Three Bodies

by Nechama Brodie

The first body was found in the Hartbeespoort Dam. An unidentified woman, presumably drowned, washed up on the banks of an exclusive golf estate. Next
came the discovery of a grisly crime scene deep underground in Johannesburg, somehow connected to a second woman found dead in the Jukskei River where it ran through Alexandra.

When the body of a third woman is pulled out of the Vaal River, south of Joburg, Captain Reshma Patel starts to wonder if a serial killer is at work - or if the mutilated corpses have anything to do with the spate of cash-in-transit heists she's busy investigating. When a fourth woman goes missing Reshma and her partner, former police officer Ian Jack, have to figure out who is behind the killings - and to stop them, before they can strike again.

296 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2020

About the author

Also writes as NR Brodie.

South African journalist, author and academic.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love thrillers (although if you're a frequent visitor on my blog, then you already know that!) and I've been wanting to read more local authors for a while now.



Nechama's writing and plot are rich with authentic South African culture (or more accurately, a blend of our diverse cultures), offering slang and personal touches that likely only a South African would appreciate. And unlike many stories that include slang and pop culture references, this book didn't come across cheesy or cringy. I appreciated that, and enjoyed it. But I still found the story disappointing.

The plot is boring. I wasn't gripped, and the ending climax is underwhelming, too - I was expecting lots of action, excitement, and confrontation, but instead it was understated and ended before I realised it had even started.

I didn't find the plot clever, either. It's dragged out, vague, and dialogue heavy. It doesn't help that the dialogue is also very weak.

The characters are flat, and I couldn't connect to them. Their personalities are bland, predominantly indistinctive, and I felt as if the plot was leading them, instead of the other way around.





Three Bodies is a disappointing, tedious thriller that fails to live up to its intriguing premise.

[Andy – And The Plot Thickens · Rating 4 out of 5]

... [S]omething in the water caught Jonas's eye. A long black strand, thick as a man's thumb, twisting along the surface as if it was caught in an invisible current... Just a piece of rubbish, he thought... Jonas reached into the water and pulled on the black strand with his bare hand... As he pulled, he felt movement on the other end, as if it was attached to something. Something big.

A second later, the water around him filled with more black shapes, more snakes, writhing in the water, reaching for his rubber feet where he stood. He had to stop himself from screaming out loud.

It took Jonas another second to realise that what he was holding in his hand was a length of human hair. And at the other end of the hair was a body.

When a body is dragged from the filthy Hartebeespoort Dam, many assume it's a drowning. But CCTV footage shows a woman who looks like the dead one, with a group. Why did they not report her missing? Former police officer, Ian Jack, is asked to look into the disappearance of security guard at the upmarket estate where the body was found. But, Ian thinks it's obvious the two are linked.

Meanwhile, after finding the mutilated body of another woman deep underground at Park Station, as well as weapons and a large stash of cash, Captain Reshma Patel becomes part of a covert task-team fighting the scourge of cash-in-transit heists. Then, the body of a third woman is pulled from the Vaal River. Could they all be connected?

The deeper Ian and Reshma dig, the more they uncover the murky world of those willing to sacrifice lives for muti or so-called 'protection' against police during CIT robberies. It's a world of the supernatural, and one that Brodie navigates with sensitivity, but with enough detail to make the reader curious.

This thriller leaves you breathless with its fast pace, intrigues you with the details of a frightening crime and leaves you chilled with the realisation that this is the everyday reality for those who work in the CIT industry. The book is well-researched and an absolute joy to read if you're looking for something that will get your heart racing!

[Michael Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nechama Brodie’s Three Bodies, is a gripping fusion of police procedural and thriller with a supernatural twist. It’s the sequel to her acclaimed debut thriller Knucklebone featuring Ian Jack and Reshima Patel. The body of a woman is found caught in the water weed of Hartebeespoort Dam on an upmarket golf estate, but no one seems to have a record of her entering through the estate’s tight security. Ian, although he’s left the police, is asked to investigate.

Meanwhile, Reshima makes a grisly find in the abandoned tunnels under Johannesburg’s Park Station that turns out to be related to the vicious cash-in-transit heists near the city. Then she discovers that two other women have been found dead in rivers. All the women have a curious brand around their wrists as though they’ve been tied up that way for a long time. She and Ian enlist the help of a sangoma, MaRejoice, and together they have to discover the link between the murders of the women and the heists, and why the bodies all ended up in water. Along the way they meet up with some attractive but dangerous characters.

There’s a supernatural twist around the African belief in water spirits, and it’s woven into the story in a cunning way that enhances the mystery and ramps up the tension towards the end.

Nechama has a lot of other projects underway, and she’s not sure about whether there will be another Ian and Reshima book. I hope there is.

[Tiah]

~Bad things happened to people who went down tunnels alone.~

~In Joburg you never walked when you could drive.~

~He did know how Reshma felt about MaRejoice, but it was also precisely the reason why he always felt so comfortable with the sangoma. Because she could see exactly who he was, and it never frightened her.~

~I kept thinking about what we do see and what we don't see.~

~They say he is powerful. But it seems it did not stop him from being stupid.~