horrific manner. Trusted police forensic pathologist Dr. Rosa Jauregui surmises there were two murderers of differing heights and strengths wielding machetes in each instance. When a famous singer and openly Trans entertainer is found dead hacked to death in her own home, the police begin to take this string of crimes a bit more seriously. 

Emma is lead detective on this challenging case, partnered for the first time with the older, married and somewhat homophobic Walter Manu. However, he is fair, thorough and detail oriented. Her usual partner Jojo is officially off the case; only a handful of the agency staff knows he is homosexual and knew some of the victims.  

The International Congress of Families (ICF), a powerful, well-funded organization based in the USA has increased their efforts to criminalize homosexuality in African countries. They have made alliances with other Christian organizations to put pressure on the legislature and aligned with extremely conservative mega church Pastor JB Timothy. He infamously stages “performances” during his services to drive the demons out of LBGTQ+ people who are coerced by families to attend.  

The ICF advocates the dubious practices of conversion therapy for adults and therapy camps for youth in addition to draconian criminal punishments. The organization is led by a brother and sister team, Christopher and Gertrude Cortland along with Diane Cortland, former homecoming queen and radiant blond beauty who are the figureheads for strong family values. Emma Djan goes undercover as a Bible quoting volunteer Angel Ambassador. She might be safer in a den of pit vipers than among these hypocrites who have dark buried secrets. It’s an exhilarating, suspense-filled read with excitement that doesn’t let up until the final page.

Sir Alexander McCall Smith fills reader’s hearts with optimistic sunshine and the mild side of detecting in his beloved Botswana based Number One Ladies Detective Agency. Kwei Quartey tells tales of the darkest noir in Ghana. This reviewer heartily recommends them as fine examples of global fiction and suggests that a quick internet search will yield a plethora of contemporary Ghanaian writers published in many genres and widely available in the USA. Multiple award-winning and bestselling author Kwei Quartey is included in the top 50 on these lists. 

The Origin Story of The Whitewashed Tombs

The Whitewashed Tombs is a heartbreaker not for its complex fictional mystery but for the all-too-real political situation in Ghana which suggested the plotlines.  Author Kwei Quartey has stated it is his most personal novel. It centers on the increasing hate crimes up to and including murder perpetrated on members of Accra’s LBGTQ+ community. He has deftly incorporated shocking current legislative changes in this fast-paced, dramatic detective story. 

On February 29^th, 2024 Ghana’s Parliament unanimously passed the “Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill” which had been favored by an estimated 93% of the populace. This draconian far-reaching proposed law would represent one of the world’s harshest anti-LGBTQ+ legislations.  Should it be enacted, people who identify as other than heterosexual could be sentenced to three years in prison on that basis alone. 

Activists, including family members, found guilty of “promotion, sponsorship or support of LBGTQ+ activities” risk up to ten years in prison. Media outlets and their journalists or broadcasters determined to be pro-LGBTQ+ could also face prosecution. While gay sex has already been punishable by up to three years imprisonment, no one has been convicted thus far. Although this pending legislation has engendered broad condemnation, Ghana’s Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge seeking to block parliament from passing the stringent bill. President Nana Akufo-Addo as of this writing has neither signed it nor moved to veto it. 

Since this bill was first proposed, attacks of both physical and psychological violence, murders, extortion, rent hikes, evictions, and a myriad of other forms of discrimination have escalated. Job protection is nonexistent and unemployment is disproportionately higher. Organizations offering information and support have been forcibly closed down as have some clinics treating HIV-AIDS patients. LGBTQ+ people live with fear and ostracization daily.  

Ghana is not unique in Africa: 31 out of its 54 nations have laws oppressing this minority population with the death penalty simply for being homosexual being legal in Uganda. The centuries-old African principle of “Ubuntu”, emphasizing humanity to others and the concept that “I am what I am because of who we all are” seems steadfastly ignored by the advocates of this legislation.

Kwei Quartey is courageously taking a stand to help preserve these guiding principles in The Whitewashed Tombs. The foreword to this impactful, fine work is a Biblical quote: “…Hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs. They look beautiful on the outside. But inside they are full of dead bones and all kinds of filth.”