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’n Student se dood in die berg by Stellenbosch lyk verdag. ’n Oud-recce vermoor as ’n boodskap. ’n Mooi veldgids, gewerf as ’n heuningwip vir die grootste dollar-rooftog in die land se geskiedenis. En staatskapers wat elkeen van die ondersoeke saboteer. Jy’t ’n koel kop nodig om dit alles te ontrafel, om die enorme druk te kan hanteer. Jy moet kalm en gefokus en nugter wees. Maar Bennie Griessel se kop is nie koel nie. Want op 12 Junie moet hy trou. Dis ’n resep vir ’n ramp.

624 pages, Paperback

Published October 10, 2024

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About the author

Deon Meyer

58 books1,224 followers
Deon Meyer was born in the South African town of Paarl in the winelands of the Western Cape in 1958, and grew up in Klerksdorp, in the gold mining region of Northwest Province.

After military duty and studying at the Potchefstroom University, he joined Die Volksblad, a daily newspaper in Bloemfontein as a reporter. Since then, he has worked as press liaison, advertising copywriter, creative director, web manager, Internet strategist, and brand consultant.

Deon wrote his first book when he was 14 years old, and bribed and blackmailed his two brothers into reading it. They were not impressed (hey, everybody is a critic ...)
Deon Meyer

Heeding their wisdom, he did not write fiction again until he was in his early thirties, when he started publishing short stories in South African magazines.

"I still believe that is the best way to learn the craft of writing. Short stories teach you a lot about story structure - and you have limited space to develop character and plot," says Deon.

In 1994 he published his first Afrikaans novel, which has not been translated, "simply because it was not good enough to compete on the international market. However, it was a wonderful learning experience".

All later novels have been translated into several languages, including English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Russian, Finnish, Czech, Romanian, Slovakian and Bulgarian.

Deon lives in Melkbosstrand on the South African West Coast with his wife, Anita, and they have four children to keep them busy: Lida, Liam, Johan and Konstanz.

Other than his family, his big passions are motorcycling, music (he is a Mozart fanatic, but loves rock 'n roll too), reading, cooking and rugby (he unconditionally supports the national Springbok team and the Free State Cheetahs provincial team).

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews
Profile Image for chantalsbookstuff.
1,047 reviews1,055 followers
May 10, 2025
Welcome back to the land of sunshine, suspense, and spectacular slang—yes, it's another installment in the Benny Griessel series by Deon Meyer, and it's a banger.

In Leo (yes, that's the English translation for you non-Afrikaans-speaking thriller fans), our favorite crime-fighting duo—Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido—are stuck doing sleepy-town police work in Stellenbosch, far from the gritty Cape Town corruption they used to wrangle like pros. But rest assured, things heat up fast when a student ends up dead on a hiking trail and a local businessman is silenced in dramatic fashion—with filler foam sprayed down his throat. (Murder method creativity? 10/10.)

Meanwhile, across the country, a beautiful safari guide is roped into a military-style heist that sounds more Mission: Impossible than Kruger National Park—and when that job ends in disaster, it starts a chain reaction of dead ex-soldiers, dirty politicians, and one very messy paper trail leading straight back to our detectives.

The plot unfolds like a high-stakes jigsaw puzzle, full of false leads, espionage, shady alliances, and a countdown not just to another audacious theft—but to Benny's own wedding (because what's a little government conspiracy without a tux deadline?).

Meyer nails the pacing as always—this is a jet-fueled ride through South Africa’s criminal underbelly, with sharp dialogue, rich local flavor, and action scenes that snap like biltong in the sun. And let’s be honest—few authors make you feel like you’re in South Africa quite like Meyer does. The slang! The landscape! The corrupt officials in tailored suits! Perfection.

Is this the best in the series? Maybe not quite—but it is classic Griessel: gritty, twisty, intelligent, and laced with that dry humor that makes you love Benny and Vaughn even when they’re hopelessly outgunned. Bonus: it made me deeply nostalgic for the motherland.

If you haven’t read the Benny Griessel series, what are you even doing with your life? This one stands strong with the rest—smart, suspenseful, and proudly South African. Just don’t read it on a mountain trail. You’ve been warned.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the early look at another Meyer masterpiece.
Profile Image for Anschen Conradie.
1,483 reviews84 followers
November 1, 2023
#Leo – Deon Meyer
#HumanEnRousseau

Dis nie die beste seisoen in Bennie Griessel se bestaan nie. Sy troudag sluip nader, Cupido is knorrig omdat hy op die dieet-waentjie ry; daar is geen vooruitsig dat hulle binne die afsienbare toekoms in hulle range herstel sal word nie, en die Diens se agteruitgang, tesame met die besef dat hy eersdaags ‘n halfeeu oud sal wees met min om daarvoor te wys, is genoeg om hom leepoog na die naaste kroeg te laat loer. ‘n Oënskynlik geringe oortreding – ‘n honde-eienaar wat versuim om sy honde aan leibande te hou – dompel hulle egter midde-in ‘n ondersoek waarvan die los drade in alle denkbare rigtings waai.

‘n Oud Recce word vermoor. Die vulskuim in sy mond stuur ‘n duidelike boodskap: Hou jou bek. Die lyk van ‘n korrupte politikus word op ‘n gholfbaan gevind. Ook met vulskuim in die mond en met ‘n kriptiese boodskap daarnaas. In ‘n aparte storielyn word ‘n grootskaalse transito-rooftog beplan; Amerikaanse dollars en goud. Maar die beplanners kan mekaar nie vertrou nie, “there is no honor among thieves.”

Die roman is natuurlik fiktief, maar die name van die karakters laat min twyfel oor na wie verwys word, wat bydra tot die oortuigingskrag van die gebeure. Die voormalige korrupte president, Joe Zaca, het bande gehad met Indiese skarminkels, die Chandas, en die Zamisa-kommissie na staatskaping het gevolg. ‘n Etiese misdaadverslaggewer in die Wes Kaap, Julian Jenkens, maak ook sy verskyning.

Die woordspel waaraan die titel ontleen is, verdien vermelding. Elke afdeling van die roman is vernoem na ‘n roofdier en die leeu word beklemtoon deur die bynaam van ‘n karakter, Tau, wat leeu is Sesotho, Setswana en Sepedi beteken, asook deur die verwysing na die mite van Herakles en die Nemeïese leeu.

Die ruimtes waarin die roman grootliks afspeel, naamlik die Wes Kaap, word kleurvol beskryf deur na Stellenbosch as Volvoville te verwys, en beurtkrag en die verval van sekere areas in te sluit. Die tydsraamwerk is kort en die aftik van die horlosie word beklemtoon deur die aftelling na Griessel se troudag as deel van die teks.

Verwysings na vorige romans deur die skrywer kom deurgaans voor en word toegelig deur middel van voetnotas. Dis egter nie ‘n voorvereiste om die voormelde romans te lees om ‘Leo’ te geniet nie; die roman staan onafhanklik en terugblikke na die voorafgaande publikasies is bloot terloops.

‘n Interessante morele dilemma word subtiel geopper, naamlik hoe om die diefstal van gesteelde eiendom te beoordeel. As die besitter nie in regmatige besit is nie, verdien hy enige beskerming as die eiendom deur ‘n derde party gesteel word? Stof tot nadenke.

NB-Uitgewers/Publishers

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #Uitdieperdsebek
Profile Image for Shannon M (Canada).
497 reviews175 followers
March 4, 2025
The interplay between Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido comprises the largest amount of pages in this novel, but much of it includes undertakings involved in the planning of Griessel’s upcoming wedding. Relatively little space is devoted to following up their main case—the torture and murder of a former soldier. In comparison, a huge amount of narrative space is devoted to the planning and execution of two heists carried out by a crew that includes Christina Jaeger, a crew that was not involved in the torture/murder of the former soldier. Three independent novellas appear to have been interwoven into a single story: Benny’s investigation of the torture/murder of the soldier, Christina’s heist capers with her team, and another torture/murder, this time involving an influential political fixer.

Brief Synopsis

The novel begins with Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido, but after one chapter, it switches to a narrative about Christina Jaeger, and her recruitment into a heist crew. We follow the preparations and execution of the heist, involving millions of U.S. dollars, until the caper ends. Griessel and Cupido do not appear again until Chapter 20 and that is in response to the unexplained death of a university student on a mountain trail. They quickly solve the mystery of how the student met her death, but cannot prove their theory without definitive forensic evidence.

Then the narrative switches back to Christina (chapters 26-33), now living in Europe. When we return to Benny and Vaughn, there is a lot of joking around about Benny’s upcoming wedding before their case develops a sudden urgency; the man whose actions probably caused the student’s death, Basie Small, has been found tortured and murdered. Only now, at close to the 30% point, does the novel become interesting, closer in tone to Deon Meyer’s better-known works.

Basie Small was a former Recce—the South African Special Forces Brigade—and soon the focus switches to another former Recce, Tau Berger. The action switches back and forth amongst Griessel and Cupido (who are following up on the Small murder), Christina Jaeger (who has rejoined the heist crew), and Tau Berger (who has his own agenda).

Culture and Politics

The author, Deon Meyer, is a South African who writes in Afrikaans and his novels are then translated into English (and other languages). Sprinkled throughout LEO are numerous commonly used Afrikaans words. Many are exclamations and most are easily comprehensible within the context wherein they are uttered. Meyer includes a glossary of these Afrikaans words in LEO. South Africa has 11 official languages, so words in this glossary originate from several sources, not only Afrikaans.

To understand comments made by the fictional characters, as well as important aspects of the plot, a reader needs some knowledge of South Africa’s current and past economic/political situation—not an academic knowledge but general knowledge gained by following international newspaper articles. For example, “load shedding” is mentioned frequently and plays a part in the action; it refers to the country’s energy crisis, which results in frequent energy blackout periods.

I cannot imagine reading this novel without a basic knowledge of the rampant political corruption that occurred during the reign of the ex-president (replaced in 1918). A detailed knowledge is not necessary, but Meyer wrote it for his fellow countrymen, and a reader would be expected to be familiar with the political upheaval that occurred during that president’s tenure. I notice that the names of real people have been slightly altered for this fictional tale, I suppose for legal purposes, but even someone who only reads the newspaper should be able to identify how closely the fictional fraudulent behaviour mirrors the real malfeasance that took place during the ex-president’s tenure.

My Perspective

LEO starts slowly. Not only were Griessel and Cupido missing from the action, but I found Christina Jaeger, the primary character in the beginning section, to be uninspiring. The account of the heist failed to gain my interest, and the characterizations of crew members other than Christina not well developed; Themba Jola, in particular, was an unclear figure, identified only as a member of the Xhosa tribe, with no distinguishing features. This section is narrated from the POV of Christina. She and one other crew member initially appeared in the novel “Trackers”. I read it years ago. I still own the copy purchased from the now-defunct Book Depository, but I cannot remember any details about the characters or plot. Unlike some of Meyer’s early novels, such as “Heart of the Hunter”, “Trackers” was not “unforgettable”.

The worst part of this early section was a long monologue by Christina describing her background (chapter 29 and most of chapter 30). While I plodded through it, I thought to myself: “This is not Deon Meyer’s style; he is so good at subtly conveying characterization using actions, speech, and thought patterns. Why was this soliloquy dumped on us?” The information Christina conveys has nothing to do with the rest of the novel. It merely slows down the action and makes Christina less likeable.

Thankfully, soon after this dreadful monologue, Griessel and Cupido take precedence in the narrative, and the story becomes far more interesting. Soon too, we encounter Tau Berger, and Basie Small’s sister, both antiheroes, but interesting antiheroes. During the final 70% of the novel, the are a few low spots (too much time spent describing the wedding preparations) and lots of high spots. The reader knows all the facts but Benny knows only a few. It is not a whodunnit, a whydunnit, or a howdunnit. It is more like a jigsaw puzzle, where the reader has all the pieces but Benny doesn’t, and whether he will be able to join clues together to see the larger picture, and still make his wedding on time, becomes a race.

For me, the first 30% of the book was slightly better than average, worth only 3.5 stars, the next 35% definitely merited 4 stars, and the final 35%—which had me turning pages as fast as I could—was undeniably a 5-star narrative. After pondering, I decided to give it a four-star overall rating—because I couldn’t award it 4.5 stars. It is better than most thrillers being published, but not as good as Meyer’s last two novels, “The Last Hunt” and “The Dark Flood”.

But still highly recommended. ** 4.5 rating **

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My reviews for some other books in this series:
The Last Hunt (Benny Griessel #6)
The Dark Flood (Benny Griessel #7)

and also see:

Dead At Daybreak
Dead Before Dying
Trackers
Heart of the Hunter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks to Grove Atlantic for providing an electronic copy of this book via Netgalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.
Profile Image for De Wet.
279 reviews24 followers
November 2, 2023
So goed soos altyd, en 'n "groter" storielyn as Donkerdrif. Dis moeilik om veel oor die boek te sê sonder om dinge weg te gee wat jy eerder self moet ontdek. Ek sal sê moenie eers die sinopsis lees nie, duik net in en geniet die storie. Daar is waaghalsige rooftogte, lekker speurwerk en persoonlike intriges. 500 bladsye later en jy gaan wens daar was nog 500 om mee aan te gaan. Nie perfek nie, daar is so een of twee plekke waar die boek se pas 'n bietjie makeer, maar dit pla nie rerig nie.
Profile Image for Tania.
1,450 reviews359 followers
November 5, 2023
3.5 opgerond na 4 sterre. Dit is onmoontlik om nie meegesleur te word deur Bennie en Vaughn se interessante gesprekke en unieke verhouding nie. Bennie se empatiese innerlike geworstel met alles wat hy in sy daaglikse ondersoeke sien in kontras met Cupido se humor en sjarme is wat hierdie speur-paar een van die vermaaklikstes maak.

Ek het ook die tong-in-kies name van sekere van die politieke spelers (onder andere die voormalige korrupte president, Joe Zaca, en sy korrupte Indiese borge, die Chandas) geniet.

Ongelukkig het die spanning in die storie vir my net bietjie te lank gevat voor dit ingeskop het. Nou begin die lang wag tot die volgende Deon Meyer.
Profile Image for Carlo Hublet.
731 reviews6 followers
February 18, 2023
Le titre original, en afrikaans, "Koors", et en anglais, "Fever", traduit bien mieux l'objet du récit que le poétique titre choisi en français. Un détail.
Comme Thilliez (Pandemia), que j'avais lu avec passion, mais aussi, wikipedia me l'a appris, Dean Koontz et Fred Vargas (à inscire dans mes projets de lecture), le sud-africain Meyer raconte avant la pandémie que nous avons vécue, que nous vivons encore, même si le fléau semble (mieux) géré, les effets d'un conona-virus qui a décimé 95% de la population mondiale, peu avant "le nôtre".
Thriller sous forme du récit d'un survivant, une espèce de journal, témoignage des rescapés d'une communauté qui a réussi, dans la douleur, la guerre de gangs vandales meurtiers, à reconstruire un monde en miniature.
Sous l'impulsion de Willem, un homme sage, savant, philosophe, courageux, désireux de transmettre à son fils Nico une nouvelle vie, meilleure.
Narration de ce fils. Le journal peut sembler fastidieux mais il mérite l'effort de le déchiffrer intégralement.
Tout oppose le fils et le père. Ils s'aiment tous les deux, le père exprime son amour immense pour ce fils, adolescent au moment de l'aventure épique, qui, lui, reste perpétuellement écartelé entre amour et haine envers ce père.
Le fils veut savoir (je ne dévoile rien, Meyer l'annonce dès les premières pages) qui a assassiné son père, ce père le nez toujours dans les étoiles mais d'une exceptionnelle efficacité dans la reconstruction de sa tribu.
Multiples possibilités: le pasteur plutôt intégriste, rival politique au sein de la nouvelle communauté, un chef de gang pilleur et tueur sans pitié, un autre ennemi inconnu?
Un grand roman, vraiment original, par sa forme un peu ardue, parfois chaotique, par son écriture simple, qui donne la parole à un tas d'acteurs, le plus souvent modestes, dans leur langage personnel. Une énorme humanité. Des personnages simples dans leur fabuleuse complexité.
Et une conclusion qui surprendra.
Profile Image for Klaas Bottelier.
204 reviews77 followers
September 19, 2024
This is the eight book in the Bennie Griessel series, a series of police thrillers set in Cape Town, South Africa and featuring veteran detectives Bennie Griessel and Vaughn Cupido. Griessel and Cupido form an awesome duo with great chemistry, they have become more than just partners over the years, their relationship has been carefully crafted over these 8 books and I love it.

The setting of Cape Town, Stellenbosch and other places in South Africa makes for an interesting one, I have been to Cape Town once and it is beautiful. The colorful background of South African society also includes many aspects of its diverse culture, different languages as well as politics and corruption.

Although this book may seem somewhat long for a police thriller at 500 pages, it never feels long, Meyer has an excellent writing style, and the chapters are relatively short. The story is very good, at the center of it is a heist (always fun!) and the characters are well developed.

The camaraderie between Cupido and Griessel is great. They deal with issues like how to deal with the younger generation when you are slowly getting older yourself, and they have relationships which present challenges sometimes as well.

It is written in Afrikaans which is a language very much like Dutch so I read it in Dutch, my native language. But there is an English translation available as well, called “Leo” I believe, I recommend the whole series to be honest, the Bennie Griessel series sets the bar for police thrillers in my opinion.
Profile Image for Sonja Arlow.
1,233 reviews7 followers
November 25, 2023
3.5 sterre

Hierdie is my gunsteling skrywer van my gunsteling Afrikaanse reeks. Dit was so lekker om weer terug te wees by Bennie en Vaugn al het die storie so n ruk gevat om aan die gang te kom.

Profile Image for Ken.
171 reviews7 followers
March 21, 2025
Deon Meyers kindly asks your patience when you read one of his books.

They often sell by the kilogram. Chunky-monkey, Uncle ( or Auntie) !
Wordy. But chapters are short.
Descriptions of surroundings can be detailed, exotic, lavish.
You will learn most characters' lunch or dinner menus. Nice, personal touch.
Their favorite music. Music is universal, ne' ?
Afrikaans slang ? A handy optional directory is provided.
It's ok to blush.....

Character descriptions, quirks, relationships, speech patterns. Vivid.
References to previous books and recurring characters ; get out your wallet.

LEO is his latest South African police procedural thriller.
Number 8 in a series.
Could be a standalone.

Is this book lekker ? Djas !
An international bestseller? Heito !
Worth your time, your patience ?

Yebo, all of the above.
It is, it is.
Profile Image for Hannelie Du plooy.
2 reviews
October 29, 2023
You can never go wrong with Deon Meyer!

Another outstanding book from this master writer. Leo is one of Meyer's best books and I can not wait for the next chapter in Bennie Griesel's life.
Profile Image for Anne-Marie.
261 reviews25 followers
January 19, 2024
Hierdie is vir my een van die beste Deon Meyer boeke. Maar ek soek 'n opvolg. Want ek wil weet. Van Chrissie. Ongeag het ek heeltyd vir haar en Ig ge"root". En Bennie. Ag Bennie, jy en Vaughn maak my hart marshmellow. Skryf vinnig Deon!
Profile Image for Julia.
568 reviews19 followers
March 15, 2024
ja, ja, ja en ja. dis al wat ek kan sê van 'n deon meyer boek. dit het nie teleurgestel nie en was briljant.
Profile Image for Amanda.
1,154 reviews
November 17, 2023
Ek het die afgelope weke ’n hele rits boeke gelees wat deel uitmaak van reekse waarvan ek die vorige boeke nie gelees het nie, of te lank gelede om die detail mooi te herroep. Die jongste daarvan is Leo, die splinternuwe Deon Meyer-spanningsverhaal wat reeds druk bespreek word.
Ek het weereens so proe-proe begin om te kyk of ek gaan koers kry, gegewe die feit dat ek, met die uitsondering van Koors, baie lanklaas ’n Deon Meyer gelees het. Ek kan in alle eerlikheid sê dat ek sommer van meets af aan betrokke geraak het by die wel en weë van Griessel en Cupido, twee speurders wat huishoudelike name is onder krimilesers. Om Cupido aan te haal, ek het spoedig gesit met ’n “conundrum”: lees ek stadig, maak notas, trek breinkaarte om die kloutjie by die oor te kry én daar te hou met al die partye wat betrokke is, of lees ek vinnig om by die ontknoping uit te kom? Bevrees laasgenoemde opsie het gewen, en sal ek dalk eendag op die aftreeoord se stoep moet herlees!
Die fiktiewe verhaal het sterk klanke van die ware korrupsie, vergrype en misdaad in Suid-Afrika en elders in Afrika. Die magspel tussen onderskeie regs- en ondersoekeenhede wat veroorsaak dat Griessel en Cupido telkens aan iemand anders moet rapporteer, klink ook baie relevant. Dit dra ook grootliks by tot Bennie se futloosheid en negatiwiteit. “Dis soos padtekens wat sê daar is nie ’n manier dat jy vorentoe ’n sukses kan maak van enigiets nie.” (p.179). Vir Cupido het ek baie geniet. Hy is pal in Bennie se hoek: “Dis ’n classic case of midlife crisis, pappie. Ma’ hier’s die goeie nuus: There’s a cure, Benna.” (p.179/180)
Hoe bekend klink byvoorbeeld ook “’n vars gesiggie by die Nasionale Intelligensiediens. Baie slim, baie ambisieus, vloeibare morele waardes,” (p. 339) Die skrywer verweef feit en fiksie bepaald meesterlik.
’n Kenmerk wat ek onthou van vorige boeke, is dat die skrywer graag aftel na ’n bepaalde gebeurtenis of sperdatum, wat grootliks bydra tot die spanningslyn. In Leo tel Bennie af na sy troudag, wat dalk onskuldig mag voorkom maar vir hom groot stres inhou. Uiteindelik word dit ook ’n groot faktor in die finale hoofstukke. Hoofstukke wat my tot middernag laat vasbyt het, totdat die stof letterlik gaan lê het. Ek móés lees, verby die slot tot by die Erkennings, want neersit was later nie ’n opsie nie.
Wat ek ook waardeer het was dat die taalgebruik nie onnodig kru was nie, telkens in karakter en relevant tot die situasie. Ek kon selfs die gewelddadige tonele verteer sonder nagmerries, selfs vir Tau Berger, wat “niemand se speelmaatjie” is nie. Waar Recces betrokke is, is dit vanselfsprekend dat dinge rof kan raak, maar die aanbieding was puik.
Profile Image for Leather.
563 reviews12 followers
November 15, 2024
A Deon Meyer that disappointed me, which is not surprising given the narrative technique used: we constantly jump from one point of view to another in this book, to the point of ending up feeling seasick.
It is also very long, too long, disrupted by the preparations for Benny's wedding that have virtually no interest, and a plot that once again veers a little too much into politics, and that lacks credibility. I was often on the verge of boredom and abandonment.
I also wondered if this was a book written with the idea of ​​a film adaptation in mind. We will see.
Only my adoration of the author and the last hundred pages, rhythmic and full of suspense, allowed me to get to the end.
I prefer (by much) the investigations centered on Benny and Vaughn.
I hope to find a more classic police investigation in their next adventures.
1,372 reviews19 followers
March 16, 2025
I read Leo without reading other books in the Benny Griessel series by Deon Meyer. Leo is number 8 in the series; I'm not sure if that affected my enjoyment of the book. It seemed like a stand-alone as I was reading it. Meyer weaves together two different storylines that eventually intersect. Benny Griessel and his work partner Vaughn Cupido investigate a suspicious death on one side of South Africa while a complex robbery is taking place on the other side of the country. The detective work interested me somewhat in the beginning of the book, but otherwise I found much of it boring. The book engrossed me more at about the two-thirds mark, where I was invested enough to be curious about the outcome.
Profile Image for Etienne Lombard.
Author 4 books8 followers
November 24, 2023
I enjoyed reading the latest Deon Meyer book, Leo, immensely. It is a real page-turner. The author definitely has a special gift to create tension and keep the reader on his/her toes. He employs various techniques to do so with great success. I enjoyed the plot as it unfolded. The main characters; our two detectives, who have been with us as readers in various other novels, have become, I think, folk heroes in South Africa , and elsewhere.Their interaction with each other is priceless.
Profile Image for Leandra Lourens.
6 reviews
December 12, 2024
Another great book from Deon Meyer. There are several plots that you know are going to intertwine and just when you think you have it figured out, you don't. The ending felt a bit rushed and I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't more detail at the end. Overall a great book though.
Profile Image for Rina Coetzee Gous.
146 reviews8 followers
November 5, 2023
Ek moet skaamteloos erken dat ek in die tydperk tussen die verskyning van “Donker drif” en Deon Meyer se nuutste boek “Leo” amper vergeet het wat ‘n fees dit is om ‘n Meyer boek te lees. Bennie en Vaughn bevind hulself steeds in Stellenbosch met ‘n ernstige begeerte om terug te keer na hulle geliefde Valke eenheid. Intussen doen hulle hul bes om daar te bewys dat hulle verdien om terug te skuif. ‘n Jong student word dood gevind met bytmerke aan haar bene. Kort daarna word hulle verdagte in die saak dood gevind met vullerskuim in sy mond – ‘n duidelike “hou jou mond” boodskap. Dit is egter net die eerste van ‘n reeks moored. Intussen beplan ‘n groep om die miljoene van die staatskaping wat versteek is in ‘n goed bewaarde stoorplek, te roof. Bennie en Vaugh moet kophou en albei het soveel wat aangaan in hulle lewens. Vaughn veg teen die vetjies en Bennie het sy grootste sperdatum ooit – sy troue met Alexa kom elke dag nader.

Die boek is slim verdeel in gedeeltes wat elk met ‘n roofdier en die name oor wie die gedeelte meestal gaan. Daar is ook ‘n lekker speling met die naam van ‘n karakter, Tau wat ook leeu beteken en die van van ‘n ander, Jaeger wat jagter beteken. Dit is inderdaad ‘n geveg tussen die roofdiere waarop die storie afstuur en wat sorg vir ‘n sterk spanningslyn in die boek. Ek was heeltemal ingetrek in die storie en kon weens daardie einste spanninglyn hier teen die einde glad nie die boek neersit nie. Die gebruik van Bennie se troue as ‘n vaste datum en tyd dra by tot die skep van die spanning in die boek.

Teen die agtergrond van die staatskaping word baie duidelike verwysings na regte mense gebruik maar ook opwindende nuwe karakters geskep. Vir my is dit ‘n heerlike lekkerte wanneer Meyer karakters uit sy vorige boeke weer ‘n kans gee om hulle verskyning te maak. In hierdie boek is daar ‘n paar verwysings na vorige boeke en karakters wat nuttig ook in voetnotas gemeld word. Om die waarheid te sê party van hulle verskyn prominent weer. Hierdie skep ‘n gevoel van bekendheid – vir my is van hulle al soos ou vriende of kennise wat jy weer raakloop.

Meyer speel lekker met die morele dilemma van steel van die steler en wanneer dit reg, of dan verkeerd is, om te neem van die wat soveel meer en soveel skelmer gesteel het. As leser vind jy jouself simpatiek teenoor die wat dit dalk nie heeltemal verdien op ‘n morele vlak nie. Dit bewys net weereens hoe knap skrywer Deon Meyer is.

Ek het in Leo ‘n woord raakgeloop wat my pla. Dit is bloot persoonlik maar ek sukkel steeds om gewoond te raak aan die woord “grimas” wat deesdae meer en meer in boeke gebruik word vir “grimace” en nou spring die woord “sjameer” uit in Leo. Siende dat dit vir Cupido gebruik word: “Cupido doen sy bes om haar te sjameer” wonder ek of die Engelse “charm” of ‘n ander sinskonstruksie soos “Cupido gebruik sy sjarme” nie beter sou wees nie. Maar dis een woord in ‘n wonderlike leesplesier van 490 bladsye.

Leo bewys net weereens dat Meyer ‘n meester van die krimi is. Die boek is spannend en vervleg vele storielyne wat mekaar beinvloed sonder om noodwendig verwikkeld te raak. Dit is ‘n blitsblaaier en stel nie een oomblik teleur nie. Lekker lees! Ek het beslis.


373 reviews1 follower
October 20, 2024
I haven’t read Deon Meyer in a while. I’m a devoted fan and I turn to him with relief from some of the heavy non-fiction that I’ve been reading lately. LEO is his latest novel. I am a South African and so I relate completely to the background of Meyer’s novel. I love his main characters Griessel and Cupido. The plot is, as always intricate, but interestingly so, and the writing articulate and fast paced. Sadly the malfeance in our country around which this plot revolves is far from over. On the other hand this should provide Meyer with plenty of additional material for his next novel and of course the writer is bringing it to the attention of those South Africans who do not have the time or energy to read the more serious exposés out there. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Cecily.
87 reviews5 followers
December 29, 2023
Hierdie was heeltemal te ingewikkeld (convoluted) om tot maksimum te geniet. Wat van ñ gewone moordsaak oom Deon? Vat Benna weer bietjie terug na die basics.
Profile Image for Ilze.
640 reviews29 followers
November 26, 2023
Dit maak nie saak hoé ek na nog 'n Bennie Griessel uitgesien het nie, hierdie boek het my effe teleurgestel. Die eerste Griessel wat ek gelees het, het my fassineer omdat die leser so naby aan hierdie speurder gekom het. Nou voel dit asof Meyer probeer om te veel dinge in die loop van die verhaal te laat gebeur, met die gevolg dat karakter-ontwikkeling in die steek bly.

As jy egter vir die eerste keer 'n Deon Meyer lees, sal jy waarskynlik die boek geniet.
Profile Image for Carina.
9 reviews
January 2, 2024
Nog ’n puik storie deur Deon Meyer. Maar jy sal moet kophou soos 'n dronk weeluis. Daar is BAIE drade om bymekaar te hou. Te veel, eintlik, om die storie net lekker te lees en te geniet – vandaar die 4 sterre.
Profile Image for Adriaan Oosterkamp.
20 reviews
August 18, 2025
Voor nu het laatste deel van de serie. Ik vond dit boek, ondanks dat het een langer verhaal is dan de vorige boeken, het erg lekker weglezen. De opbouw is lang maar alles komt weer zo goed bij elkaar en het laatste deel lees je super snel weg omdat het zo spannend is. Ik vond het einde wel een beetje random, weer een open eind. Ik hoop dat er meer boeken van deze serie verschijnen!
Profile Image for Jenni.
645 reviews9 followers
October 24, 2025
What a fantastic page turner rhis one was! I love this series with Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido, the ace South African policemen. Deon Meyer resides in Cape Town and this book is partially based in Cape Town which i love because I know all the places he writes about! He is a brilliant author and if you haven't yet read one of his many books you are in for a treat! This one is a winner!
Profile Image for Charisse.
726 reviews8 followers
March 15, 2025
This was brilliant! Benny and Cupido! A heist! All coming together for an intense ending! I absolutely love this series!!
Profile Image for Glenton Jelbert.
Author 2 books2 followers
May 28, 2025
Very south African, lots of fun. An easy read with heists, state capture, and intrigue.
28 reviews
November 12, 2025
This is the best Benny Griessel novel yet! Deon Meyer keeps you sitting on the edge of your seat. I could hardly put the book down for the last 100 pages.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews

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