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Bare Bones: Cold Cases from True Crime South Africa
'Each one of these boxes contains a human being . . . We ran out of drawers,' the professor explains, 'so we started using these boxes.'Nicole Engelbrecht is back with a new book that delves into the cold cases of her phenomenally popular True Crime SA podcast.In Bare Bones, she re-examines missing-person and murder cases she has covered in her podcast series, and revisits the leads she tracked and the interviews she conducted. Much of the information has never been made public before.From the bones of a Jane Doe discovered under a swimming pool to a troubled young man who seemed to vanish in the prison system, from a business trip turned deadly to a child snatched from outside her home, Engelbrecht sifts the evidence anew and shines a light on old and new unsolved cases in the hope of bringing closure to the victims' families and friends. Join her in the search for the truth behind the scenes of the podcast desk.,
252 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 30, 2025
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18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 16, 2026
I do not know how many of you, my GR friends, listen to the True Crime South Africa podcast? It is quite unique in that we are a community through a facebook group and the creator of the podcast, Nicole Engelbrecht is very active on it and engages a lot with the members of the community.
I will admit that some of you will find her voice and accent on this audio book maybe a bit hard to get used to, so the book is also on Kindle for you.
I would suggest for our most famous crimes that you listen to the actual podcast.
We have so much crime here though and in real-life, too much SA crime at one time can easily give a person like me crime fatigue.
This book is about cold cases and, even with the help of the podcast, some have eventually been solved.
I would suggest you give the podcast a spin and, whether you like it or not, that will determine if you want to buy and read this.
Often crime here is opportunistic, random, brutal and aggressive. You get that just by reading sites like iol.co.za, News24, or especially our local papers (I mean really local like your paper of a specific area in Gauteng for example.)
Our crime, the SA crime, it is quite an acquired thing to read and get used to.
We are not like, for example, the Irish where a senseless murder would shock the whole nation, bring it to a stand-still and all police forces into overdrive.
We are unfortunately much too desensitized and not much shocks us.
Unfortunately only the most shocking events sort of focus us and make us pause when the news is on.
This book also is short true crime so this is also not really for you if you like one crime and long analysis.
As well, only a judge decides guilt, so our crimes do not have the drama of a jury or the very theatrical lawyers Americans have.
So if you want true crime from a different culture or part of the world, the experience, I suggest you first try the podcast and then read up on our more notorious crimes and cases, and then you only read this book if you are still interested in crime here.
I will admit that some of you will find her voice and accent on this audio book maybe a bit hard to get used to, so the book is also on Kindle for you.
I would suggest for our most famous crimes that you listen to the actual podcast.
We have so much crime here though and in real-life, too much SA crime at one time can easily give a person like me crime fatigue.
This book is about cold cases and, even with the help of the podcast, some have eventually been solved.
I would suggest you give the podcast a spin and, whether you like it or not, that will determine if you want to buy and read this.
Often crime here is opportunistic, random, brutal and aggressive. You get that just by reading sites like iol.co.za, News24, or especially our local papers (I mean really local like your paper of a specific area in Gauteng for example.)
Our crime, the SA crime, it is quite an acquired thing to read and get used to.
We are not like, for example, the Irish where a senseless murder would shock the whole nation, bring it to a stand-still and all police forces into overdrive.
We are unfortunately much too desensitized and not much shocks us.
Unfortunately only the most shocking events sort of focus us and make us pause when the news is on.
This book also is short true crime so this is also not really for you if you like one crime and long analysis.
As well, only a judge decides guilt, so our crimes do not have the drama of a jury or the very theatrical lawyers Americans have.
So if you want true crime from a different culture or part of the world, the experience, I suggest you first try the podcast and then read up on our more notorious crimes and cases, and then you only read this book if you are still interested in crime here.
November 16, 2025
True crime fans, this one’s for you. Bare Bones is like a guided tour through the dark world of unsolved mysteries led by someone who knows how to balance compassion with curiosity.
Engelbrecht is the voice behind the popular True Crime South Africa podcast. Her fascination with crime stories began when, as a teenager, her Polish friend went missing. This left its mark on her and years later, working in sales in Epping, she decided to do something positive with her life. Six years later, with tips continuing to roll in, her podcast has become a place for stories that might otherwise be forgotten. She doesn’t play detective but rather acts as a go-between passing information to the right people and offering families a sliver of hope.
In Bare Bones, Engelbrecht revisits some of her most haunting cases. Those about missing people, mysterious deaths and cold trails that suddenly warm up through a DNA match, a loose-lipped perpetrator or a random social media post. The number of missing people in South Africa varies, with the South African Police Service reporting 2 504 active cases as of May 2024. Many of these are missing through a variety of substance use, mental health, mysterious circumstances, sex work and more. Engelbrecht highlights how under-resourced our police services are and how families are often left to navigate a maze of leads, scams, hopes and heartbreak.
Dedicated to victims and their loved ones, this book is both sobering and deeply humane. Engelbrecht writes with heart, insight and purpose reminding us that behind every headline is a person, a story and a name that deserves to be remembered.
In the epilogue she gives tips on how things can be improved for victims of violent crime, including NGOs similar to Rape Crises and hospice care.
The book is dedicated to those who live with the undefined grief of not knowing and for those who know but have lost their voices.
Her previous books include Samurai Sword Murder: The Morne Harmse Story and Sizzlers: The Hate Crime That Tore Sea Point Apart.
Thanks to Jonathan Ball for the review copy.
Engelbrecht is the voice behind the popular True Crime South Africa podcast. Her fascination with crime stories began when, as a teenager, her Polish friend went missing. This left its mark on her and years later, working in sales in Epping, she decided to do something positive with her life. Six years later, with tips continuing to roll in, her podcast has become a place for stories that might otherwise be forgotten. She doesn’t play detective but rather acts as a go-between passing information to the right people and offering families a sliver of hope.
In Bare Bones, Engelbrecht revisits some of her most haunting cases. Those about missing people, mysterious deaths and cold trails that suddenly warm up through a DNA match, a loose-lipped perpetrator or a random social media post. The number of missing people in South Africa varies, with the South African Police Service reporting 2 504 active cases as of May 2024. Many of these are missing through a variety of substance use, mental health, mysterious circumstances, sex work and more. Engelbrecht highlights how under-resourced our police services are and how families are often left to navigate a maze of leads, scams, hopes and heartbreak.
Dedicated to victims and their loved ones, this book is both sobering and deeply humane. Engelbrecht writes with heart, insight and purpose reminding us that behind every headline is a person, a story and a name that deserves to be remembered.
In the epilogue she gives tips on how things can be improved for victims of violent crime, including NGOs similar to Rape Crises and hospice care.
The book is dedicated to those who live with the undefined grief of not knowing and for those who know but have lost their voices.
Her previous books include Samurai Sword Murder: The Morne Harmse Story and Sizzlers: The Hate Crime That Tore Sea Point Apart.
Thanks to Jonathan Ball for the review copy.
January 1, 2026
3.5
I wasn’t super drawn in by the writing style but the story and the expertise the author has deserves acknowledgment
I wasn’t super drawn in by the writing style but the story and the expertise the author has deserves acknowledgment
December 17, 2025
I'm really glad that I got the opportunity to read this book because I'm usually one to stay away from non-fiction and especially if it's true crime based in my own country.
This is the type of read that made me go through a whole range of emotions that should speak volumes on the grasp it had on me.
Bare Bones is a quick read but it definitely made me take a second after each case, to just take a moment to think on it, imagining the scenario and the frustration of either the "not knowing" or the injustice.
You can clearly see the care and delicacy the author shows towards the victims and their families through the way she writes. But also taking the time to educate the reader on systematic procedures and approaches on how cases are handled.
I think it was spectacularly well-written and informative, given the limitations to the context of cold cases.
It wasn't the easiest read to get through, but I do think it's important to know about these cases; the victims and their stories. Not just as a true crime enthusiast but also to all my fellow South Africans.
*𝘈 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 @𝘫𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯!*
This is the type of read that made me go through a whole range of emotions that should speak volumes on the grasp it had on me.
Bare Bones is a quick read but it definitely made me take a second after each case, to just take a moment to think on it, imagining the scenario and the frustration of either the "not knowing" or the injustice.
You can clearly see the care and delicacy the author shows towards the victims and their families through the way she writes. But also taking the time to educate the reader on systematic procedures and approaches on how cases are handled.
I think it was spectacularly well-written and informative, given the limitations to the context of cold cases.
It wasn't the easiest read to get through, but I do think it's important to know about these cases; the victims and their stories. Not just as a true crime enthusiast but also to all my fellow South Africans.
*𝘈 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 @𝘫𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯!*
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews