A beautiful, kind, successful fashion designer in Ghana. Why would so many people want to kill her? Including members of her own family? Private investigator Emma Djan unravels a host of mysteries along with her coworkers, and a few honest policeman, to find and catch the murderer. So many suspects with viable motives, I was kept guessing quite a long time. Such an excellent writer. ( )

his was an entertaining read. I liked that it is set in current day Africa and felt modern and authentic. The actual mystery kept me guessing and I liked all of the characters, especially those that work with Emma at the detective agency. There were times that the pace dragged a bit and the hopping around the timeline was jarring, but overall it was an enjoyable mystery that was fun to try to solve along with the characters. ( )

This is the second installment of the Emma Djan mystery series.

Emma is a detective working for a private investigation company in Ghana. Like the first installment, this one is also set in the city of Accra in Ghana and Ghanaian writer Kwei Quarty makes Ghana come alive.

A well known fashion designer is found dead in her upscale home the morning of her fashion show. Many people may have wanted to kill her, but the only real truth is that the Ghanian police have buried the case and all the evidence and have no interest in pursuing it. Although they have tortured the designer’s driver into a confession, not one of her family and friends believe he is the killer.

And so, a family member hires the detective agency and things begin to unravel in a complicated story of jealousies, bad relationships and corruption. ( )

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. ( )

I really enjoyed this second installment in the Emma Djan investigative series. I didn’t read the first book, but this novel can easily be read as a standalone.
The novel is about Lady Araba, a beautiful fashion designer, who is murdered. Everyone suspects Augustus Seeza, a flamboyant talk show host with whom Araba has a tumultuous relationship due to his alcoholism.
An arrest has been made, but Araba’s Aunt Dele doesn’t believe the police have the right person. Therefore, she hires the investigative agency.
There are many suspects, including Araba’s father.
Set in Ghana, this novel is beautifully written with an intricate mystery and an investigation that unravels the mystery. I look forward to going back and reading the first book in the series. ( )