Coldsleep Lullaby

by Andrew Brown

Stellenbosch, the present. The body of a young woman is found drifting in a river, and Detective Eberard Februarie is called in to investigate the case. A man struggling with his own demons, Eberard uncovers secrets that lead him to an underworld of sexual hedonism, to the rotten core of this old university town.

Stellenbosch, seventeenth century. Martin van der Keesel’s skill as a viticulturist is matched only by his cruelty towards the slaves who work under him. When he takes an interest in the Boorman family, and their young daughter Sanna, events are set in motion that will ripple through the early colonial society.

With these intertwined narratives, Andrew Brown weaves a spellbinding story about prejudice and deceit, courage and redemption. The swift twists in the plot will keep the reader riveted and breathless. Intelligent, chilling, compelling.

Genres: South Africa, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Crime, Africa, Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catching up…

As readers we open the book to this…

A body floats down a river. For several pages as readers we are experiencing this, not certain what is truly going on with this floating body…until the moment when…

We know that the policeman would be attending to her. This feels like the true beginning of where this story will take us.

We are in South Africa. One story follows the present-day investigation of the murder of Melanie du Preez, the daughter of a prominent professor, who defends the Afrikaans culture. The second story is set in the past, and talks of the brutal, early life of the colony.

The stories will provide a police procedural with unsettling details and depth that give a sense of realism to the times.

At times the novel feels chilling and compelling and difficult to read with realistic characters and subject matter that may be triggering – drug and alcohol addiction, prostitution, and prejudice.

And yet, because of the thought-provoking plot, it is not surprising that it won South Africa’s Sunday Times Fiction Prize in 2014.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first time reading a book by South African author Andrew Brown and I enjoyed it for a number of reasons.

The book was a compact 260 pages which made it a short intense read considering two stories played out it in it.

The book is set in the Cape Winelands area of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek both present day as well as in past during the early Dutch Settler days.

There are two stories that are told concurrently - one of Melanie du Preez whose body is found present day savagely murdered in a Stellenbosch canal and the other a slave girl Sanna, who along with her family are suppressed by their master Martin van der Keesel.

Detective Eberard Februarie and his colleague are assigned to investigate the murder and the story takes you through dark scenes and places that one wouldnt associate with a sleepy town like Stellenbosch. Detective Februarie battles his own demons as he tries to make sense of this case.

One assumes at times you know who the obvious murderer is but the author writes in a very clever manner to illustrate just how stereotyped and biased we as a society and how those who are reponsible for the horrid crime, manage to escape detection because their demographics dont match the perception of a perpetrator. The book highlighted to me the gross injustices of race and colour.

As mentioned, Brown takes the time to base one of his stories during the early Dutch Settler period of South African history and describes the landscape, the human population and era as well as fauna and flora in a magnificent manner. His research and interpretation of the information is beautifully adapted.

It is sad to think that 300 years ago the Cape Lion and leopards roamed freely in the Western Cape which isnt so today. Brown illustrates just how callous the Settlers were with the wildlife and people under their control:namely the slaves. Some of the events in the story are historical fact and other parts are dramatised fiction. Fascinating!

The two stories tie up during the conclusion of the book to form a twist in the tale. I also discovered as a South African that Simon van der Stel was the first coloured governer of the Cape Colony which has never been acknowledged, especially during the Apartheid era but fact.

I would definitely recommend this and would also like to read other of his titles.

[dubh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Streckenweise hat mich dieser südafrikanische Krimi an Mankells Krimis erinnert: Detective Februarie ist mindestens genauso düster wie sein schwedischer Kollege Kurt Wallander. Und auch von der Schreibe her, passt der Vergleich ganz gut - Andrew Brown hat ein gutes Händchen für Stimmungen und dies zeigt sich vor allen an Beschreibungen einzelner Orte und seiner Figuren.
Eberard Februarie, von dem man lange nicht weiß, ob er schwarzer oder weißer Hautfarbe ist, hat einen schweren Stand: er hat sich vor einiger Zeit bei der Drogenfahndung in eine schier ausweglose Situation manövriert, indem er Drogen beiseite geschafft hat und sie weiterverkauft oder aber gleich selbst konsumiert hat. Dazu hat er ein nicht zu verachtendes Alkoholproblem... Nun bekommt Ferbuarie nach seiner Strafe eine zweite Chance: er darf zurück zur Polizei, aber nur unter der Bedingung, dass er sich weiterhin in psychologischer Betreuung befindet. Er selbst hat sich auf ein kleines Revier versetzen lassen um dem enormen Druck der Polizeiarbeit in Südafrika etwas zu entgehen.
Als nun eine junge Frau in einem Fluss bei Stellenbosch treibt, ertrunken, aber mit einer massiven Kopfverletzung, bekommt Februarie den Fall - er soll ihn gemeinsam mit einer jungen Polizeianwärterin lösen.
Man erfährt bei diesem Krimi nebenbei ganz viel über den immer noch alltäglichen und extremen Rassismus in Südafrika. Wie kann ein Land, in dem Apartheid und Rassismus so unfassbar lange Staatsdoktrin waren, mit diesem Vermächtnis umgehen? Fast gar nicht, das lernt man bei Andrew Brown. Die alten Ansichten sind noch tief verwurzelt, die 'bloße' Abwertung allgegenwärtig.
Beim Lesen habe ich mich ewig lange nicht für Februaries Hautfarbe interessiert - ein Normalzustand, wie ich (und offensichtlich auch der Autor) finde. Aber dann kommt eine Begegnung, und plötzlich begreift man, dass es für so manchen burischen Traditionalisten überhaupt nicht egal ist, dass Februarie ein Sklavenname ist.
Ganz sachte streut der Autor immer wieder Wissenswertes ein. Der Name Februarie beispielsweise erklärt sich folgendermaßen: Sklaven hatten keinen Nachnamen, haben aber nach ihrer (seltenen) Freilassung oftmals den Namen des Monats, in dem diese stattfand, als Nachnamen angenommen... Die Vorfahren des Detectives wurden demnach im Februar freigelassen.
Dem Buch ist übrigens auch ein kleines Glossar beigefügt um die Begriffe aus dem Afrikaans und dem Xhosa zu verstehen.

Fazit: Ein toller Krimi, der spannend wie düster ist und zeitgleich einiges Interessantes über das Land Südafrika verrät. Mit einigen kleinen historischen Einschüben wird die Geschichte zwar noch bitterer, hat aber durchaus auch mehr Substanz. Lesenswert!

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Stellenbosch, South Africa, I asked the lady in the book store (I'm pretty sure she was the owner) to recommend a book that would give me a flavor of living in South Africa - and it wouldn't hurt if it was there was murder in it! She recommended this:
http://crimebeat.book.co.za/blog/tag/...
http://www.loot.co.za/shop/main.jsp?p...
(from loot.co.za) "Coldsleep lullaby is a novel set in Stellenbosch. The narrative alternates between two stories, three hundred years apart. The modern story is a police thriller, focusing on Inspector Eberard Februarie, a coloured police officer investigating the murder of a young student, Melanie du Preez. Evidence points to a Burundian who works at a nightclub. But all is not as it seems, and Inspector Februarie, who has a dark past himself, uncovers unexpected bizarre secrets about the case. The second story takes place in the early days of Stellenbosch, in the seventeenth century, and concerns a cruel viticulturist, Martin van der Keesel, and his relationship with his slaves. He develops a dark passion for a certain slave girl, and as the novel progresses, this narrative forms a sort of fugue with the modern one. As the stories move towards their climactic endings, they are brought together with startling skill."

[Gabi Cutayar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coldsleep Lullaby introduces an unlikely hero, Eduard Februarie, and two stories. The parallel of the occurrences in the local area back in the seventeenth century and how they have a significant bearing on the present day murder are carefully stitched together, moving seamlessly to a conclusion which keeps you guessing to the end.
Excellent whodunnit!

[Arlene · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't get into this book. I read the first 3 chapters and it just hadn't grabbed me.

[Nick Fabre · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kind of wish I liked this more than I do. The setting is really interesting: a high-profile murder in Stellenbosch in the years just after the end of apartheid. But there are too many problems to make it really gripping.
There are some interesting scenes and characters. In particular, the scenes in the club and conversations with Laurent were really well done. He's a complex character with a world view that the main character has to grapple with to solve the case. It's a unique way to frame inherent biases and prejudice, particularly in law enforcement.
The murder investigation isn't the main focus of the book, and that's something I think makes it a little more engaging. I don't find detective books particularly interesting, so it was nice that it took a backseat to the broader story.
That being said, there are weird inconsistencies all over the place. Can Eberard smell or not? We're told in the beginning that he can't because of his past, but then immediately told what everything around him smells like. There's a moment at the end of the story where his smell (seemingly) returns, and it's supposed to be a big change, but smell has been used to describe everything around him.
Things are also overexplained. Small character details that could be interesting to pick up on are pointed out sentences after you've noticed them, so everything moves slower than it should.
I really wish people would trust readers to pick up on subtlety. I don't need you to point out that one character completely ignored another. I read the dialogue. I know she was ignored.

**Spoilers**
While I'm moaning, I need to talk about the framing narrative. Jumping back to early settler days every third paragraph was really unnecessary. It's all in service of this twist at the end that truly means nothing. If anything, it actually undercuts the point.
Du Preez's racism isn't bad because he's (unknowingly) actually not a "purebred" Afrikaner. It's wrong because he's a racist. He would still be wrong without the reveal that his ancestors are actually slaves.
Outside of that, it really doesn't add anything. Yes, there are some similar themes, but it doesn't give anything extra.
The actual lullabies also sucked. I know Andrew Brown didn't write most of them, but my eyes glazed over every time we got to one.

[ForgedOpulence · Rating 1 out of 5]

First U.S. edition published June 2014.
DNF'd at Chapter 3.
Even in death, women can't have a moment of peace.

I'm an American reader who picked this book up at a library bag sale in late 2023 & attempted to read in early 2024. I'm sure that there is at least a gap in cultural knowledge on my part that made this book hard to get into.

The first chapter really sealed the book's fate for me, however. I cannot wrap my brain around why the author chose to blatantly sexualize the naked corpse of a teenage girl in the first 4 pages. Why do we as readers need to know how her nipples responded to the water she was found in? It adds absolutely nothing to the story. Her boobs had nothing to do with how she died, who killed her, or who she was. If anything, it tells me everything I need about the author.. enough to know that he's a permanent DNR for me.

Also this line made me want to vomit: pg4 "Thin strips of white skin contrasted against the tan of her lower back and thighs; a small white V trailing into the strings of a bikini bottom, wrapping around her waist and disappearing evocatively between her buttocks, slinking unseen towards her anus."

I flipped through the rest of the book randomly, hoping that that was a one-off, but it wasn't. Almost every time I turned to a random page, there was a completely unnecessary description of someone's breasts. Most of the time, different women. WHY.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought as a an examp[e of good South African contemporary crime fiction from an interesting once-house now bookshop on a very hot day while en route to Stellenbosch this was a pleasurable fit. Drunk, divorced detective, yes, but so much more besides. Structured between lullabies and giving a good flavour of the country in which it is set.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very patchy in terms of content and style. At its best, it engages, outrages and shocks our sensibilities. At its less effective, it is unconvincing, lacks commitment and unpolished.
Very important themes, but an over-flawed detective distracts from the gravitas of the cases, and too many unlikely characters.

[Lacey Conrad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely despised the main character of the present-day story. Made it difficult to keep reading, but I forged ahead anyway hoping he would earn redemption. The story-within-the-story seemed to have no connection with the present day plot until the very end. This one is not for the faint of heart.

[Max Verret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coldsleep is as much a chronicle of the socio-cultural development of South Africa as it is a mystery, or, rather, two mysteries, serving as props to illustrate that development. It's a somewhat tedious read.

[Benji Anstey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intricate and engaging plotline that's not afraid to explore aspects of society that are not often spoken about. A lot of exploration into the predatory side of men's sexuality (don't want to spoil anymore! Worth a read)

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was impatient in the beginning so it took a bit of time for me to get engrossed. Well worth the wait. Intriguing page turner!

[Mirella Ducasteele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eerste boek over Zuid-Afrika. Een historisch verhaal gecombineerd met een hedendaags. Voorspelbaar en oppervlakkig geschreven.

[S.schouwenaars · Rating 1 out of 5]

Valt categorie Baantjer maar dan anders

[Corne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bietjie van n donker storie, maar soos die boek momentum optel raak dit al hoe beter en beter. Goeie boek.

[Emanuela Polizzi]

Good reading

[Wolfgang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not know the Author. Really nice reading. I will look out for more books from him.

[Ani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, which highlights lullabies at the beginning of each chapter, incorporates scenes from the 17th century to the present day in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The fascinating characters in the book are juxtaposed against one another and exhibit both evil and good traits. In the past, the power-hungry viticulturist Martin van der Keesel cannot crush the spirit of the young and determined Sanna Boorman who refuses to acknowledge his tyranny. In the present, the disturbed and troubled Detective Eberard Februarie, who is still lured by the power of drugs and alcohol, is in charge of the murder investigation of a young college student; he stands in sharp contrast to his assigned partner, Constable Xolisua Nduku, a young black South African woman who arose from poverty, and somehow manages to keep her partner in line with her intelligence and good heart. The imposition of the Afrikaans culture in the past is evident in the present day when the victim's father, a law professor and champion of maintaining the prominence of the Afrikaans culture, shoots the main suspect, a Burundian immigrant. His actions trigger a series of events that uncover the disturbing truth that led to the murder of his young daughter Melanie du Preez and young Melanie's connection to Sanna Boorman.

[Buchdoktor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Der Mord an einer jungen Frau in der Gegenwart, die Versklavung Schwarzer zur Zeit der Einführung des Weinanbaus in der Region um Stellenbosch vor 200 Jahren und eine beunruhigende Sammlung von Schlafliedern - diese drei Ebenen führt Andrew Brown in seinem 2005 im englischen Original erschienen Krimi zu einem verblüffenden Ende. Gelöst wird der Fall von Inspektor Eberard Februarie, einem südafrikanischen Ermittler mit Suchtproblemen, der erst wieder an seinen Arbeitsplatz zurückkehren durfte, nachdem er einer psychotherapeutischen Behandlung zugestimmt hatte. Eberard wurde zur Bewährung an seine neue Dienstsstelle versetzt und ist daher nicht gerade beliebt bei seinen Kollegen. Zunächst muss er sich mit der jungen schwarzen Polizistin Xoliswa Nduku zusammenraufen, ehe beide den Fall lösen können. "Schlaf ein mein Kind" lässt sich als Regionalkrimi mit historischem Hintergrund lesen, ist für die Urlaubslektüre jedoch reichlich verstörend.

[Icewineanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book is being marketed as mystery novel set in South Africa, it is really much more about the tempestuous history of the land, its people and culture. This is a beautifully written book, but one that can also be difficult to read given the savage history of the country.

The story toggles back and forth between two time periods, a favorite literary device of authors these days. I found that the mystery and how the stories were connected was fairly easy to figure out long before the final denouement. But even so, that did not take anything away from the story, it is still interesting to see how it plays out.

And, while I did not particularly like the main character of Det. Februarie, I did enjoy the character of his partner, Constable Nduku immensely.

The main reason I recommend this book is for the insight into South Africa's fascinating history and culture. A solid 3.5 stars. I look forward to reading the next book by Andrew Brown.

[Annick · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was OK to read. I especially liked the flashbacks to the time of slavery, when South Africa was just newly colonised, but at the end found it hard to see the link between the past and the present. A bit far-fetched if you ask me.
The one thing I found annoying in the book, was that they didn't translate the South African language used by one of the main characters. Although South African is supposed to be more or less similar with Dutch, I sometimes found it quite hard to know what the meaning of the word was, for example: "klonkie". Haven't got a clue :) A translation might have been handy...

[Paulette Illmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. It starts out as a murder investigation, then becomes two different stories, told in two different time periods, linked together to show nature over nurture, but there is so much more than that. For such a short book, it manages to touch on addiction, vice, rape, murder, prejudice, racism, and the history of wine making in South Africa. There are lessons on how people think and perceive others, how actions and reactions create situations beyond the desired results, and how you have to look at things clearly in order to see truth hidden in what others want to be seen.

[John Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent murder mystery set in Stellenbosch, South Africa. A few chapters are set in the 18th Century near the town; the rest occur in current times. Eberhard Februarie is assigned to investigate the death of a young white woman who is found naked in the river that flows through the town. The story is written very well, brings out many issues of race that permeate South African life and reaches beyond to look at immigrants to the country. I liked how it moved from intense psychological motivations for actions to the broader political issues and their impact on this case. A very good book.

[Suzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

BJ #15, Book #1281
First-in-series. Winner of the Sunday Times FICTION PRIZE.
Detective Eberhard Februarie and his partner, and reservist, Constable Xoliswa Nduku, find the killer of 18-year old, Melanie du Preez.
Strong sense of place. Contrast of two cultures. Contrast of Then vs Now. Speaks to issues of apartheid and the history of Dutch imperialism in South Africa.
Readers who appreciate Carl Mork from the Keeper of Lost Causes/Dept. Q. Series will enjoy underdog Det. Fevruarie.

[Silver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coldsleep Lullabye is well-written and revealed some interesting South African history, but I reached a point involving the salacious underbelly of a nightclub and just didn't want to remain in the head of the main character any longer. I had already anticipated the outcome. I think it would appeal to a different sort of reader. I've overdosed on flawed alcoholic male protagonists and bad fathers.

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

The characters were mostly flawed and even despicable. This included the main detective. The book had some interesting aspects, but the mystery part of it was not much of a mystery. Who was the killer became obvious early. The South African setting and the racial tensions both old and new was of some interest. I knew very little about slavery under the Dutch "Company" that started the colony and still don't.

[Marian]

I was liking the beginning of this book -- interesting setting (South Africa), interesting dynamic between the main detective and his younger, female, African assistant detective, but then there was this in-depth foray into politics and wine which, I hate to say, I'm not that interested in. Abandoning ship.

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually dislike stories whose protagonists are alcoholics, but this was an exception. The intertwined stories of 1690s and modern Stellenbosch were confusing as to their purpose at first, but the intent is revealed at the end.

Good writing and editing; the length of the book was appropriate to the contents.