20 Great International Mysteries, February 2012

Set in Cape Town, South Africa, this gripping thriller opens with Rachel Anderson, an American college student, on the run, being pursued by a gang of men. When Detective Benny Griessel is awakened in the early morning hours with news of a young woman found dead outside a local church, he feels an uneasy premonition of evil. On this 156th day of sobriety, Griessel is out of sorts--both personally (he has just slept with a stranger and his estranged wife wants to have a talk) and professionally (transferred to another unit, Griessel now bears the responsibility of mentoring a young detective). “Jissis, why did life have to be so complicated?,” he asks. Shedding light on the dark underbelly of the Afrikaans tourist and music industries, Meyer’s pulse-pounding, action-packed novel is full of intrigue, drama and scandal.