Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jul 2011
352 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
In the slums of Accra, Ghana's fast-moving, cosmopolitan capital, teenagers are turning up dead. Inspector Darko Dawson has seen many crimes, but this latest string of murders - in which all the young victims bear a chilling signature - is the most unsettling of his career. Are these heinous acts a form of ritual killing or the work of a lone, cold-blooded monster? With time running out, Dawson embarks on a harrowing journey through the city's underbelly and confronts the brutal world of the urban poor, where street children are forced to fight for their very survival - and a cunning killer seems just out of reach.
Paperback Original
"Starred Review. Quartey cleverly hides the culprit, but the whodunit's strength is as much in the depiction of a world largely unfamiliar to an American readership as in its playing fair." - Publishers Weekly
"Darko Dawson... 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." - Library Journal
"Dawson's centered demeanor and relatively happy home life make a stark contrast with the filth and squalor of the streets he works. A must-read for anyone who follows African crime fiction." - Booklist
"Not the most compelling serial killer you've ever met, or the best-wrought procedural. As in Wife of the Gods (2009), the real star is Accra, which the killer aptly describes as 'the perfect place for a murder.'" - Kirkus Reviews
This information about Children of the Street was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Steve Monez
Based in Pasadena, California, Kwei Jones Quartey, M.D. is a writer of African crime fiction. He practiced medicine for more than 20 years while simultaneously working as a writer, balancing the two careers by writing early mornings before clinic. However, in 2018, he made the decision to retire from medicine to write full time.
Wife of the Gods, the acclaimed debut in his Inspector Darko Dawson series, was on the Los Angeles Times Bestseller List in 2009. A year later, G.O.G. National Book Club awarded him the title of Best Male Author.
In 2020, the Emma Djan Investigations series debuted with the highly praised The Missing American, followed by the sequel Sleep Well, My Lady.
In a starred review, Jane Murphy of Publishers Weekly says, " ... Quartey, also the author of the Darko ...
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Kwei Quartey's Website
Name Pronunciation
Kwei Quartey: kway quart-ay
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