Lolly Jackson

by Sean Newman, Peter Piegl, Karyn Maughan

With miles of newspaper headlines and a growing body count, the insatiably curious public is still no closer to the truth regarding the assassination of powerful South African businessman Lolly Jackson and several others linked to him. Amid the confusing reports, money laundering on a grand scale, SARS investigations, and the mafia-like killings, this account is the first to cover the events surrounding Jackson’s murder. Intimate and detailed, it provides the reader with a fascinating inside track into the reality of Jackson’s private and business life, beginning with the night when it ended.  

Genres: Nonfiction, Africa, True Crime

257 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Diane V-R · Rating 3 out of 5]

And the Jozi underground crime scene plot thickens. If you enjoyed Killing Kebble then you'll enjoy this book. It's a quick read that will leave you feeling uneasy about the things happening in the shadows of 'normal' society. Scary stuff indeed.

[Eddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. Didn't have the same finesse as Mandy Wiener's Killing Kebble, but still a good read. Would liked some more stories about the girls (dancers), but I guess the book was more focused on Lolly's death. Very interesting characters, but one can't help being confused by the thick web smothering the underworld that is revealed in this book. But read it, it's good.

[Barbara Kinsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant read. The only reason I gave it four stars is because it can get very confusing with all the different cast of characters. One actually needs to read it a second time to understand fully the mafia type crime that is taking place right under our noses. Still highly recommended.

[Kenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting a lot more from this book, both based on recommendation and on the book jacket blurb. Perhaps it's the three contributing authors, but I found there to be unnecessary repetition, garbled timelines, and a rather empty 'conclusion', if you could call it that. It didn't even give a decent indication of the 'seedy underbelly' of South Africa's Jo'burg business world. All in all, mildly interesting, but more so disappointing.

[Mathilde Myburgh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clearly not written by someone apt at research, but by someone (relatively) close to the person in question. This is both a good and bad thing. Sean Newman gives a personal view on Lolly Jackson but fails to conclude the book successfully. Unfortunately, halfway through the book we stop dealing with Lolly Jackson alive and start dealing with the aftermath of his death.
Then [SPOILER] in the end Newman says the end goal wasn't to solve Lolly's death... why, then, dedicate so much time to what happened afterwards?
The book sadly reveals [SPOILER] that Newman simply wasn't close enough to divulge more details than he did, which were sparsely more than what the media already told readers.
The part written by Karyn Maughan is badly edited, badly subdivided and the style contrasts Newman's so much that it's like reading a separate book... correction, a long-ass court document. Your average reader won't be interested in this whatsoever, at least not in the form it is presented here.

TL;DR : Read the first half of the book if you're interested in a somewhat personal account of Lolly Jackson's life, read the second half if you're into speculation and the boring, unorganised thoughts of a journalist whose involvement you can't figure out.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Partly because the "dark side" fascinates me, but also because it was very engaging. It's a book that could have been quite depressing, but strangely wasn't.

The mix of authors makes for some nice contrast - from 1st person personal experience to 3rd person investigative journalism. It's not often one finds that in a book, and even rarer that it works. The book was well edited and proofread too (thank you for that - I can't stand bad grammar) which contrasted nicely to the transcripts of interviews, written in the vernacular :)

[Wεทchy ¸.¸. ҉¨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a tad disappointed. I expected it to be a quick, can't put it down book but it took me forever to finish. I too was captivated by the dark side of society, Lolly's impressive success but the book didn't seem to capture the man. Perhaps as there is no conclusion as to who killed him, it leaves the reader unsatisfied?

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think the fact that all this drama literally happens right around us and with people who live in the next neighbourhood, makes it all the more interesting! Now...who will be writing the book on Radovan Krejcir? :)

[Tania · Rating 1 out of 5]

I though this was a biography, but it turned out to be investigative journalism.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, I am naturally drawn to darker individuals and questionable situations, this book did not disappoint. The cars, the people, the money. . .

[Charmaine Lloyd · Rating 2 out of 5]

maybe it's me.

But after a promising start, the book fell flat. I couldn't follow all the threads, motives, etc.

Maybe I stopped caring.

I couldn't finish it.

(I tried) ...

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A view into a completely different world from mine. Not particularly well written but interesting nontheless.

[Lianne Lipschitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant!

[Andre Hoffmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

its amazing what has been and is still probably going on around us in the parallel universe

[kreestar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tedious.

[Robyn]

Riveting stuff! Cant believe we live amongst all these goings on!

[Francois · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the read. The book was really well written and reads quick and easy. I would have liked to read more about Lolly Jackson and less about SARS which I had to skip halfway through it. Still recommend it though.