I thought that this was a solid, enjoyable mystery. I didn't get too attached to the characters, but I see the potential for the appeal of Darko Dawson if I read more volumes. Although I enjoyed the change of scenery (for me) of this mystery taking place in a village in Ghana, the cultural aspect didn't feel integral to the plot. Kwei Quartey's descriptions of Ghana, especially as pertains to superstition and police corruption seemed a little ham-handed, as if expressing the author's opinion rather than fleshing out the setting.

My main critical comment about this book was that, for a book that's not particularly long, it seemed like there were too many disparate things going on. This could potentially be due to the fact that Quartey was intentionally planting red herrings, but, as the reader, I felt a little bit frustrated, as Dawson said he was, that clues didn't seem to be pulling together at all.