SLEEP WELL, MY LADY is Kwei Quartey’s second Emma Djan mystery, following THE MISSING AMERICAN. Emma was a policewoman in Ghana before she became a private detective in an all-male firm. Having enough moxie to make herself comfortable among her new colleagues, she takes on a cold case that is almost a year old: the murder of a famous, self-made and beautiful fashion designer, Lady Araba Tagoe, who was found dead in her bed.

The victim’s chauffeur, Kweku-Sam, is arrested and on his way to being convicted of the crime. But Araba’s aunt, Dele Tetteyfio, does not believe he is guilty. A sloppy, feeble investigation by the police led them to jump to an easy conclusion. She seeks help from Emma and her coworkers at the Yemo Sowah Agency, who take on the case with gusto.

"Fans of police procedurals and murder mysteries will find SLEEP WELL, MY LADY to be a well-written novel with a believable plot and strong characters who are finely honed."

Dele believes that Araba’s love interest, Augustus Seeza, is a more likely candidate for committing the murder. He is a television news producer and an interviewer who is also a womanizer and an alcoholic separated from his wife. Dele reports that the relationship between Araba and Seeza was combustible, and he was with her the night she died.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Madame Tawiah discusses the case with Seeza’s father, a high court judge, and she proudly tells him that they are on their way to a conviction with a signed confession and DNA samples. The judge becomes upset when he hears about the physical evidence and tries to play down the DNA, claiming that the “expert” examining it did not have enough experience. He also points out that his son’s DNA surely would be found at the scene because of his relationship with the victim. Madame Tawiah reassures the judge that their prime suspect is Araba’s driver, who was seen exiting the house that night.

When Emma and her coworkers go undercover to solve the murder, they discover that evidence collected at the crime scene was never processed by the police. Sergeant Isaac Boatang is transferred out of Homicide to a new job in Domestic Violence before he has a chance to work on the gathered pieces. Nevertheless, Emma and her cohorts pose as a mosaic of workers --- including a forensic laboratory janitor, an interested house hunter looking to buy Araba’s house, and a construction worker --- all in an effort to unmask Araba’s real killer. As Emma assumes her various roles, traumatic episodes from her past begin to resurface, adding another level of drama to an already suspenseful plot.

The architecture of the book is such that each chapter presents a different time frame. As the narrative unfolds, we are kept abreast of the events that hold the plot together and keep it interesting. Readers are always finding out new information that forms a cohesive whole and can easily follow the script without getting confused. Fans of police procedurals and murder mysteries will find SLEEP WELL, MY LADY to be a well-written novel with a believable plot and strong characters who are finely honed.