Reviews

The Missing American by Kwei Quartey

reindeerbandit's review against another edition

5.0

a very fun read that made me believe for a minute that maybe the good guys can win after all

bloodmaarked's review against another edition

1.0

was genuinely reading this every chance i got just so i could finish and not have to read it anymore.

✧ full review on my tumblr ✧

thatrandombookworm's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I hate to give this book a 2* rating but here we are. The first 100 pages were pure hell (though I must say i did get an ARC), and I loathed the writing, however it did get much better. For the majority of the book it was really mid, but the last fifty pages felt like it was going for eternity. I was going to give this book 3* but i really hated the beginning and the ending. I liked our main character Emma, and some of the side characters like Gordan and his son, but otherwise that's it. 

maedayx43's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This was a very engaging novel - a missing person story that exposes issues of class and corruption in modern day Ghana. Even though there were a lot of characters to keep track of, I had fun piecing together their interwoven stories. Some predictable twist and turns but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I was also happy to see some representation of autistic/intellectually disabled people in the story.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, and Suicide

12roxy's review against another edition

3.0

Interesting setting
The missing man seems to be a hot head and easily manipulated
So many characters, many somehow related or coincidentally in the same spot
Not loving the emphasis on virginity and inclusion of men's
Nauseous/nauseated
“female doctor”
Polipoli until the last 100 pages when the fun starts
I will look for the next in the series

maryleong's review against another edition

4.0

A vibrant and suspenseful mystery set in the underbelly of Accra, where internet scammers, ritual priests and corrupt officials are closely entwined. I thoroughly enjoyed the rich cast of characters, all deeply fleshed out with their own struggles, flaws and secrets – from the dogged private inspector Emma Djan, to the money-grubbing, yet multifaceted, "sakawa" boys. I just learnt that there's a second book in the Emma Djan series, so I'll definitely be picking that up soon.

booklovertamisha's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

cpskee's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

shelby1994's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

 There wasn’t really a mystery here. We know from the start what’s up, and the story keeps trying to peel back layers off an already sloughed onion. It’s doubly disappointing because the premise has such a great hook -  a young Ghanaian P.I. investigating the disappearance of an American expat who had been hoodwinked by an online ‘romance scam.’ The initial energy of the book - being in an interesting local, scamming priests, underground economies - quickly drains away. There’s not much meat on the bones of the actual mystery to make you want to stay. 

Also, I absolutely appreciate the derision reserved for Tillson, the White American who lusts so openly after African women, but I did absolutely not need his libido to be described as a “lust storage tank.” Sometime no words are the best words!

I’m still trying to find a mystery series that fills the dark, troubled hole in my psyche left by Tana French’s ‘Dublin Murder Squad’ series. Suggestions please! 

 

remigves's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0