Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey

In ten words or less: Woman murdered in African village; police arrest wrong man.

Review: Quartey's debut novel is set in Ghana, where Detective Inspector Darko Dawson is sent to a village to investigate the murder of Gladys, a medical student and AIDS educator. Dawson has painful memories of the town of Ketanu, because years before his mother had disappeared after visiting her sister, who still lives in the town.
The author paints a vivid picture of life in Ghana--the businesses, the fetish priests, and the traditional beliefs in witchcraft and herbal healing. And a great mystery, with plenty of twists and turns. Edgier and with more grit than Alexander McCall Smith.

Why bother? This feels like the real Africa--the village, the people, the food are wonderfully described. The problems of modern day Africa--AIDS, police malfeasance, modern medicine vs. traditional healers--touch the reader. All in a first rate mystery, too.