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If The Dead Could Talk
Azania Sethosa receives a call from former politician Joseph ‘Lefty’
Mafu’s lawyer to notify her of Lefty’s death. Why on earth would a
father she never knew make her the sole heir to his estate?
She decides to go to Knysna to seek answers about his life and the
circumstances surrounding his death. But soon her quest for closure
becomes intertwined with detective Florian Welter’s investigation.
Detective Welter was recently transferred to Knysna after his dyslexia
had led to a mistrial in an important case. He is called to investigate
Mafu’s apparent suicide, but there are various inconsistencies at the
crime scene. Burdened by his past mistakes, detective Welter is
determined to redeem himself.
Welter and Azania gradually uncover a deep political web of
conspiracies dating back to the nineties. The duo must follow the
threads and hope the clues lead them to whoever is pulling the
strings. . .
If the dead could talk, they would tell you what had really happened in
1995.
Mafu’s lawyer to notify her of Lefty’s death. Why on earth would a
father she never knew make her the sole heir to his estate?
She decides to go to Knysna to seek answers about his life and the
circumstances surrounding his death. But soon her quest for closure
becomes intertwined with detective Florian Welter’s investigation.
Detective Welter was recently transferred to Knysna after his dyslexia
had led to a mistrial in an important case. He is called to investigate
Mafu’s apparent suicide, but there are various inconsistencies at the
crime scene. Burdened by his past mistakes, detective Welter is
determined to redeem himself.
Welter and Azania gradually uncover a deep political web of
conspiracies dating back to the nineties. The duo must follow the
threads and hope the clues lead them to whoever is pulling the
strings. . .
If the dead could talk, they would tell you what had really happened in
1995.
256 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2025
23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 16, 2025
Enjoyed this book, a true South African story.Felt like I knew all the places mentioned in it, and the plot twist was not expected. This is the writers first novel, cannot wait to see what she comes up with next. Great job for a first novel.
June 29, 2025
A taut literary thriller pulsing with grief, reckoning, and the ghosts of a country’s political past.
When I picked up “If the Dead Could Talk”, I was expecting a whodunnit. What I found was so much more: a deeply introspective mystery that weaves political legacies, fractured families, and the aching desire for truth into an unforgettable debut.
Plot Summary
The story begins when Azania Sethosa, a woman estranged from her past, receives news that former politician Joseph “Lefty” Mafu—her biological father whom she’s never met—has died under suspicious circumstances. Lefty leaves everything to Azania, including questions she never intended to ask.
She travels to Knysna, expecting to piece together the scraps of a life she was excluded from. Instead, she becomes entangled in a complex investigation headed by Detective Florian Welter. Lefty’s death, initially ruled a suicide, begins to reveal signs of foul play — most damningly, that he allegedly shot himself in the right temple, though he was famously left-handed.
As Azania digs deeper, both she and Florian are forced to confront the ghosts of their own pasts—some personal, some political. Threads stretch back to the 1990s, to an unresolved death on an Eastern Cape beach, and to the unspoken consequences of a country in flux.
Themes
What struck me most was how Mnqeta uses crime fiction not simply to titillate, but to examine the collision of personal identity with collective history. The novel explores:
The inheritance of trauma and the voids left by absent parents
Race, politics and memory, particularly the dissonance between South Africa then and now
Belonging and betrayal, especially how silence — voluntary or forced — shapes lives
It’s also a meditation on the delicate balance between seeking truth and learning to live without all the answers.
What Worked
Mnqeta’s writing is cinematic in the best way: rich with sensory detail but never indulgent. The pacing is near flawless—reveals drip in just as your curiosity starts to ache. I loved how Azania’s emotional landscape felt raw and tangible. She’s spiky, vulnerable, often angry, and utterly real.
Detective Florian Welter is a gem of a character — quietly broken, perceptive, and carrying the weight of a past professional failure that continues to haunt him. Their dynamic is tender without being overly romanticised, and it adds a textured counterpoint to the central mystery.
Also, the humour. Yes, there’s humour in the way characters like Zweli lighten heavy moments, adding warmth to the narrative without detracting from its depth.
Who Might Enjoy This Book
If you enjoy fiction where setting is character, where you can smell the sea air in Knysna or feel the sting of being left behind in a fractured family, this will be right up your alley. And for readers looking for South African fiction that’s both politically astute and emotionally resonant—this is a must-read.
Conclusion
“If the Dead Could Talk” is a brilliant debut, and Juliette Mnqeta writes with a confidence that belies her newcomer status. It’s a story about the limits of truth, the need for connection, and the reckoning we all face with the people who made us.
Thank you to Exclusive Books for the opportunity to read this book!
When I picked up “If the Dead Could Talk”, I was expecting a whodunnit. What I found was so much more: a deeply introspective mystery that weaves political legacies, fractured families, and the aching desire for truth into an unforgettable debut.
Plot Summary
The story begins when Azania Sethosa, a woman estranged from her past, receives news that former politician Joseph “Lefty” Mafu—her biological father whom she’s never met—has died under suspicious circumstances. Lefty leaves everything to Azania, including questions she never intended to ask.
She travels to Knysna, expecting to piece together the scraps of a life she was excluded from. Instead, she becomes entangled in a complex investigation headed by Detective Florian Welter. Lefty’s death, initially ruled a suicide, begins to reveal signs of foul play — most damningly, that he allegedly shot himself in the right temple, though he was famously left-handed.
As Azania digs deeper, both she and Florian are forced to confront the ghosts of their own pasts—some personal, some political. Threads stretch back to the 1990s, to an unresolved death on an Eastern Cape beach, and to the unspoken consequences of a country in flux.
Themes
What struck me most was how Mnqeta uses crime fiction not simply to titillate, but to examine the collision of personal identity with collective history. The novel explores:
The inheritance of trauma and the voids left by absent parents
Race, politics and memory, particularly the dissonance between South Africa then and now
Belonging and betrayal, especially how silence — voluntary or forced — shapes lives
It’s also a meditation on the delicate balance between seeking truth and learning to live without all the answers.
What Worked
Mnqeta’s writing is cinematic in the best way: rich with sensory detail but never indulgent. The pacing is near flawless—reveals drip in just as your curiosity starts to ache. I loved how Azania’s emotional landscape felt raw and tangible. She’s spiky, vulnerable, often angry, and utterly real.
Detective Florian Welter is a gem of a character — quietly broken, perceptive, and carrying the weight of a past professional failure that continues to haunt him. Their dynamic is tender without being overly romanticised, and it adds a textured counterpoint to the central mystery.
Also, the humour. Yes, there’s humour in the way characters like Zweli lighten heavy moments, adding warmth to the narrative without detracting from its depth.
Who Might Enjoy This Book
If you enjoy fiction where setting is character, where you can smell the sea air in Knysna or feel the sting of being left behind in a fractured family, this will be right up your alley. And for readers looking for South African fiction that’s both politically astute and emotionally resonant—this is a must-read.
Conclusion
“If the Dead Could Talk” is a brilliant debut, and Juliette Mnqeta writes with a confidence that belies her newcomer status. It’s a story about the limits of truth, the need for connection, and the reckoning we all face with the people who made us.
Thank you to Exclusive Books for the opportunity to read this book!
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April 16, 2025#IfTheDeadCouldTalk – Juliette Mnqeta
#Kwela
It is said that the past is a different place. Azania Sethosa is perplexed by more than this axioma. Somewhere in the past her mother had loved a man named Joseph Mafu, the man who was to become her father, but she had never met him. Her politically apathetic mother had chosen to name her Azania, and now her unknown father has not only retired from his high-profile career as advisor to the Director of the South African Bureau of Intelligence unexpectedly, but has apparently committed suicide, leaving his entire estate to her, the child he had never met.
Another plot twist emerges when it is revealed that her father, who was left-handed and was thus appropriately nicknamed Lefty, allegedly shot himself at the right side of his head and then managed to alert the police to the gunshot before removing his own cellular phone from the scene. Although the dead cannot talk, evidence can. And the evidence suggests murder.
The search to unmask not only her father’s killer, but also his motivation for the lifelong failure to contact her, sends Azania to Knysna, the location of her inheritance and the town where he had died.
This debut novel is not a mere whodunnit intending to entertain armchair detectives, it is also an investigation into the turbulence and political uncertainty of the South Africa of the 1990’s. As it becomes evident that the answers are to be found in the past, circling back to the death of a young man on an Eastern Cape beach more than two decades earlier, the world of the young adult then is placed in juxtaposition to the world of the young adult now.
At the time of the tragedy on the beach, the past was indeed a different place: interracial relationships were, although not illegal, still morally frowned upon by many. In contrast therewith Azania, in the present, finds herself increasingly attracted to Florian Welter, the investigating officer of her father’s death, who is fighting his own demons that have resulted in a murderer being acquitted and him being labelled as an illiterate prat, the son who could never live up to his father’s expectations of German perfection.
The past catches up with the present, and the puppeteer orchestrating the events of the past, is now attempting to manipulate the present. The author provides a convincing trigger for the modern-day puzzle, successfully ties it to the night at the beach, and takes the reader full circle to a climatic conclusion.
Sometimes the dead can talk, albeit silently.
#Uitdieperdsebek
#Kwela
It is said that the past is a different place. Azania Sethosa is perplexed by more than this axioma. Somewhere in the past her mother had loved a man named Joseph Mafu, the man who was to become her father, but she had never met him. Her politically apathetic mother had chosen to name her Azania, and now her unknown father has not only retired from his high-profile career as advisor to the Director of the South African Bureau of Intelligence unexpectedly, but has apparently committed suicide, leaving his entire estate to her, the child he had never met.
Another plot twist emerges when it is revealed that her father, who was left-handed and was thus appropriately nicknamed Lefty, allegedly shot himself at the right side of his head and then managed to alert the police to the gunshot before removing his own cellular phone from the scene. Although the dead cannot talk, evidence can. And the evidence suggests murder.
The search to unmask not only her father’s killer, but also his motivation for the lifelong failure to contact her, sends Azania to Knysna, the location of her inheritance and the town where he had died.
This debut novel is not a mere whodunnit intending to entertain armchair detectives, it is also an investigation into the turbulence and political uncertainty of the South Africa of the 1990’s. As it becomes evident that the answers are to be found in the past, circling back to the death of a young man on an Eastern Cape beach more than two decades earlier, the world of the young adult then is placed in juxtaposition to the world of the young adult now.
At the time of the tragedy on the beach, the past was indeed a different place: interracial relationships were, although not illegal, still morally frowned upon by many. In contrast therewith Azania, in the present, finds herself increasingly attracted to Florian Welter, the investigating officer of her father’s death, who is fighting his own demons that have resulted in a murderer being acquitted and him being labelled as an illiterate prat, the son who could never live up to his father’s expectations of German perfection.
The past catches up with the present, and the puppeteer orchestrating the events of the past, is now attempting to manipulate the present. The author provides a convincing trigger for the modern-day puzzle, successfully ties it to the night at the beach, and takes the reader full circle to a climatic conclusion.
Sometimes the dead can talk, albeit silently.
#Uitdieperdsebek
April 14, 2025
If the Dead Could Talk is a rare and stunning debut, a whodunnit novel that pulses with emotional depth and psychological nuance.
At the heart of the novel is Azania Sethosa, a woman who has spent her life estranged from her father, the controversial former politician Joseph “Lefty” Mafu. When he dies and unexpectedly leaves her his estate, Azania’s visit to Knysna isn’t just about inheritance, it’s about reckoning. Mnqeta crafts her with delicate intensity: Azania is skeptical, vulnerable, and angry, yet driven by a deep yearning to make sense of a man who was more myth than parent. Her arc is compelling, layered with the kind of quiet strength that makes her unforgettable.
Parallel to Azania’s journey is Detective Florian Welter, whose own past (marked by personal failure and a struggle with dyslexia) makes him a fascinating and flawed counterpoint. His investigation into Mafu’s supposed suicide reveals a man committed to truth, but unsure if he deserves redemption. Mnqeta writes him with an understated compassion, never shying away from his insecurities, and in doing so, makes him one of the most human detectives in recent fiction.
The novel’s brilliance lies in the way it threads these two lives together, drawing them into a web of conspiracies, betrayals, and buried truths that stretch back to the volatile politics of the 1990s. It’s a mystery that grips tightly, but it’s also a meditation on identity, legacy, and the cost of silence. Mnqeta doesn’t just write about the dead, she gives them space to speak through the living.
Her prose is elegant and precise, her pacing taut, and her insight into South African history and politics both fearless and necessary. The supporting characters are drawn with depth and care, adding richness to a story that is as much about community as it is about crime. And please allow me to say this, my favourite character is Zweli. Yeah, I know, I know, but...
If the Dead Could Talk is a revelation, a literary thriller with a beating heart. It asks uncomfortable questions and refuses to offer easy answers. Instead, it gives us characters who ache, stumble, and rise - carrying the weight of the dead so the living might finally be free.
Juliette Mnqeta has not only written a page-turner, she’s written a reckoning.
At the heart of the novel is Azania Sethosa, a woman who has spent her life estranged from her father, the controversial former politician Joseph “Lefty” Mafu. When he dies and unexpectedly leaves her his estate, Azania’s visit to Knysna isn’t just about inheritance, it’s about reckoning. Mnqeta crafts her with delicate intensity: Azania is skeptical, vulnerable, and angry, yet driven by a deep yearning to make sense of a man who was more myth than parent. Her arc is compelling, layered with the kind of quiet strength that makes her unforgettable.
Parallel to Azania’s journey is Detective Florian Welter, whose own past (marked by personal failure and a struggle with dyslexia) makes him a fascinating and flawed counterpoint. His investigation into Mafu’s supposed suicide reveals a man committed to truth, but unsure if he deserves redemption. Mnqeta writes him with an understated compassion, never shying away from his insecurities, and in doing so, makes him one of the most human detectives in recent fiction.
The novel’s brilliance lies in the way it threads these two lives together, drawing them into a web of conspiracies, betrayals, and buried truths that stretch back to the volatile politics of the 1990s. It’s a mystery that grips tightly, but it’s also a meditation on identity, legacy, and the cost of silence. Mnqeta doesn’t just write about the dead, she gives them space to speak through the living.
Her prose is elegant and precise, her pacing taut, and her insight into South African history and politics both fearless and necessary. The supporting characters are drawn with depth and care, adding richness to a story that is as much about community as it is about crime. And please allow me to say this, my favourite character is Zweli. Yeah, I know, I know, but...
If the Dead Could Talk is a revelation, a literary thriller with a beating heart. It asks uncomfortable questions and refuses to offer easy answers. Instead, it gives us characters who ache, stumble, and rise - carrying the weight of the dead so the living might finally be free.
Juliette Mnqeta has not only written a page-turner, she’s written a reckoning.
July 13, 2025
Juliette Mnqeta says this thriller is a product of her obsession with the mystery crime genre. And she’s done an excellent job with it, her debut novel.
What drew my attention to it, apart from the cover, is that it’s based in the Garden Route, mainly in Knysna.
The story begins with Azania Sethosa receiving a call from a lawyer notifying her of her father’s death. Former politician and retired advisor to the director of the South African Bureau of Intelligence (SABI), Joseph “Lefty” Mafu retired to the tourist town on the Garden Route.
Why would a father she never knew make her the sole heir to his estate? Her mother is secretive about the surroundings of her birth and about why her dad has supported her throughout her life. She decides to go to his home in Knysna to find out more. Starting at Knysna police station, she meets Detective Florian Welter.
He has been banished to the seaside town due to a physical affliction and is struggling with a burden from his past. Welter believes that the seemingly straightforward case is not one of suicide, as he notices inconsistencies in Mafu’s death.
Sidestepping interference by the four SABI members who arrive on the scene and interfere in the case he works with Azania to uncover a complicated web of conspiracies dating back to 1995. The truth is as elusive as whoever is behind it all. If the dead could talk, they would tell you what happened.
Mnqeta is the youngest of nine children and matriculated from Westerford High School in 2005. She is currently based in Plettenberg Bay and works as a freelance labour court transcriber and isiXhosa translator.
What drew my attention to it, apart from the cover, is that it’s based in the Garden Route, mainly in Knysna.
The story begins with Azania Sethosa receiving a call from a lawyer notifying her of her father’s death. Former politician and retired advisor to the director of the South African Bureau of Intelligence (SABI), Joseph “Lefty” Mafu retired to the tourist town on the Garden Route.
Why would a father she never knew make her the sole heir to his estate? Her mother is secretive about the surroundings of her birth and about why her dad has supported her throughout her life. She decides to go to his home in Knysna to find out more. Starting at Knysna police station, she meets Detective Florian Welter.
He has been banished to the seaside town due to a physical affliction and is struggling with a burden from his past. Welter believes that the seemingly straightforward case is not one of suicide, as he notices inconsistencies in Mafu’s death.
Sidestepping interference by the four SABI members who arrive on the scene and interfere in the case he works with Azania to uncover a complicated web of conspiracies dating back to 1995. The truth is as elusive as whoever is behind it all. If the dead could talk, they would tell you what happened.
Mnqeta is the youngest of nine children and matriculated from Westerford High School in 2005. She is currently based in Plettenberg Bay and works as a freelance labour court transcriber and isiXhosa translator.
April 10, 2025
Is a death in Knysna somehow linked to another death nearly twenty years previously? This is a murder mystery with an intriguing and exciting plot, but not only that – it’s a book full of humanity, with kind and endearing characters the reader cares about.
I love that Kwela Books has been publishing so much great South African fiction in the past couple of years (and out of several amazing covers, If the Dead Could Talk is the best yet!).
I love that Kwela Books has been publishing so much great South African fiction in the past couple of years (and out of several amazing covers, If the Dead Could Talk is the best yet!).
April 16, 2025
Very well, descriptively written story that keeps you hanging on every juicy detail, needing to know whodunnit! Also really enjoyed the humorous interactions between the characters which adds even more to the journey that is "If the Dead Could Talk". When's the sequel coming out?
December 26, 2025
Good detective story but definitely not a wow!
April 18, 2025
A compelling whodunnit, exploring grief and how most of our decisions are informed by our past.
An easy read, that was of great assistance in revisiting the mystery genre. I could not put this book down. The descriptive writing and amazing characterisation kept me hooked.
Shortcomings/critics: typographical and grammatical errors :(
An easy read, that was of great assistance in revisiting the mystery genre. I could not put this book down. The descriptive writing and amazing characterisation kept me hooked.
Shortcomings/critics: typographical and grammatical errors :(
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews