Dead at Daybreak
From the author of Thirteen Hours – A Sunday Times ‘100 best crime novels and thrillers since 1945’ pick
An antiques dealer is burned with a blowtorch and executed with a single shot to the back of the head. The only clues at the scene are a scrap of paper and an unusual choice of gun.
Ex-cop Zatopek ‘Zed’ van Heerden has just seven days to solve the case – an almost impossible task made even harder when he discovers that, until a few years ago, there was no proof that the victim even existed . . .
An antiques dealer is burned with a blowtorch and executed with a single shot to the back of the head. The only clues at the scene are a scrap of paper and an unusual choice of gun.
Ex-cop Zatopek ‘Zed’ van Heerden has just seven days to solve the case – an almost impossible task made even harder when he discovers that, until a few years ago, there was no proof that the victim even existed . . .
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Reviews
Deon Meyer recreates the beauty, wildness, and danger of modern Africa with an immediacy and force no other writer has achieved . . . his work is undeniably "a cause for celebration"
If DEAD AT DAYBREAK is anything to go by, we are seeing the rise of a major new, international writing talent. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
A highly entertaining, page-turning transposition of the American private eye genre to an exotic and vibrant setting...a terrific new talent
'Deon Meyer provides us with a gripping mystery solved by dogged legwork and occasional flashes of insight, and with a telling psychological portrait of a man and a nation haunted by a past that combines brilliance with much to be ashamed of'
'Deon Meyer's second foray into the crime thriller genre offers a slick plot, strong characters and a subtle insight into a changing country'
Meyer weaves an impressively tangled web and taut narrative keeps the reader guessing until the last couple of pages
A brilliant book. Deon Meyer does an excellent job of developing a whole range of characters who are affected by the changes in South Africa in different ways. And Thobela, a giant of a man in search of redemption, is a wonderful hero.
A plot-driven page-turner, but clear attention has been paid to character development, motivations and dialogue as well. Joubert is a haunted yet sympathetic protagonist; his character fairly begs for a sequel.
Hooked me right from the start...a thriller with some weight attached and that is a rare find.
Out of post-apartheid South Africa comes a thriller good enough to nip at the heels of le Carré ... Wonderful setting; rich, colourful cast, headed by a valiant/vulnerable protagonist.
Like post-war Germany, post-apartheid South Africa offers fertile ground for reflective fiction ... Senior editor at Little, Brown, Judy Clain, a fellow South African, says, "Meyer has an extraordinary landscape - a changed world where the ghosts of the past play a huge role."
With simmering racial tensions, a bounty of natural resources, and a government whose members worked both sides of the cold-war fence, South Africa should prove fertile ground for many fine spy thrillers to come. Don't be surprised if quite a few of them are written by Meyer.
Meyer subtly juxtaposes the heartbreak of the victims' families with the heartbroken detective assigned to their cases. Using humour and pathos in equal measure, Meyer builds a deeply moving portrait of a man in search of his own dignity, reclaiming his life one pool lap at a time.
'DEAD AT DAYBREAK is a gripping read with a flawed but human protagonist who invites our compassion. This is the second novel by Deon Meyer, a fresh voice and a compelling storyteller'
Deon Meyer recreates the beauty, wildness, and danger of modern Africa with an immediacy and force no other writer has achieved . . . his work is undeniably "a cause for celebration"
If DEAD AT DAYBREAK is anything to go by, we are seeing the rise of a major new, international writing talent. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
A highly entertaining, page-turning transposition of the American private eye genre to an exotic and vibrant setting...a terrific new talent
'Deon Meyer provides us with a gripping mystery solved by dogged legwork and occasional flashes of insight, and with a telling psychological portrait of a man and a nation haunted by a past that combines brilliance with much to be ashamed of'
'Deon Meyer's second foray into the crime thriller genre offers a slick plot, strong characters and a subtle insight into a changing country'
Meyer weaves an impressively tangled web and taut narrative keeps the reader guessing until the last couple of pages
A brilliant book. Deon Meyer does an excellent job of developing a whole range of characters who are affected by the changes in South Africa in different ways. And Thobela, a giant of a man in search of redemption, is a wonderful hero.
A plot-driven page-turner, but clear attention has been paid to character development, motivations and dialogue as well. Joubert is a haunted yet sympathetic protagonist; his character fairly begs for a sequel.
Hooked me right from the start...a thriller with some weight attached and that is a rare find.
Out of post-apartheid South Africa comes a thriller good enough to nip at the heels of le Carré ... Wonderful setting; rich, colourful cast, headed by a valiant/vulnerable protagonist.
Like post-war Germany, post-apartheid South Africa offers fertile ground for reflective fiction ... Senior editor at Little, Brown, Judy Clain, a fellow South African, says, "Meyer has an extraordinary landscape - a changed world where the ghosts of the past play a huge role."
With simmering racial tensions, a bounty of natural resources, and a government whose members worked both sides of the cold-war fence, South Africa should prove fertile ground for many fine spy thrillers to come. Don't be surprised if quite a few of them are written by Meyer.
Meyer subtly juxtaposes the heartbreak of the victims' families with the heartbroken detective assigned to their cases. Using humour and pathos in equal measure, Meyer builds a deeply moving portrait of a man in search of his own dignity, reclaiming his life one pool lap at a time.
'DEAD AT DAYBREAK is a gripping read with a flawed but human protagonist who invites our compassion. This is the second novel by Deon Meyer, a fresh voice and a compelling storyteller'