Emma goes undercover to investigate the International Congress of Families as she tries to find the murderer of Marcelo Tetteh, an LGBTQ+ activist, when she realizes there may be a connection between the organization, Marcello's death, and other deaths in the community. Overall, another good installment in the Emma Djan series, this time focusing on the very real issues of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and anti-LGBTQ+ bills in Ghana.

I’m really enjoying this mystery series. This installment touches very deeply on the real world concerns for LBTGQIA rights in Africa. And, this one was a bit slower and harder to read for this focus. Very well done.

This is an excellent novel but it's also the chilling and heartbreaking story of how homofobia is becoming stronger due to a mix of political and para-religious goals.
It's good but it talks about something that is happening in real life and is expanding.
A book I strongly recommend as it's well plotted and solid.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to the author, Soho Crime and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the fourth in a series, and the second book of the series that I have read. This is again a huge sprawl of characters and plot lines that intersect at times, very finely drawn into a cohesive narrative that I could not put down. Sadly, the main thrust of the story is all too prescient, and rampant homophobia financed by foreign interests, covered with a veneer of - often hypocritical - Christianity and linked to political interests is happening as we speak in Ghana and other African countries. Familiar from the past books in the series, we dive deeper with the staff of the detective agency, and see how they rise to the dangerous challenge of uncovering lies, deceit and murder. Highly recommend!

Once again, author Kwei Quartey has given readers a tense, compelling mystery that takes them right into the heart of politics, power, and the LGBTQ+ community. I found The Whitewashed Tombs (a very apt title) to be chilling in the scope of what homophobic organizations are trying to do to force everyone to kowtow to their vision of what the world should be. There's no doubt that, if successful in this quest, they would turn their gimlet eye on heterosexuals. But I digress.

The Sowah Private Investigations Agency is a strong cast of characters: Sowah himself, Jojo, the less likable Manu, and Emma herself. They all work together well with Dr. Rosa Jauregui, the Cuban forensic pathologist, and DCI Boateng of the Ghana Police Service. In The Whitewashed Tombs, Emma's mother proves to be not just annoying but helpful as well, and Emma has troubles with her boyfriend, Courage to deal with. If there's any one thing that bothers me, it's Emma's lack of undercover skills. She can be so heavy-handed and obvious at times that it's a miracle her body hasn't already been hidden in a landfill somewhere.

However, she does have time to learn, and for that I'm grateful. I enjoy her investigations, and I look forward to another visit to Ghana with Kwei Quartey and his characters.

I have mixed feelings about The Whitewashed Tombs. It's Kwei Quartey's most recent Emma Djan novel, and I'm fond of this contemporary mystery series set in Ghana. I appreciate the author's efforts to write a mystery that requires me to adjust to a context both different from and similar to my own.

In The Whitewashed Tombs, Quartey is offering an solid mystery and also exploring the rise in homophobia and the harsh penalties for being found to be gay that are appearing in Ghana and other African nations—and are being helped along by charismatic/fundamentalist Christians. As I'm writing this review, we're in the middle of the Harris v. Trump Presidential race which offers, on the Trump side, similar levels of homophobia and a drive to place legislative limits on sexual orientation and gender identity. I'm very conscious that the settings for this series are not "foreign." In fact, the actors driving this rise in hate on both continents are basically the same people.

In Ghana, where homosexual sex is a criminal act and in February, 2024, Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values bill, which would criminalize identifying as LGBT+, regardless of whether individuals are sexually active or not, and would outlaw the formation of LGBT-related groups. The sentence for the first would be up to three years in prison; for the second, it would be up to five years. Failing to report any person who does identify LGBT+ is also a criminal act under the bill. I've found lots of press regarding the passage of this bill. What I haven't been able to find out is whether the President of the country has signed off on it. (If you know whether he has signed it, please let me know in the comments section so I can update this review.)

The action in The Whitewashed Tombs parallels contemporary events. The International Confederation of Families is doing its best to have legislation like the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values bill approved—and those working toward this end include representatives of a number of religious denominations and government figures. The mystery that is central to the novel involves the murders two gay men and a transsexual woman. The father of one of the men has hired a private detective agency to determine who is responsible for his son's death.

Back to the mixed feelings business. This is absolutely a struggle that should be getting press, but presenting it via fiction at a time when it is becoming reality is discomfiting. I just don't know what to say beyond that. If I become wiser I'll write more.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley and Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.

Wow. This is a great mystery but so much more. It paints a picture of modern life in Ghana and the struggles of the LGBTQ community there. Someone is eliminating the strongest voices in that community and although there are many potential culprits, it falls to Private Investigator Emma Djan to search out and discover the killer. Not an easy assignment.

Content Warnings: Homophobia, Transphobia, Descriptions of Corpses
Note: This book is the 4th in a series but can be read as a standalone book.

Quartey’s mystery combines a solid murder mystery with social commentary. In particular, Quartey’s attention to showcasing how super conservative organizations in countries like the United States foster anti-LGBTQ sentiment in Ghana, as in many other places, was well thought out, well written, and poignant.

Unfortunately, I found the book’s writing to be dry and flat. I never felt particularly immersed in the setting, characters, or events as a result. This matter-of-fact tone may not bother anyone else, though, which is why I’m putting it as a minor weakness.

I absolutely loved this book. Not only was the plotting precise and entertaining, but more importantly, the mystery genre was used to actually talk about LGBTQ issues in Ghana, which is both brave and important. The novel serves as a social document and I for one will happily hand sell this title. Bravo and can’t wait for the next one.

I like Quartey;'s unvarnished narrative style, which I guess reflects an African tone. The characters and descriptions draw me in and I'm curious abou the plot. In this book, however, I didn't like the emphasis on the bad guys' point of view. They were despicable people, and I didn't like having to spend so much time with them. I was affected by all the murders, and I'm glad that justice was served in the end.

Ghana has harsh anti-LGBTQ+ laws, and they are about to get even more so. The government is working on a bill that will remove all civil rights for the community, and for their allies. They have enlisted the support of the clergy, with great success. One of the biggest supporters is the International Congress of Families, headed by the powerful and charismatic American minister, Christopher Cortland. He is in Ghana to champion the bill and spread his message of conservative lifestyle.
During one of his events, he is confronted by Marcelo Tetteh, one of the most vocal activists for gay rights. When Marcelo is brutally murdered the next day, his bereaved father hires the Sowah Private Investigators Agency to find out who killed his son. Emma Djan takes the lead in the investigation, infiltrating ICF in search of a link with the Marcelo’s murder and of the deaths of others in his community that followed.
Emma and her teammates encounter grave danger as they delve into the ugly underbelly of the anti-LGBTQ+ world. There are plenty of suspects in the murders, many wicked twists and turns and an unexpected twist at the end.
The author has written a solid mystery and a disturbing and moving look at the damage done by the prejudice of Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ actions, and in extension the damage done by this prejudice to countries all over the world .

My interest in murder mysteries dates back more than 65 years; my passion for mysteries set outside of the U.S. is more recent. My interest in Ghana, influenced by a summer job working for an economist who studied the Ghanaian cocoa industry, is nearly 60 years old. I have long been a fan of Kwei Quartey's novels and have read all of them. They blend the best elements of a mystery with cultural context, enhancing my understanding of a society different from mine in the United States. In his Emma Djan series, of which this is the fourth and the best, Quartey tackles pressing and complex social issues. The Whitewashed Tombs focuses on the treatment of members of the LGBTQ+ community. Emma, a former police officer who now works for a detective agency, along with an agency partner, is tasked with finding the killer of a young gay man. His was only the first of a series of related murders and the search for the killer or killers takes Emma deep into Ghana's gay and trans cultures as well as the culture of organizations that not only don't accept members of that community but think of them as sinners who must have the "evil" in them removed. The Whitewashed Tombs, filled with twists and turns that will keep readers on their toes - and which holds a special treat for word-game enthusiasts - really centers on the meaning of love and faith. As is typical, Quartey also exposes deep flaws in Ghana's police system. Fans of Quartey's work will be eager to read The Whitewashed Tombs. Readers who are new to his work will be eager to read more.

The Whitewashed Tombs is the latest in the detective series featuring PI Emma Djin. It is topical and delves into a very real situation in Ghana - the attempt to criminalize homosexuality.
A young, gay man is lured into a secluded area from a dating app and is found murdered. His father hires Emma to investigate as the police cannot be trusted.

She infiltrates a group that seeks to outlaw homosexuality throughout Africa. She finds twists and turns and her prime suspect is much closer to the situation than is safe for her.

Quartey's characters are written in-depth and the reader becomes part of the book. I enjoy his well written, timely and controversial plots. You can read this book as a stand alone.

Don't miss this book

The latest in a series, The Whitewashed Tombs is a propulsive and enjoyable mystery that pits a team of intrepid cops against a mysterious killer who is targeting the local LGBTQ population. Combined with some insights into Ghanaian culture and American fundamentalist rhetoric, it's a fun thriller despite its occasionally clunky writing style and odd choice of ending beat.