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Moordvis
’n Grieselige gesig begroet speuradjudant Storm van der Merwe en haar hond op Grootbaai se strand: die lyk van ’n jong joernalis – sonder haar arm.
Vir dié kusdorpie se inwoners is dit slegte nuus; lyke wat rondlê kan die haaiduikbedryf waarvoor Grootbaai beroemd is, erge skade berokken.
Storm se hande jeuk om die saak te ondersoek, maar sy is vir eers ingeperk tot saai kantoorwerk. Boonop het sy nie ’n ryding nie nadat ’n inwoner – ’n aantreklike een daarby – met sy insleepwa in haar Volla vasgejaag het.
Intussen sukkel Storm se onmoontlike oudkollega, Andreas Moerdyk, om te fokus terwyl hy ondersoek instel na die dood van ’n bekende Springbokstut wie se motor op die N1 deur ’n soortgelyke trok getref is.
Het Storm se ongeluk iets met die rugbyspeler se noodlottige botsing te doen? En hoe steek die joernalis se dood en die stories oor perlemoenstropery op Grootbaai in mekaar?
Terwyl Storm antwoorde op dié tergende vrae soek, raak dinge vir haar gevaarliker as ’n haaihokduik – sonder die hok.
Vir dié kusdorpie se inwoners is dit slegte nuus; lyke wat rondlê kan die haaiduikbedryf waarvoor Grootbaai beroemd is, erge skade berokken.
Storm se hande jeuk om die saak te ondersoek, maar sy is vir eers ingeperk tot saai kantoorwerk. Boonop het sy nie ’n ryding nie nadat ’n inwoner – ’n aantreklike een daarby – met sy insleepwa in haar Volla vasgejaag het.
Intussen sukkel Storm se onmoontlike oudkollega, Andreas Moerdyk, om te fokus terwyl hy ondersoek instel na die dood van ’n bekende Springbokstut wie se motor op die N1 deur ’n soortgelyke trok getref is.
Het Storm se ongeluk iets met die rugbyspeler se noodlottige botsing te doen? En hoe steek die joernalis se dood en die stories oor perlemoenstropery op Grootbaai in mekaar?
Terwyl Storm antwoorde op dié tergende vrae soek, raak dinge vir haar gevaarliker as ’n haaihokduik – sonder die hok.
296 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2016
29 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Irna van Zyl
7 books15 followersIrna van Zyl is the author of the thriller "Dead in the Water". She is an award-winning journalist and media entrepreneur who headed up De Kat, Insig and Boeke-Insig before becoming a full-time writer. She lives in Cape Town with her partner, two dogs and a cat.
Irna van Zyl is die skrywer van die riller "Moordvis". Sy is ’n bekende mediapersoonlikheid en was onder meer redakteur van De Kat, Insig en Boeke-Insig voordat sy heeltyds begin skryf het. Sy woon in Kaapstad saam met haar lewensmaat, twee honde en ’n kat.
Irna van Zyl is die skrywer van die riller "Moordvis". Sy is ’n bekende mediapersoonlikheid en was onder meer redakteur van De Kat, Insig en Boeke-Insig voordat sy heeltyds begin skryf het. Sy woon in Kaapstad saam met haar lewensmaat, twee honde en ’n kat.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 6, 2016
lthough I have read the book in Afrikaans I will do my review in English as it is also available translated.
To start of I have to say that this is possibly my most favorite genre to read - and there is a wonderful amount of great books written in it available in Afrikaans with very high standards and great reading to be enjoyed. I therefore read this book with a lot of maybe unfair expectations after good reviews in the press.
Irna van Zyl is a well known Afrikaans media personality and editor. This is her first novel and takes place in Grootbaai (or then Gansbaai) the shark cage diving capital of the world. It features Storm van der Merwe a detective punished after an incident and reduced to admin work. She discovers a body on a walk on the beach with dogs. The storyline develops from there.
The storyline in itself is well constructed and moves at a reasonable pace although at times it felt a bit slow. It is full of the necessary intrigues and complicated cross involvements and makes for a good read. What did bother me though was the characters and development of them - or more then - the lack therof. Storm herself is comes across as cold although I am quite sure that was not the intention. To me she showed very little development taking into account all that happens and I did not find myself forming a particular attachment to her which I guess is not the worst of it. But Moerdyk - gosh, does every novel in this genre need an alcoholic policeman - as if Bennie Griesel has set that mark as a "has to have"? Moerdyk to me has very little or nothing that sparks even the faintest sympathy and no development whatsoever.
Moordvis or Dead in the Water is a good read but not in my top reads
To start of I have to say that this is possibly my most favorite genre to read - and there is a wonderful amount of great books written in it available in Afrikaans with very high standards and great reading to be enjoyed. I therefore read this book with a lot of maybe unfair expectations after good reviews in the press.
Irna van Zyl is a well known Afrikaans media personality and editor. This is her first novel and takes place in Grootbaai (or then Gansbaai) the shark cage diving capital of the world. It features Storm van der Merwe a detective punished after an incident and reduced to admin work. She discovers a body on a walk on the beach with dogs. The storyline develops from there.
The storyline in itself is well constructed and moves at a reasonable pace although at times it felt a bit slow. It is full of the necessary intrigues and complicated cross involvements and makes for a good read. What did bother me though was the characters and development of them - or more then - the lack therof. Storm herself is comes across as cold although I am quite sure that was not the intention. To me she showed very little development taking into account all that happens and I did not find myself forming a particular attachment to her which I guess is not the worst of it. But Moerdyk - gosh, does every novel in this genre need an alcoholic policeman - as if Bennie Griesel has set that mark as a "has to have"? Moerdyk to me has very little or nothing that sparks even the faintest sympathy and no development whatsoever.
Moordvis or Dead in the Water is a good read but not in my top reads
June 11, 2024
Detective Storm finds a body buried in a shallow grave. As she inserts herself in the investigation, she tries to get out from behind a desk and finds herself thrust into the world of shark-cage diving and perlemoen poaching. Meanwhile, Storm’s former partner investigates a fatal car crash that kills a well-loved rugby player. How do the two investigations relate to one another and will Storm and Moerdyk be able to put their differences aside to solve the murders?
Dead in the Water offers readers a realistic feel of South Africa where the story’s locations become characters, making for an exciting read. Van Zyl beautifully represents how South Africans speak, societal prejudices, lifestyles, and the South African tone. She also shows a sincere and heartbreaking reality of alcoholism through Moerdyk’s story. As a result, the book has an appealing tone, vibe and atmosphere.
What I loved most about this book is Storm. While the characters are generally strong and readers will enjoy them, Storm is the most appealing and solid character. She is level-headed, observant, and hardworking with a good sense of humour, a clear set of morals and a deep understanding of who she is. She is unapologetically herself which gives her a certain level of charm that pulls the reader in. In complete contrast to this, the male characters leave much to be desired so it feels like a realistic representation of a woman’s experience in a male-driven world and workplace.
While I enjoyed the story and was surprised by the major plot twists, the book’s structure is filled with plot point holes, resulting in a loss of narrative-pushing detail, making the overall story hard to read. Events jump from one point to another, leaving the reader trying to catch up mentally. This is a useful tool, particularly when there are big reveals, but when done too often, its loses impact. So it felt like key scenes were omitted that robs readers of satisfactory reaction moments to big plot points and resolutions.
Dead in the Water was a great introduction to this author and I enjoyed reading it. I'd recommend it to those looking for a seaside, small-town murder mystery with some grit. I'm definitely going to be reading more from Irna van Zyl.
Dead in the Water offers readers a realistic feel of South Africa where the story’s locations become characters, making for an exciting read. Van Zyl beautifully represents how South Africans speak, societal prejudices, lifestyles, and the South African tone. She also shows a sincere and heartbreaking reality of alcoholism through Moerdyk’s story. As a result, the book has an appealing tone, vibe and atmosphere.
What I loved most about this book is Storm. While the characters are generally strong and readers will enjoy them, Storm is the most appealing and solid character. She is level-headed, observant, and hardworking with a good sense of humour, a clear set of morals and a deep understanding of who she is. She is unapologetically herself which gives her a certain level of charm that pulls the reader in. In complete contrast to this, the male characters leave much to be desired so it feels like a realistic representation of a woman’s experience in a male-driven world and workplace.
While I enjoyed the story and was surprised by the major plot twists, the book’s structure is filled with plot point holes, resulting in a loss of narrative-pushing detail, making the overall story hard to read. Events jump from one point to another, leaving the reader trying to catch up mentally. This is a useful tool, particularly when there are big reveals, but when done too often, its loses impact. So it felt like key scenes were omitted that robs readers of satisfactory reaction moments to big plot points and resolutions.
Dead in the Water was a great introduction to this author and I enjoyed reading it. I'd recommend it to those looking for a seaside, small-town murder mystery with some grit. I'm definitely going to be reading more from Irna van Zyl.
August 24, 2016
A gripping, hard-boiled detective story with interesting characters and a page-turner plot. The main protagonists, Storm van der Merwe and Andreas Moerdyk, are complicated detectives with a complicated relationship. Living in the Western Cape myself, I loved the familiar landmarks and vernacular. Now I have to find a restaurant in Hermanus for a plate of perlemoen and rice. And start avoiding the sea. Big time.
October 12, 2024
I love crime-fiction and thrillers, I thrive on it. But this one left me with more questions from the start, and not in a good way. This book is written in Afrikaans, my home language, and I'm not sure if it translated to English. But here is my complaints :D
First of all (spoilers alert), the story might have been good, but it irritated me deeply (Sad to say that I didn't finish it, stopped when I was a quarter in). In my opinion, the writer used poorly chosen words to describe certain things in the book. She mixed two languages a lot, instead of just using one. If you buy a book which is either English or Afrikaans, you expect to read just that! I can understand if the dialogue is mixed, because that is how a certain character will speak. It is written for the character. But within the paragraphs, it's a no go for me. You just can't mix languages in paragraphs (my opinion). Maybe I'm wrong, maybe that's how certain writers do it now a days, maybe I'm too old fashioned. But I really get annoyed when people can't speak or write their language properly. It's the same if you read an English written story, and between the paragraphs an unknown word of another language appears to describe something.
The second annoying thing that really pushes my buttons, is the fact that while you read the story, some things doesn't make sense. I will give you an example of what I've read in short:
The lady is on her way to a small town to start working at her new job. A guy almost rear ends her, and eventually passes her, but cuts short in front of her, almost causing her to rear end him. She gets angry and drives next to him and gives him the finger, and in return, he cusses. Now after some time (a lot has happened), she ends up in a bar in the small town where she is suppose to end up, and finds a place to sleep. Before she goes to her room, the same guy that she met on the road before, appears. And what feels to me like 5 minutes, this guy falls from his chair, totally drunk. How in the hell did he get drunk so fast??? She discovers this guy is also her new boss. At this point, the story still made some sense, except for the sudden drunkenness. The chapter ends here.
And now, the thing that really makes no sense: The next chapter starts with her walking his (the drunken boss) dogs. What happened with the interaction between her and the boss after the road rage and bar scene? It immediately starts where she walks his dogs??? Did I miss something? Where is the in-between?? And then she, along with the dogs, discovers the body in the sand. From here I've read a few pages on, but I already lost interest.
So, I decided that I will read this story next year sometime, because it's part of a series, and this was book one. I don't know if I will ever start reading it again, we will see. I don't have the strength to read a book where information is lost, or the words are badly chosen. I have more than enough other books to keep me occupied.
First of all (spoilers alert), the story might have been good, but it irritated me deeply (Sad to say that I didn't finish it, stopped when I was a quarter in). In my opinion, the writer used poorly chosen words to describe certain things in the book. She mixed two languages a lot, instead of just using one. If you buy a book which is either English or Afrikaans, you expect to read just that! I can understand if the dialogue is mixed, because that is how a certain character will speak. It is written for the character. But within the paragraphs, it's a no go for me. You just can't mix languages in paragraphs (my opinion). Maybe I'm wrong, maybe that's how certain writers do it now a days, maybe I'm too old fashioned. But I really get annoyed when people can't speak or write their language properly. It's the same if you read an English written story, and between the paragraphs an unknown word of another language appears to describe something.
The second annoying thing that really pushes my buttons, is the fact that while you read the story, some things doesn't make sense. I will give you an example of what I've read in short:
The lady is on her way to a small town to start working at her new job. A guy almost rear ends her, and eventually passes her, but cuts short in front of her, almost causing her to rear end him. She gets angry and drives next to him and gives him the finger, and in return, he cusses. Now after some time (a lot has happened), she ends up in a bar in the small town where she is suppose to end up, and finds a place to sleep. Before she goes to her room, the same guy that she met on the road before, appears. And what feels to me like 5 minutes, this guy falls from his chair, totally drunk. How in the hell did he get drunk so fast??? She discovers this guy is also her new boss. At this point, the story still made some sense, except for the sudden drunkenness. The chapter ends here.
And now, the thing that really makes no sense: The next chapter starts with her walking his (the drunken boss) dogs. What happened with the interaction between her and the boss after the road rage and bar scene? It immediately starts where she walks his dogs??? Did I miss something? Where is the in-between?? And then she, along with the dogs, discovers the body in the sand. From here I've read a few pages on, but I already lost interest.
So, I decided that I will read this story next year sometime, because it's part of a series, and this was book one. I don't know if I will ever start reading it again, we will see. I don't have the strength to read a book where information is lost, or the words are badly chosen. I have more than enough other books to keep me occupied.
September 27, 2017
I rarely not finish a book, but I just couldn't get through this one. I found it utterly boring and predictable.
February 11, 2019
Fantastiese boek.
October 19, 2016
The translation from Afrikaans is fluid, but foreign readers may balk at all the South Africanisms, despite the flavour that they bring.
Detective Storm van der Merwe is a great character; feisty, stocky and sharp. Her determination to pursue her target is so driven that she battles with her conscience over ignoring personal emergencies, like her mother’s illness. I am glad that we’ll be hearing more from her.
When Storm is banished to the coastal town of Hermanus for her inappropriate protest at the shooting of beached whales, her chief orders her to keep her head down by working cold cases. Finding the body of an investigative journalist on the beach, with an arm missing, while walking her dogs, is not an investigation that she finds it possible to leave to others.
There are twists and surprises enough to keep one guessing, and the suspense is tightly wound to keep the pages turning.
Read more on www.bookpostmortem.wordpress.com
Detective Storm van der Merwe is a great character; feisty, stocky and sharp. Her determination to pursue her target is so driven that she battles with her conscience over ignoring personal emergencies, like her mother’s illness. I am glad that we’ll be hearing more from her.
When Storm is banished to the coastal town of Hermanus for her inappropriate protest at the shooting of beached whales, her chief orders her to keep her head down by working cold cases. Finding the body of an investigative journalist on the beach, with an arm missing, while walking her dogs, is not an investigation that she finds it possible to leave to others.
There are twists and surprises enough to keep one guessing, and the suspense is tightly wound to keep the pages turning.
Read more on www.bookpostmortem.wordpress.com
September 15, 2016
Irna van Zyl is a South African journalist, with 30 years in the media trade, and many accomplishments.
Set in Grootbaai, a fictional town near Hermanus and also featuring the Western Cape, this, her first novel, introduces Storm van der Merwe, a suspended detective warrant officer as its protagonist.
It opens with a "car chase" on our SA roads - featuring a bakkie, a beetle and a truck. Plenty of action, and a typically South African scene.
Later, Storm, walking her dog on the beach, finds a body. You can probably predict the rest - especially if I say the words perlemoen(abalone) poaching, shark diving and tow trucks.
Read my full review here.
Set in Grootbaai, a fictional town near Hermanus and also featuring the Western Cape, this, her first novel, introduces Storm van der Merwe, a suspended detective warrant officer as its protagonist.
It opens with a "car chase" on our SA roads - featuring a bakkie, a beetle and a truck. Plenty of action, and a typically South African scene.
Later, Storm, walking her dog on the beach, finds a body. You can probably predict the rest - especially if I say the words perlemoen(abalone) poaching, shark diving and tow trucks.
Read my full review here.
July 27, 2017
Изпитана рецепта е, ако искаш да хвърлиш светлина върху някой сериозен обществен или екологичен проблем, да го вкараш в криминален роман с убийства. Още по-изпитана рецепта е, ако убийствата са повече от едно, някой от главните заподозрени да се окаже сред убитите. В рецептата, що се отнася до Южна Африка е, сериозният обществен или екологичен проблем се подбира да е ендемичен, добрите в историята покриват няколко расови групи (като белият мъж има проблем с алкохола), а действието се развива на привлекателни или поне известни на туристите места. Не вреди и добавянето на малко екшън по пътищата и сред морето. Защо обаче е трябвало да се импровизира с готварските книги и операта да се наръси обилно и със сапун. Получило се е манджа с грозде.
October 3, 2023
I had trouble following this novel. The premise was good and entertaining: a serious detective must find the connection between shark attacks, international poaching, and other, strange oddities. But the execution fell short. When it came time for everything to fall into place, the pieces didn't fit together.
July 25, 2016
Heerlik om 'n boek te lees met jou tuisdorp, Gansbaai, as agtergtond alhoewel dit oor die donker kant van die dorp gaan. Kon hom nie neersit nie.
August 14, 2016
Baie goed.
Dis lekker as n storie jou heeltyd nuuskierig hou! Baie goeie storielyn. Sal verseker nog boeke van Irna van Zyl wil lees.
Dis lekker as n storie jou heeltyd nuuskierig hou! Baie goeie storielyn. Sal verseker nog boeke van Irna van Zyl wil lees.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews