The Missing American Audiobook By Kwei Quartey cover art

The Missing American

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The Missing American

By: Kwei Quartey
Narrated by: Robin Miles
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Accra private investigator Emma Djan's first missing persons case will lead her to the darkest depths of the email scams and fetish priests in Ghana, the world's internet capital.

When her dreams of rising through the Accra police ranks like her late father crash around her, 26-year-old Emma Djan is unsure what will become of her career. Through a sympathetic former colleague, Emma gets an interview with a private detective agency that takes on cases of missing persons, theft, and infidelity. It's not the future she imagined, but it's her best option.

Meanwhile, Gordon Tilson, a middle-aged widower in Washington, DC, has found solace in an online community after his wife's passing. Through the support group, he's even met a young Ghanaian widow he's come to care about. When her sister gets into a car accident, he sends her thousands of dollars to cover the hospital bill - to the horror of his only son, Derek. Then Gordon decides to surprise his new love by paying her a visit - and disappears. Fearing for his father's life, Derek follows him across the world to Ghana, internet capital of the world, where he and Emma will find themselves deep in a world of sakawa scams, fetish priests, and those willing to kill to protect their secrets.

©2020 Kwei Quartey (P)2020 Recorded Books Detective Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Private Investigators Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Disappearance Africa Marriage Suspense

Editor's Pick

The world’s largest internet scam
Oh how I love my country Ghana and most of what it stands for, but one thing I do not stand for is the notorious corruption so often associated with it. The Missing American cleverly addresses this very real issue in a fictional tale that’s true to life and totally entertaining at the same time. It’s the first book in a series that does a stellar job honing in on the seriousness of the corruption found in many countries in Africa and around the world today. We get a firsthand glimpse into how sakawa (internet-based fraud) works in Ghana and how it is used to lure Americans into sending large amounts of money to scammers posing as fake romance seekers or people in need. The story gets even more thrilling as we try to figure out the cause of Mr. Gordon Tilson’s disappearance. Was he a victim of an internet scam? The timeline of events and the investigations of Emma Djan propel the story forward and provide ample information on how Ghanaians perform such scamming activities. Listeners are sucked into a world full of fraud, manipulation, mystery, thrills and more as we go on this journey of understanding how an online love story turned into a horrific death investigation. I can’t wait to hear what happens next and where Sleep Well, My Lady (the next installment in the series) takes Investigator Djan. —Ama H., Audible Scholar

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This is an fictional look at how internet scams are worked out of Ghana. There are lots of shady characters, goods guys pretending to be bad, and honest people acting honestly. Political assassination, police corruption at the highest levels, everything that makes a good story.

Internet Scammers

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I enjoyed this book, but cannot get over the very many coincidences. The topic was quite interesting, and I loved that it was in Ghana - never before read a book situated there. The perspective of the female characters was a bit painful (mentioning periods, really?). Nonetheless, I wouldn't consider it time wasted.

So many coincidences

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Kudos to the narrator of this murder mystery. She made me feel I was in Ghana listening first-hand to the characters in the story. The plot was perfectly acceptable but the local touches lifted the book to a higher level.

Wonderful narration brought Ghana alive

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First, the book itself. I was completely new to the author & series but I stumbled upon it the other day and thought it sounded interesting, especially the setting. Having just finished it I can say that it’s a solid mystery/detective story, though the first 3 hours or so jumped around a little too much IMO, so it took the book a little while to get moving, but once it does it’s a pretty cool story. I especially dug it’s exotic primary locale of Ghana, a country I knew very little about before listening to this and now I think I’ll be staying away from Ghana lol jk 😅 Okay, one last thing and that would be the narrator, Miss Robin Miles, who I thought pretty much crushed it. Her narration is fine, but for her me it’s her characterizations, the way she really brings the dialogue to life, but does so without ever calling attention to herself & what she’s doing. Just terrific work by her from start to finish. And that’s 2 cents on this topic.

Pretty Good Book & Amazing Narrator

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It was interesting, but impaired by the melodramatic reading style and deus ex machina moments.

struggled to finish it.

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This book had all kinda twice to turn. Arthur sum up all the characters though out the book.

Great book

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While international travel is so daunting, this book is a great escape to a completely different part of the world. And it's a good reminder that there are many ways to be in this world. Even minor characters have some depth.

I loved how there was just enough detail to get the picture of the many crimes without being sordid. I also very much appreciate having a heroine who is flawed and vulnerable, but not stupid or inept, although some of her decisions are questionable. Thank you for that!

Trip to new land while solving a mystery

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I am so sad this book is done. The characters, the plot twists, the narration all combine to make a fantastic listen. If you love cozy mysteries- you’ll love this book!

Terrific mystery/thriller

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Not a “page turner” but I did keep wanting more. Took a little while to get going, but once it did, I was hooked. Fantastic performance.

Interesting story about a country I know little about.

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I didn't think I'd make it to the end but I did. The ending was interesting. I was able to predict part of the ending. Keep listening through the end...it was really good.

Long but Good

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