Children of the Street (Inspector Darko Dawson, Bk 2)
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Paperback
The streets of any big city are "home" - term used very loosely to an assortment of runaway and thrown-away children. These kids have to watch each others' backs against all threats including each other because no one else is there to do it. Sometimes, their self-developed safety net fails.
In "Children of the Street", Kwei Quartey explores the issue of runaway children in Accra, the capital of Ghana because there appears to be a serial killer that has discovered that they are easy prey. Quartey looks at their lives, their struggle to survive, and the efforts limited, as resources don't come close to matching need to assist them in their day-to-day struggles AND to emerge to a more fulfilling life.
Quartey also uses this book as an opportunity to examine the issues of a highly politicized police department, where decisions and promotions are determined by who you know and by the status of the person making any particular request or complaint. Unlike other authors reflecting upon similar themes, Quartey actually allows that the right thing sometimes gets done not always as quickly or as efficiently as might be desired, though.
This book has been on my To Be Read list for quite awhile; I did myself a disservice by not opening it shortly after I acquired it.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars, rounded up to 5 stars. I enjoyed reading it, and will remember it after I've moved onto other books.
POSTSCRIPT RANT: Some of the promotional material I've seen for this book, including a quote on the back cover from the Wall Street Journal, compares the author / lead character to Alexander McCall Smith's Number One Ladies Detective Agency. In my opinion, other than the fact that both series are set in Africa (in vastly different parts of the continent) featuring locally born protagonists, these two series have nothing in common, and find the comparison lame on multiple levels, perhaps even just a bit racist.
In "Children of the Street", Kwei Quartey explores the issue of runaway children in Accra, the capital of Ghana because there appears to be a serial killer that has discovered that they are easy prey. Quartey looks at their lives, their struggle to survive, and the efforts limited, as resources don't come close to matching need to assist them in their day-to-day struggles AND to emerge to a more fulfilling life.
Quartey also uses this book as an opportunity to examine the issues of a highly politicized police department, where decisions and promotions are determined by who you know and by the status of the person making any particular request or complaint. Unlike other authors reflecting upon similar themes, Quartey actually allows that the right thing sometimes gets done not always as quickly or as efficiently as might be desired, though.
This book has been on my To Be Read list for quite awhile; I did myself a disservice by not opening it shortly after I acquired it.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars, rounded up to 5 stars. I enjoyed reading it, and will remember it after I've moved onto other books.
POSTSCRIPT RANT: Some of the promotional material I've seen for this book, including a quote on the back cover from the Wall Street Journal, compares the author / lead character to Alexander McCall Smith's Number One Ladies Detective Agency. In my opinion, other than the fact that both series are set in Africa (in vastly different parts of the continent) featuring locally born protagonists, these two series have nothing in common, and find the comparison lame on multiple levels, perhaps even just a bit racist.
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