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The Blurb On The Back:
Seven years ago, in Cape Town, South Africa, three schoolboys were abducted in broad daylight on consecutive days.
They were never seen again.
Now, a new case for the unpredictable Senior Superintendent Vaughn DeVries casts a light on the original enquiry; for him, a personal failure which has haunted and changed him. Struggling in a mire of departmental and racial rivalry, DeVries seeks the whole truth, and unravels a complex history of abuse, deception and murder. Encountering friends, colleagues and friends, DeVries realises he doesn’t know who he can trust.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Paul Mendelson’s debut crime novel (the first in a series) is a promising look at the racial and political tensions at play in modern South Africa told in a dark “Saffer Noir” style but it’s held back by an unsatisfying plot and antagonists whose motivations are thinly explained at best. The use of the South African landscape (which is evocative and rich and helps set the tone for the novel) is great as is the depiction of inter-police rivalries and corruption as the department succumbs to individual ambition and grievances rooted in the apartheid past. Unfortunately it’s difficult to empathise with DeVries – racist and driven by his gut – he’s an old school policeman unwilling to engage or even sympathise with the political and media forces buffeting his boss and protector Brigadier Du Toit and as such, I had difficulty buying into him. Equally difficult to believe in is DeVries self-appointed nemesis, David Werner (head of internal affairs) and Julius Mngomezulu (sidekick to General Sempiwe Thulani, Du Toit’s boss) who are thinly characterised to the point of being two-dimensional while Marantz is little more than a plot get-out-of-jail card there to provide some answers when needed and Don February has some enigmatic secret that I wasn’t too interested in discovering. There’s enough here to ensure I’ll check out the sequel but I really need more rounded characters if I’m to stick the series out.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
They were never seen again.
Now, a new case for the unpredictable Senior Superintendent Vaughn DeVries casts a light on the original enquiry; for him, a personal failure which has haunted and changed him. Struggling in a mire of departmental and racial rivalry, DeVries seeks the whole truth, and unravels a complex history of abuse, deception and murder. Encountering friends, colleagues and friends, DeVries realises he doesn’t know who he can trust.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Paul Mendelson’s debut crime novel (the first in a series) is a promising look at the racial and political tensions at play in modern South Africa told in a dark “Saffer Noir” style but it’s held back by an unsatisfying plot and antagonists whose motivations are thinly explained at best. The use of the South African landscape (which is evocative and rich and helps set the tone for the novel) is great as is the depiction of inter-police rivalries and corruption as the department succumbs to individual ambition and grievances rooted in the apartheid past. Unfortunately it’s difficult to empathise with DeVries – racist and driven by his gut – he’s an old school policeman unwilling to engage or even sympathise with the political and media forces buffeting his boss and protector Brigadier Du Toit and as such, I had difficulty buying into him. Equally difficult to believe in is DeVries self-appointed nemesis, David Werner (head of internal affairs) and Julius Mngomezulu (sidekick to General Sempiwe Thulani, Du Toit’s boss) who are thinly characterised to the point of being two-dimensional while Marantz is little more than a plot get-out-of-jail card there to provide some answers when needed and Don February has some enigmatic secret that I wasn’t too interested in discovering. There’s enough here to ensure I’ll check out the sequel but I really need more rounded characters if I’m to stick the series out.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
