hate-crimes, propaganda, crime-thriller, crime-fiction, Ghana, ex-cop, politics, private-investigators, detective, suspense, LGBTQ+, triggers, international-crimes, investigations, friendship, friends, family, cultural-differences, murders, violent-crimes, violence, audiobook*****

This book was a difficult read whether one is an ally or an opposer of life choices that have been endemic in professions once all male throughout the ages. It delves into political twisting both by conviction and for monetary gain by both nationals and those from other continents. As usual, this sort of thing resulted in particularly violent murders. Emma Djan left the CID and went to work for a prestigious private firm, but that did not remove her from violent crime investigations or political abuses. It was sometimes difficult for me to follow the plot lines because of the multitude of necessary characters, but that helped me wade through the vitriolic rhetoric against people who have done no harm to their abusers.
This book will make you think.
Adjoa Andoh brings Emma and other characters to life.
I requested and received a free temporary audio EARC from RBmedia | Recorded Books via NetGalley. Thank you
#EmmaDjanInvestigationsBk4 #LGBTQ+ #HateCrimes #Ghana

This audiobook was made available for me to listen to and review by Kwei Quartey, RBmedia/Recorded Books, and NetGalley.

This was delightful. This is the 4th book in the series, I haven't read the first 3 books in this series. None the less, I wasn't confused or lost starting with this book. This a blend of both police procedural and cozy mystery with elements of law & order, mixed in for spice. I loved Emma, her boss, and her team. This had that familiar character feel that sometimes occurs with cozy mysteries. At the same time, this was fairly police procedural in set-up, though this focused on a PI.

I like that this addressed the hypocrisy regarding anti-gay bills, which are human rights violations being pushed by white Americans. US christian hate groups target many West African nations with their horrible transphobia & homophobia. Those hate groups are run by racist far-right groups. Which is really just the cherry on the giant poop pie of this bizarre situation. Homosexual & transgender people aren't the result of white people bringing toxic culture to the Motherland. Rather, the phobia is what the white missionaries brought. The gay and Trans folks were already there😬 Prior to colonization and the spread of oppressive christianity, gay and trans folks were accepted. White christians brought the hatred and it spread like the infection it is.

The reveal was not who I guessed, and that's refreshing. This was a fast-moving, well-written mystery and procedural. This story does contain racism, sexism, DV/IPV, homophobia, and transphobia both mentions and scenes. This focuses on violence towards the LGBTQA+ community. I need to move the first 3 books in this series up to the top of my tbh list.

This was narrated by possibly my favorite narrator, Adjoa Andoh. The narration was superb, sublime, perfection. It felt very much like having Lady Danbury personally narrate a book for me. I love how she handled the accents. It felt effortless and was engaging. I binged this in an afternoon/evening.

Thank you to Kwei Quartey, RBmedia/Recorded Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.