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Benny Griessel #7
Donkerdrif (Bennie Griessel Book 7)
’n Koelbloedige moord by die Kaapse Waterfront. Wat dalk verband hou met geheimsinnige briewe wat geskorste luitenante Bennie Griessel en Vaughn Cupido ontvang het.
Maar eers moet Bennie-hulle op Stellenbosch soek na ’n verdwene student, en die spoor vat van die eiendomsagent wat die kooptransaksie van Donkerdrif, korporatiewe swendelaar Jasper Boonstra se peperduur wynplaas, behartig het.
Stadigaan besef die speurders al hul ondersoeke het ’n gemene deler: die donkerste drif, gierigheid.
Maar eers moet Bennie-hulle op Stellenbosch soek na ’n verdwene student, en die spoor vat van die eiendomsagent wat die kooptransaksie van Donkerdrif, korporatiewe swendelaar Jasper Boonstra se peperduur wynplaas, behartig het.
Stadigaan besef die speurders al hul ondersoeke het ’n gemene deler: die donkerste drif, gierigheid.
512 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 23, 2020
401 people are currently reading
4005 people want to read
About the author
Deon Meyer
58 books1,224 followersDeon 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).
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 278 reviews
January 22, 2022
My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the latest exhilarating and informative crime thriller by Deon Meyer in return for an honest review. I only became aware of the author's superb and complex police procedurals in 2020 and raced through most of his books. Meyer bravely writes about crimes and corruption in present-day South Africa. I regard his detective series as not only the best from South Africa but among the best in the world. His books were initially written in Afrikaans and then translated.
Deon Meyer presents a bold and searing portrait of the present turbulent political scene. In his previous novel,' The Last Hunt,' I learned a new phrase, 'state capture.' This phrase referred to a scandal-plagued president, bribery for government contracts, corrupt government officials, the minister of police, and the director of public prosecutions, all involved in 'state capture.' Kleptocracy, bribes, and greed were infecting every political institution from the top down. Anyone of honour who struggled with the desire for a fair and equitable society and challenged the country's dire state could face false charges, smear campaigns, loss of employment, and the danger of being labelled a traitor.
Detectives Bennie Griessel and his loyal partner, Vaughan Cupido, have been demoted from their elite Hawks unit based in Capetown for insubordination. They are ordered to report to a police force in another town. They are assigned to a routine case at a lower level than to what they had been accustomed. A 20-year-old male student, Callie, has gone missing. Before Griessel and Cupido were transferred from the Hawks, a young detective had been murdered. He left behind clues hinting of corruption in the police department. Griessel and Cupido have been interrupted in that investigation. They must concentrate their efforts on finding out the motive for Callie's disappearance.
Their new location was a pleasant one, but the town is declining due to a collapse of the real estate market. This resulted from extensive multi-million rand cooperative fraud by a greedy, scheming, extremely wealthy Jasper Boonstra. Real estate agent Sandra Steenberg is under challenging negotiations with Jasper to sell one of his splendid properties. She badly needs the commission because she has fallen deeply into debt. Their home, car, and the children's private education are in jeopardy, and also her marriage to her academic husband as she has hidden their possible financial ruin from him.
The structure of this book was unique for me. Short paragraphs alternate within chapters dealing with Griessel and Cupido trying to locate the missing student and their fear he may be murdered shortly, and Sandra's dealings with the evil, sexual predator, Jasper, who keeps changing the terms of the sales contract. This alternating, back and forth approach to storytelling should not work but does superbly. Tension and suspense were heightened, exploding with action, excitement, and dread. All the cases eventually come together. Will Griessel and Cupido find the motive for the abduction of the missing student, and is he dead or alive? What about the murder of the young detective back in Capetown? What will be Sandra's fate in the real estate dealings with the wicked Jasper?
A highly recommended series with glimpses of truth amidst a gripping, fictional crime story. This was a well-plotted and complicated tale, with flawed but memorable characters. I have ordered a copy of this book.
Deon Meyer presents a bold and searing portrait of the present turbulent political scene. In his previous novel,' The Last Hunt,' I learned a new phrase, 'state capture.' This phrase referred to a scandal-plagued president, bribery for government contracts, corrupt government officials, the minister of police, and the director of public prosecutions, all involved in 'state capture.' Kleptocracy, bribes, and greed were infecting every political institution from the top down. Anyone of honour who struggled with the desire for a fair and equitable society and challenged the country's dire state could face false charges, smear campaigns, loss of employment, and the danger of being labelled a traitor.
Detectives Bennie Griessel and his loyal partner, Vaughan Cupido, have been demoted from their elite Hawks unit based in Capetown for insubordination. They are ordered to report to a police force in another town. They are assigned to a routine case at a lower level than to what they had been accustomed. A 20-year-old male student, Callie, has gone missing. Before Griessel and Cupido were transferred from the Hawks, a young detective had been murdered. He left behind clues hinting of corruption in the police department. Griessel and Cupido have been interrupted in that investigation. They must concentrate their efforts on finding out the motive for Callie's disappearance.
Their new location was a pleasant one, but the town is declining due to a collapse of the real estate market. This resulted from extensive multi-million rand cooperative fraud by a greedy, scheming, extremely wealthy Jasper Boonstra. Real estate agent Sandra Steenberg is under challenging negotiations with Jasper to sell one of his splendid properties. She badly needs the commission because she has fallen deeply into debt. Their home, car, and the children's private education are in jeopardy, and also her marriage to her academic husband as she has hidden their possible financial ruin from him.
The structure of this book was unique for me. Short paragraphs alternate within chapters dealing with Griessel and Cupido trying to locate the missing student and their fear he may be murdered shortly, and Sandra's dealings with the evil, sexual predator, Jasper, who keeps changing the terms of the sales contract. This alternating, back and forth approach to storytelling should not work but does superbly. Tension and suspense were heightened, exploding with action, excitement, and dread. All the cases eventually come together. Will Griessel and Cupido find the motive for the abduction of the missing student, and is he dead or alive? What about the murder of the young detective back in Capetown? What will be Sandra's fate in the real estate dealings with the wicked Jasper?
A highly recommended series with glimpses of truth amidst a gripping, fictional crime story. This was a well-plotted and complicated tale, with flawed but memorable characters. I have ordered a copy of this book.
April 20, 2022
It is always a joy to see the latest addition to Deon Meyer's superb South African based crime series featuring Captain Benny Griessel fighting his addiction to the demon drink and his partner, Vaughan Cupido, of the elite Hawks police unit in Cape Town. This novel opens with an unbelievably chaotic in-transit heist police operation that is mirrored in the mess that is the police operation in the concluding finale of this story. The consequences of not following orders, in a case involving the State Security Agency that highlighted 'state capture' and the political corruption blighting the country from the previous book, can be seen here with Greissel and Cupido facing the stress of disciplinary procedures that could end their careers. The results lead to their demotion to Warrant Officers, their suspension from the Hawks, and having to join the Stellenbosch police force instead.
The only crumb of comfort to an angry and despairing Griessel is that the repercussions could have been so much worse as he worries over an anonymous note he receives warning of there being an adder in their midst and to be careful of phone calls. He and Cupido have to adjust to their reduced status as they are allocated their first case, that of a gifted 20 year old computer student, Callie de Bruin, a gifted IT student, reported missing by his anguished mother. Facing huge pressure from the political and police hierarchy and the media, it is an investigation that struggles to secure any leads but which pushes Griessel to try and reconnect with his estranged son, Fritz. 32 year old estate agent, Sandra Steenberg's dire financial straits have her agreeing to sell a lucrative property for the disgraced billionaire corporate swindler, Jaspar Boonstra, a man with a reputation for sexual harrassment. This thread eventually begins to connect with the missing Callie case, and the murder of a police officer.
One of the highlights that elevates this marvellous crime series by Meyer is how he incorporates a social and political commentary on the troubling state of South Africa, the kleptocrats, the corporate, political and police corruption, the lack of accountability, and personified here with Griessel and Cupido being targeted for their integrity in trying to do their jobs. This is a wonderfully riveting and suspenseful addition to the series, and there is a great sense of location. It was wonderful to see Sandra's resilience in the face of the debts that threaten to overwhelm her and in dealing with her monstrous employer, Charlie Benson, and the sexual predator that is Jaspar Boonstra. I am eagerly looking forward to the next in the series! Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
The only crumb of comfort to an angry and despairing Griessel is that the repercussions could have been so much worse as he worries over an anonymous note he receives warning of there being an adder in their midst and to be careful of phone calls. He and Cupido have to adjust to their reduced status as they are allocated their first case, that of a gifted 20 year old computer student, Callie de Bruin, a gifted IT student, reported missing by his anguished mother. Facing huge pressure from the political and police hierarchy and the media, it is an investigation that struggles to secure any leads but which pushes Griessel to try and reconnect with his estranged son, Fritz. 32 year old estate agent, Sandra Steenberg's dire financial straits have her agreeing to sell a lucrative property for the disgraced billionaire corporate swindler, Jaspar Boonstra, a man with a reputation for sexual harrassment. This thread eventually begins to connect with the missing Callie case, and the murder of a police officer.
One of the highlights that elevates this marvellous crime series by Meyer is how he incorporates a social and political commentary on the troubling state of South Africa, the kleptocrats, the corporate, political and police corruption, the lack of accountability, and personified here with Griessel and Cupido being targeted for their integrity in trying to do their jobs. This is a wonderfully riveting and suspenseful addition to the series, and there is a great sense of location. It was wonderful to see Sandra's resilience in the face of the debts that threaten to overwhelm her and in dealing with her monstrous employer, Charlie Benson, and the sexual predator that is Jaspar Boonstra. I am eagerly looking forward to the next in the series! Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
December 13, 2020
Elke jaar kan ek nie wag vir die nuwe Deon Meyer publikasie nie, maar maak nie saak hoe hoog my verwagtinge is nie, ek word nooit teleurgestel nie. Donkerdrif is nog 'n eksie-perfeksie hoofstuk in die Bennie Griessel reeks, en ek was vasgevang van die aksiebelaaide opening tot die laaste bladsy.
Eerstens is ek gek oor Bennie en Cupido. Hulle hegte vriendskap was regtig goed in hierdie boek uitgebeeld. Die dialoog tussen die twee partners voel baie eg en het my gereeld hardop laat skater.
Suid-Afrika met al sy probleme - veral die ewige korrupsie - word perfek beskryf. Alhoewel ons almal moedeloos voel, herinner Deon ons dat daar nog miljoene goeie, eerlike en hardwerkende mense in ons mooie land is.
Laastens het ek die feit dat die idees vir die sake in Donkerdrif gebaseer is op regte gebeurtenisse (Steinhoff en Christian Lodewyk Prinsloo) verskriklik geniet, en het ek amper soveel gegoogle as wat ek gelees het om uit te vind wat is fiksie en wat is feit. Maar wat hierdie outeur een van die bestes in die wereld maak is nie net sy karakters, sy humor, sy zeitgeist of sy navorsing oor historiese sake nie, maar hoe hy hierdie sake aan mekaar kan verbind, met uiteindes wat niemand ooit kon voorspel het nie.
Deon Meyer is in 'n klas van sy eie. En nou begin die laaang wag tot einde 2021...
Eerstens is ek gek oor Bennie en Cupido. Hulle hegte vriendskap was regtig goed in hierdie boek uitgebeeld. Die dialoog tussen die twee partners voel baie eg en het my gereeld hardop laat skater.
Suid-Afrika met al sy probleme - veral die ewige korrupsie - word perfek beskryf. Alhoewel ons almal moedeloos voel, herinner Deon ons dat daar nog miljoene goeie, eerlike en hardwerkende mense in ons mooie land is.
Laastens het ek die feit dat die idees vir die sake in Donkerdrif gebaseer is op regte gebeurtenisse (Steinhoff en Christian Lodewyk Prinsloo) verskriklik geniet, en het ek amper soveel gegoogle as wat ek gelees het om uit te vind wat is fiksie en wat is feit. Maar wat hierdie outeur een van die bestes in die wereld maak is nie net sy karakters, sy humor, sy zeitgeist of sy navorsing oor historiese sake nie, maar hoe hy hierdie sake aan mekaar kan verbind, met uiteindes wat niemand ooit kon voorspel het nie.
Deon Meyer is in 'n klas van sy eie. En nou begin die laaang wag tot einde 2021...
December 10, 2020
4.5 stars
Ek moes hierdie book skelmpies lees voor ek dit vir my swaer gee vir sy verjaarsdag.
En wat ‘n lekker lees was dit nie.
Noudat Bennie En Cupido se loopbane by die Valke in twyfel getrek word, is hulle gepos na Stellenbosch en dinge is net nie dieselfde nie. Nou moet hulle belaglike goed soos vermiste (tien teen een dronk) studente ondersoek wat regtig VER onder hulle polisie vaardigheid val.
Soos Cupido se “dis ‘n clusterfuck van magnificent proportions”
Daar is 3 storie lyne wat op die oog af niks met mekaar te doen het nie maar soos die storie aanstap trek al die lydrade saam.
Ek moet wel erken dat ek meer belang gestel het in Bennie en Cupido se persoonlike dramas as die speur sake maar soos altyd het ek niks om oor te kla met hierdie reeks nie.
Ek moes hierdie book skelmpies lees voor ek dit vir my swaer gee vir sy verjaarsdag.
En wat ‘n lekker lees was dit nie.
Noudat Bennie En Cupido se loopbane by die Valke in twyfel getrek word, is hulle gepos na Stellenbosch en dinge is net nie dieselfde nie. Nou moet hulle belaglike goed soos vermiste (tien teen een dronk) studente ondersoek wat regtig VER onder hulle polisie vaardigheid val.
Soos Cupido se “dis ‘n clusterfuck van magnificent proportions”
Daar is 3 storie lyne wat op die oog af niks met mekaar te doen het nie maar soos die storie aanstap trek al die lydrade saam.
Ek moet wel erken dat ek meer belang gestel het in Bennie en Cupido se persoonlike dramas as die speur sake maar soos altyd het ek niks om oor te kla met hierdie reeks nie.
June 9, 2022
I started reading Deon Meyer’s novels many years ago, before he achieved international recognition and acquired an American publisher. He writes his books in Afrikaans, so there was always an 18-month wait to obtain the English translation from his UK publisher. Now that he has an American publisher, the wait for the translated version is even longer.
Had I been a Goodreads member when I started reading these, I would have given them all five stars (except for Fever, a brief foray into SF territory, which moved too slowly). Initially, Meyer wrote singles or 2-3 books about recurring characters. In 2004, he wrote Devil’s Peak, his first novel featuring Benny Griessel, and since then has published several more Benny Griessel stories. THE DARK FLOOD is the seventh novel in this series (eighth book if you count a short novella).
In Meyer’s crime novels, the political landscape of South Africa is always an important part of the setting, and this is especially true of THE DARK FLOOD. It starts with a wild ride to capture some bank robbers, which Vaughn Cupido, Benny’s partner, calls “a clusterfuck of majestic proportions” — an everything-going-wrong operation, wherein two police forces fail to coordinate (plus a farmer’s wife with a shotgun gets into the melee).
After this bumpy shootout chase, the main story begins. As a result of actions that Benny and Vaughn took in the previous novel in the series, The Last Hunt, they are demoted and posted to a station outside Cape Town. You don’t need to read The Last Hunt to gain any further information than that given at the beginning of THE DARK FLOOD — that Benny and Vaughn disobeyed a direct order from a superior officer. And reading THE DARK FLOOD first will not spoil the plot of The Last Hunt, if you haven’t yet read it. The two books describe sequential events but do not overlap in terms of major narrative themes.
Simultaneous with the travails of Benny and Vaughn, we begin the story of Sandra Steenberg, a real estate agent. For the rest of the book, the story will flip back and forth between Sandra’s story and that of Benny and Vaughn. The reader is never lost, even when this flipping back-and-forth occurs several times within the same chapter. It serves to curtail any boredom that might occur if the narrative concentrated on Sandra’s story, which does not get compelling until nearer the end of the novel. (Griessel and Cupido, on the other hand, are never boring.)
The plot involves a missing student, a murdered police officer, a corporate swindler, and Sandra’s desire to avoid financial ruin — all of which eventually merge together seamlessly in the tangled mess of South Africa’s corrupted political/corporate system. Because it is that corrupted system that is the real heart of this story. As one character says: “There are so many things in our country that divide us. But we are united in our greed.”
The is more humour in this novel than in many of Meyer’s other novels — some laugh-out-loud banter between the partners, and some black humour involving Sandra’s attempts to hold everything together. There is a scattering of Afrikaan words and phrases to help assimilate the reader into the setting — nothing that isn’t immediately understandable in context. Also, there are references to South African politics that are not needed to experience the adventure, but a reader wouldn’t understand some comments and jokes without a bit of knowledge about ex-President Zuma and his dealings with the Indian Gupta family, who raised political corruption and bribery to an art form — called “State Capture” by South Africans.
The novel is a “wild ride” from beginning to end. Even that bumpy shootout at the beginning is tied back to another “what-more-can-go-wrong” shootout at the end.
If you want to see what Meyer’s fellow South Africans thought about the novel, look up Donkerdrif on Goodreads.
Warning for sensitive souls: There is a fair amount of swearing, mostly in Afrikaans but sometimes in English.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also, my review of:
The Last Hunt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Had I been a Goodreads member when I started reading these, I would have given them all five stars (except for Fever, a brief foray into SF territory, which moved too slowly). Initially, Meyer wrote singles or 2-3 books about recurring characters. In 2004, he wrote Devil’s Peak, his first novel featuring Benny Griessel, and since then has published several more Benny Griessel stories. THE DARK FLOOD is the seventh novel in this series (eighth book if you count a short novella).
In Meyer’s crime novels, the political landscape of South Africa is always an important part of the setting, and this is especially true of THE DARK FLOOD. It starts with a wild ride to capture some bank robbers, which Vaughn Cupido, Benny’s partner, calls “a clusterfuck of majestic proportions” — an everything-going-wrong operation, wherein two police forces fail to coordinate (plus a farmer’s wife with a shotgun gets into the melee).
After this bumpy shootout chase, the main story begins. As a result of actions that Benny and Vaughn took in the previous novel in the series, The Last Hunt, they are demoted and posted to a station outside Cape Town. You don’t need to read The Last Hunt to gain any further information than that given at the beginning of THE DARK FLOOD — that Benny and Vaughn disobeyed a direct order from a superior officer. And reading THE DARK FLOOD first will not spoil the plot of The Last Hunt, if you haven’t yet read it. The two books describe sequential events but do not overlap in terms of major narrative themes.
Simultaneous with the travails of Benny and Vaughn, we begin the story of Sandra Steenberg, a real estate agent. For the rest of the book, the story will flip back and forth between Sandra’s story and that of Benny and Vaughn. The reader is never lost, even when this flipping back-and-forth occurs several times within the same chapter. It serves to curtail any boredom that might occur if the narrative concentrated on Sandra’s story, which does not get compelling until nearer the end of the novel. (Griessel and Cupido, on the other hand, are never boring.)
The plot involves a missing student, a murdered police officer, a corporate swindler, and Sandra’s desire to avoid financial ruin — all of which eventually merge together seamlessly in the tangled mess of South Africa’s corrupted political/corporate system. Because it is that corrupted system that is the real heart of this story. As one character says: “There are so many things in our country that divide us. But we are united in our greed.”
The is more humour in this novel than in many of Meyer’s other novels — some laugh-out-loud banter between the partners, and some black humour involving Sandra’s attempts to hold everything together. There is a scattering of Afrikaan words and phrases to help assimilate the reader into the setting — nothing that isn’t immediately understandable in context. Also, there are references to South African politics that are not needed to experience the adventure, but a reader wouldn’t understand some comments and jokes without a bit of knowledge about ex-President Zuma and his dealings with the Indian Gupta family, who raised political corruption and bribery to an art form — called “State Capture” by South Africans.
The novel is a “wild ride” from beginning to end. Even that bumpy shootout at the beginning is tied back to another “what-more-can-go-wrong” shootout at the end.
If you want to see what Meyer’s fellow South Africans thought about the novel, look up Donkerdrif on Goodreads.
Warning for sensitive souls: There is a fair amount of swearing, mostly in Afrikaans but sometimes in English.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also, my review of:
The Last Hunt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 27, 2021
Another good installment in the Bennie Griessel series. As far as Police Procedurals go, this is one of the best series I've read, very enjoyable cast and excellent police cases. This was not the best in the series but certainly entertaining.
It always feels good to be back in Cape Town for this series. My favorite detectives Bennie Griessel and Vaughn Cupido are back on a job and as always what stands out is the interesting backdrop that Cape Town makes, a complex society with many layers and a police force that is ambitious but has its problems with corruption as well.
This book is about two seemingly unrelated cases and in the background the troubles Griessel and Cupido are facing inside their police department. Billionaire Jasper Boonstra wants to sell his large wine estate “Donkerdrif” and that leads to problems, meanwhile a student goes missing in nearby town Stellenbosch and then a cop gets shot in broad daylight in Cape Town. Up to Cupido and Griessel to put all the pieces together.
Deon Meyer writes well, he has a really nice, descriptive writing style. And as mentioned before the Cape Town backdrop is very interesting. This one took long to develop, and the strength of this book is in the main characters, Bennie Griessel and Vaughn Cupido, and their development inside the Cape Town police force and in their personal lives.
The cases they work on in this book are quite good, but I felt the ending was somewhat unsatisfying. I would recommend this series to anybody that loves Police Thrillers, but you should definitely read them in the right order to understand all character developments.
It always feels good to be back in Cape Town for this series. My favorite detectives Bennie Griessel and Vaughn Cupido are back on a job and as always what stands out is the interesting backdrop that Cape Town makes, a complex society with many layers and a police force that is ambitious but has its problems with corruption as well.
This book is about two seemingly unrelated cases and in the background the troubles Griessel and Cupido are facing inside their police department. Billionaire Jasper Boonstra wants to sell his large wine estate “Donkerdrif” and that leads to problems, meanwhile a student goes missing in nearby town Stellenbosch and then a cop gets shot in broad daylight in Cape Town. Up to Cupido and Griessel to put all the pieces together.
Deon Meyer writes well, he has a really nice, descriptive writing style. And as mentioned before the Cape Town backdrop is very interesting. This one took long to develop, and the strength of this book is in the main characters, Bennie Griessel and Vaughn Cupido, and their development inside the Cape Town police force and in their personal lives.
The cases they work on in this book are quite good, but I felt the ending was somewhat unsatisfying. I would recommend this series to anybody that loves Police Thrillers, but you should definitely read them in the right order to understand all character developments.
October 31, 2020
Soms, in onsekere tye soos hierdie, soek jy na iets wat bekend is. Iets wat jy weet wat jy gaan kry, iets wat jy WEET jy gaan van hou.
En dan kom die nuwe Deon Meyer uit en jy weet sommer dit gaan lekker wees. Dis soos om saam met ou vriende te kuier na ‘n lang tyd. Jy tel net weer op en kuier verder saam met Bennie en Vaughn en die lekker groot verskeidenheid medespelers soos Mbali, Dik en Dun en Alexa.
Nou kyk, die ooreenkomste van ‘n sekere berugte geldverduisteraar in Stellies was baie lekker, die nuwe jagveld waar hulle hulleself bevind en die draaie en intriges was alles daar. Dit hou jou vas, dit knoop, dit onknoop weer later en as jy klaar is, is jy soos na ‘n lekker braai - tevrede en gelukkig.
Storm dadelik na jou naaste boekwinkel en gaan kry vir jou hierdie lekkerte!
En dan kom die nuwe Deon Meyer uit en jy weet sommer dit gaan lekker wees. Dis soos om saam met ou vriende te kuier na ‘n lang tyd. Jy tel net weer op en kuier verder saam met Bennie en Vaughn en die lekker groot verskeidenheid medespelers soos Mbali, Dik en Dun en Alexa.
Nou kyk, die ooreenkomste van ‘n sekere berugte geldverduisteraar in Stellies was baie lekker, die nuwe jagveld waar hulle hulleself bevind en die draaie en intriges was alles daar. Dit hou jou vas, dit knoop, dit onknoop weer later en as jy klaar is, is jy soos na ‘n lekker braai - tevrede en gelukkig.
Storm dadelik na jou naaste boekwinkel en gaan kry vir jou hierdie lekkerte!
April 15, 2025
Another very good thriller from South Africa's master, Deon Meyer. Captain Benny Griessel still winning the war against alcoholism, and his longtime partner, Vaughan Cupido, of the elite Hawks police unit in Cape Town are involved in a clusterf*ck, when different police units converge on a heist. Benny and Vaughn are demoted with a cut in pay, but instead of being sent into the bush, they are assigned to a police unit in Stellenbosch, where a scholarship student and computer wizard disappears from his college dorm, with no trace. The boy's mother is devastated. Also, a major scam artist is trying to use the sale of a major property to lure an attractive woman real estate agent into his clutches, who herself is on the verge of poverty and too proud to ask her husband's wealthy family for help. When the billionaire ends up dead, she is torn about what to do, and Griessel is closing in on her lies. The two stories merge as solid policework by the two partners begin to unravel the reasons for the computer kid's disappearance. Politics and policework are a volatile mix in South Africa.
June 19, 2022
The Dark Flood or as my copy is called Mörk Flod by Deon Meyer is the latest Benny Griessel mystery from southafrica and it's one of the best in this series in my mind. Full of mysteries and politics and a good measure of humor. It is a fast read and the complications our Hawks get involved with are plenty and at first hard to figure out. That is just as it should be. I must say I had a wonderful time reading this one and it was even better due to the fact that I recently listened to the interview Michael Connelly did with Meyer at the Poisoned Pen podcast.
October 30, 2020
***MOONTLIKE SPOILER ALERT***
As jy absoluut niks meer as wat die sinopsis verklap wil weet nie, slaan dalk maar hierdie oor al gee ek niks weg wat nie redelik vroeg in die boek al duidelik raak nie.
*****
Kom ons kry sommer klaar hierdie uit die pad uit: dis Deon Meyer, dis Bennie Griessel, dis 3 storielyne wat op die oog af onverwant lyk maar op die ou end bymekaar gaan kom met die hulp van 'n skoot toeval. If you don't like it, rol jou oë en hou verby (want dit lyk my daar kleef nou al vir 'n rukkie in sommige geledere een of ander stigma aan die Meyer/Griessel kombinasie).
Die res van julle, kom sit hier in die Bennieholics Anonymous kringetjie.
Aan die einde van Prooi het Bennie Griessel en Vaughan Cupido op die verkeerde mense se tone getrap. Meeste lesers sou geweet het dat daar waarskynlik gevolge sou wees. Die gevolge is dat hulle uit die Valke geskors word en weer 'n bietjie in die gewone SAPD moet dien as AO's. Onmiddelik land 'n oënskynlik eenvoudige ondersoek na 'n vermiste student op hulle skote.
Maar natuurlik is dit allesbehalwe eenvoudig.
Donkerdrif skop met 'n knal af, 'n gefnuikde transitorooftog wat die eerste vae leidraad bied van die onderduimshede wat aan die gang is.
Dan ontmoet ons vir Sandra Steenberg, 'n eiendomsagent met 'n berg finansiële probleme. Huispaaiement te lank al agterstallig, Ford soek hulle kar terug, sy en haar familie is weke weg van op straat sit.
Sy word genader deur Jasper Boonstra, 'n skatryk swendelaar wat amper eiehandig Stellenbosch se eiendomsmark laat kantel het met sy streke. Hy het 'n landgoed wat hy wil verkoop. Groot geld, vir 'n desperate Sandra 'n uitkoms, maar hush-hush. En niks is verniet nie, soos dié smerige knaap vir Sandra duidelik laat verstaan. So begin Sandra se sielkundige kragmeting met die meester-swendelaar Boonstra.
Intussen word 'n polisieman by die Waterfront afgemaai en daar word 'n interessante vuurwapen in sy voertuig gevind. Hoekom wou hy dié ding vir Griessel-hulle wys, en wie wou hom ten alle koste stop?
En so, in tipiese Meyer-styl, spiraal die betrokkenes se lewens stelselmatig in chaos in. Dis moeilik om meer te sê sonder om verwikkelinge weg te gee wat 'n voornemende leser se genot in die geleidelike ontknoping van die intriges kan bederf.
Langs die pad ontmoet ons 'n string bykarakters, elkeen vir hulle eie redes onthoubaar. Charlie, Sandra se baas, is 'n half koddige mannetjie met 'n nare streep wat vir 'n skreeusnaakse oomblik sorg later in die boek (ek het hardop gelag en giggel nou nog as ek dit in my kop terugspeel).
Witkop Jansen, Bennie-hulle se nuwe bevelvoerder, is 'n ouskool-speurder wat veral Vaughan, wat nie goed doen met gesag nie, se geduld tot breekpunt dryf. Die vermiste student Callie de Bruin is, soos ons helde tereg opmerk, 'n enigma. Die leser word gedryf om uit te vind waarin dié briljante, maar valerige eenkant student homself begewe het.
Donkerdrif is 'n heerlike lees. Dinge ontwikkel vinnig, die arme karakters word behoorlik op hulle tone gehou en die spanningslyn gee selde skiet oor die 464 bladsye. Meyer hou al die punte met die vernuf van 'n ou hand bymekaar. Hy trap veral nie in die val om sy leser se tyd met 'n klomp rooi harings en onnodige gesprekke en ondervragings te mors nie.
Die dialoog is op Meyer se normale hoë standaard en ek het myself telkens gevang waar ek 'n karakter se dialoog in 'n unieke stem in my kop lees. Die pas versnel glad soos die vele lae van die ondersoek een vir een afgetrek word en Bennie, Vaughan en kollegas hulle pad oopbaklei na die waarheid toe.
Geen aanhanger van Meyer, Griessel en Cupido behoort teleurgesteld weg te stap van dié een af nie.
As jy absoluut niks meer as wat die sinopsis verklap wil weet nie, slaan dalk maar hierdie oor al gee ek niks weg wat nie redelik vroeg in die boek al duidelik raak nie.
*****
Kom ons kry sommer klaar hierdie uit die pad uit: dis Deon Meyer, dis Bennie Griessel, dis 3 storielyne wat op die oog af onverwant lyk maar op die ou end bymekaar gaan kom met die hulp van 'n skoot toeval. If you don't like it, rol jou oë en hou verby (want dit lyk my daar kleef nou al vir 'n rukkie in sommige geledere een of ander stigma aan die Meyer/Griessel kombinasie).
Die res van julle, kom sit hier in die Bennieholics Anonymous kringetjie.
Aan die einde van Prooi het Bennie Griessel en Vaughan Cupido op die verkeerde mense se tone getrap. Meeste lesers sou geweet het dat daar waarskynlik gevolge sou wees. Die gevolge is dat hulle uit die Valke geskors word en weer 'n bietjie in die gewone SAPD moet dien as AO's. Onmiddelik land 'n oënskynlik eenvoudige ondersoek na 'n vermiste student op hulle skote.
Maar natuurlik is dit allesbehalwe eenvoudig.
Donkerdrif skop met 'n knal af, 'n gefnuikde transitorooftog wat die eerste vae leidraad bied van die onderduimshede wat aan die gang is.
Dan ontmoet ons vir Sandra Steenberg, 'n eiendomsagent met 'n berg finansiële probleme. Huispaaiement te lank al agterstallig, Ford soek hulle kar terug, sy en haar familie is weke weg van op straat sit.
Sy word genader deur Jasper Boonstra, 'n skatryk swendelaar wat amper eiehandig Stellenbosch se eiendomsmark laat kantel het met sy streke. Hy het 'n landgoed wat hy wil verkoop. Groot geld, vir 'n desperate Sandra 'n uitkoms, maar hush-hush. En niks is verniet nie, soos dié smerige knaap vir Sandra duidelik laat verstaan. So begin Sandra se sielkundige kragmeting met die meester-swendelaar Boonstra.
Intussen word 'n polisieman by die Waterfront afgemaai en daar word 'n interessante vuurwapen in sy voertuig gevind. Hoekom wou hy dié ding vir Griessel-hulle wys, en wie wou hom ten alle koste stop?
En so, in tipiese Meyer-styl, spiraal die betrokkenes se lewens stelselmatig in chaos in. Dis moeilik om meer te sê sonder om verwikkelinge weg te gee wat 'n voornemende leser se genot in die geleidelike ontknoping van die intriges kan bederf.
Langs die pad ontmoet ons 'n string bykarakters, elkeen vir hulle eie redes onthoubaar. Charlie, Sandra se baas, is 'n half koddige mannetjie met 'n nare streep wat vir 'n skreeusnaakse oomblik sorg later in die boek (ek het hardop gelag en giggel nou nog as ek dit in my kop terugspeel).
Witkop Jansen, Bennie-hulle se nuwe bevelvoerder, is 'n ouskool-speurder wat veral Vaughan, wat nie goed doen met gesag nie, se geduld tot breekpunt dryf. Die vermiste student Callie de Bruin is, soos ons helde tereg opmerk, 'n enigma. Die leser word gedryf om uit te vind waarin dié briljante, maar valerige eenkant student homself begewe het.
Donkerdrif is 'n heerlike lees. Dinge ontwikkel vinnig, die arme karakters word behoorlik op hulle tone gehou en die spanningslyn gee selde skiet oor die 464 bladsye. Meyer hou al die punte met die vernuf van 'n ou hand bymekaar. Hy trap veral nie in die val om sy leser se tyd met 'n klomp rooi harings en onnodige gesprekke en ondervragings te mors nie.
Die dialoog is op Meyer se normale hoë standaard en ek het myself telkens gevang waar ek 'n karakter se dialoog in 'n unieke stem in my kop lees. Die pas versnel glad soos die vele lae van die ondersoek een vir een afgetrek word en Bennie, Vaughan en kollegas hulle pad oopbaklei na die waarheid toe.
Geen aanhanger van Meyer, Griessel en Cupido behoort teleurgesteld weg te stap van dié een af nie.
April 17, 2025
Re: the Magnum 500 – Police armourer Bossert says: ‘They are rare Captain. It’s a beautiful piece, but it’s an awkward thing. Too big to tote around, too clumsy for self-defence. On the heavy side too. And kicks like a horse, even though Smith & Wesson claim the muzzle compensator reduces that. In America there are people who hunt with it. Big game. It has helluva stopping power. And it’s expensive for a hand gun. Here in South Africa they go for over thirty thousand… if a criminal gets his hands on one…he will battle to get the ammunition on the black market…’
Following on from the events of The Last Hunt, in which Cape Town based detectives Captains Vaughn Cupido and Benny Griessel played minor roles, the pair are demoted to Warrant Officer and are to be sent to Laingsburg in the Karoo, but a last minute reprieve – machinations in the background - sees them transferred to Stellenbosch in the heartland of South Africa’s wine industry. (Or as Vaughn calls it “Volvoville”). In their new role they are charged with finding a missing University student – a gifted hacker on the spectrum – leading a double life unknown to those around him.
Meanwhile, Stellenbosch-based real estate agent, the stunning Sandra Steenberg, mother of twin girls and wife of an academic on sabbatical, works at the high-end of the market while warding off debt collectors. Her one chance at solvency lies with a multi-million rand sale: a vineyard owned (on paper) by rogue entrepreneur and swindler Jasper Boonstra – a man who has driven many into receivership, his own wealth hidden in a myriad of shell companies. A narcissistic womaniser, can he be trusted?
The background to all this is a South African Police Service riddled with corruption and cronyism that reaches the President himself, morale in the lower ranks is low. A series of armed robberies on in-transit heists of payrolls goes unsolved, a whistle blower is blown away – can our two detectives, one fighting alcoholism, the other his waistline, seek justice under such a system?
Hats off to Deon Meyer for bringing a fresh approach to a series - a slow-burner at times – with laugh out loud dark humour at others. Might work as a standalone but I suggest reading books earlier in the series first.
Following on from the events of The Last Hunt, in which Cape Town based detectives Captains Vaughn Cupido and Benny Griessel played minor roles, the pair are demoted to Warrant Officer and are to be sent to Laingsburg in the Karoo, but a last minute reprieve – machinations in the background - sees them transferred to Stellenbosch in the heartland of South Africa’s wine industry. (Or as Vaughn calls it “Volvoville”). In their new role they are charged with finding a missing University student – a gifted hacker on the spectrum – leading a double life unknown to those around him.
Meanwhile, Stellenbosch-based real estate agent, the stunning Sandra Steenberg, mother of twin girls and wife of an academic on sabbatical, works at the high-end of the market while warding off debt collectors. Her one chance at solvency lies with a multi-million rand sale: a vineyard owned (on paper) by rogue entrepreneur and swindler Jasper Boonstra – a man who has driven many into receivership, his own wealth hidden in a myriad of shell companies. A narcissistic womaniser, can he be trusted?
The background to all this is a South African Police Service riddled with corruption and cronyism that reaches the President himself, morale in the lower ranks is low. A series of armed robberies on in-transit heists of payrolls goes unsolved, a whistle blower is blown away – can our two detectives, one fighting alcoholism, the other his waistline, seek justice under such a system?
Hats off to Deon Meyer for bringing a fresh approach to a series - a slow-burner at times – with laugh out loud dark humour at others. Might work as a standalone but I suggest reading books earlier in the series first.
April 20, 2022
Although described by Wilbur Smith as ‘the undisputed champion of South African crime’ I confess the name Deon Meyer was completely new to me.
The Dark Flood is the seventh book in the series so it’s obvious there are aspects of Benny Griessel’s character and past history that will be familiar to readers of previous books but were completely new to me. The author has made him a very believable character with flaws as well as strengths. He’s a recovering alcoholic which has resulted in a strained relationship with his son Felix, although Benny is doing his best to support him financially through film school. Fortunately, Benny has found himself a very supportive partner in Alexa. Professionally, he has a strong sense of justice, an eye for detail and an instinctive sense for when he’s being told – or more often, not being told – the truth. His rather rebellious attitude to authority is shared by his partner Vaughan Cupido. I really liked their relationship – the banter and the gentle teasing – and they fact they have complimentary skills. Vaughan is a like a firecracker when it comes to ideas, shooting off in every direction, while Benny is the one who can bring them together to form a picture.
The story switches frequently between the two plot lines – Benny and Vaughan’s missing persons investigation and Sandra’s dealings with Jasper Boonstra. Initially, the two story lines seem to have no connection but of course the author is cleverer than that and they do eventually converge, although not perhaps in the way you might expect. Benny’s oft-stated belief that there is no such thing as coincidence is surely a crime novelist’s in-joke.
There are some great female characters in the book, especially Sandra. I really felt for her as her precarious financial situation and her desire to protect her family sees her become more and more drawn into Boonstra’s financial shenanigans with shocking consequences. Fortunately, help arrives from an unexpected quarter proving the saying that revenge is a dish best served cold.
For those who like a bit of action in their crime fiction, The Dark Flood is book-ended by two dramatic scenes. And those who love a final page twist or cliff-hanger won’t be disappointed either.
I found it easy to forget this is a translation although there were some Afrikaans words and phrases (mostly swear words as it turns out) that were unfamiliar to me. (There is a useful glossary.) I felt more knowledge about South African politics, the concept of state-capture and the geography of the country would have added to my appreciation of the subtleties of the plot.
The Dark Flood is a combination of skilfully crafted police procedural and insight into the murky world of political, institutional and financial corruption. It’s a series I would definitely look out for in the future.
The Dark Flood is the seventh book in the series so it’s obvious there are aspects of Benny Griessel’s character and past history that will be familiar to readers of previous books but were completely new to me. The author has made him a very believable character with flaws as well as strengths. He’s a recovering alcoholic which has resulted in a strained relationship with his son Felix, although Benny is doing his best to support him financially through film school. Fortunately, Benny has found himself a very supportive partner in Alexa. Professionally, he has a strong sense of justice, an eye for detail and an instinctive sense for when he’s being told – or more often, not being told – the truth. His rather rebellious attitude to authority is shared by his partner Vaughan Cupido. I really liked their relationship – the banter and the gentle teasing – and they fact they have complimentary skills. Vaughan is a like a firecracker when it comes to ideas, shooting off in every direction, while Benny is the one who can bring them together to form a picture.
The story switches frequently between the two plot lines – Benny and Vaughan’s missing persons investigation and Sandra’s dealings with Jasper Boonstra. Initially, the two story lines seem to have no connection but of course the author is cleverer than that and they do eventually converge, although not perhaps in the way you might expect. Benny’s oft-stated belief that there is no such thing as coincidence is surely a crime novelist’s in-joke.
There are some great female characters in the book, especially Sandra. I really felt for her as her precarious financial situation and her desire to protect her family sees her become more and more drawn into Boonstra’s financial shenanigans with shocking consequences. Fortunately, help arrives from an unexpected quarter proving the saying that revenge is a dish best served cold.
For those who like a bit of action in their crime fiction, The Dark Flood is book-ended by two dramatic scenes. And those who love a final page twist or cliff-hanger won’t be disappointed either.
I found it easy to forget this is a translation although there were some Afrikaans words and phrases (mostly swear words as it turns out) that were unfamiliar to me. (There is a useful glossary.) I felt more knowledge about South African politics, the concept of state-capture and the geography of the country would have added to my appreciation of the subtleties of the plot.
The Dark Flood is a combination of skilfully crafted police procedural and insight into the murky world of political, institutional and financial corruption. It’s a series I would definitely look out for in the future.
November 5, 2020
A real page turner. Awesome read. I enjoyed every page. Deon Meyer is a master story teller.
July 27, 2022
Another brilliant crime book based in South Africa, around Stellenbosch and Cape Town. A fantastic page-turned with a few unexpected surprises. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this!
October 2, 2022
’n Koelbloedige moord by die Kaapse Waterfront. Wat dalk verband hou met geheimsinnige briewe wat geskorste luitenante Bennie Griessel en Vaughn Cupido ontvang het.
Maar eers moet Bennie-hulle op Stellenbosch soek na ’n verdwene student, en die spoor vat van die eiendomsagent wat die kooptransaksie van Donkerdrif, korporatiewe swendelaar Jasper Boonstra se peperduur wynplaas, behartig het.
Stadigaan besef die speurders al hul ondersoeke het ’n gemene deler: die donkerste drif, gierigheid.
Ek het nog nooit 'n boek van Deon Meyer gelees wat nie 'n ongelooflike goeie leeservaring was nie. 'n Mens staan telkens verstom oor sy fyn mensekennis en die empatie waarmee hy alle karakters uitbeeld. Ek reken hy is tans ons land se mees susksevolle literêre uitvoerproduk, en met rede.
Geskorste Kaptein Bennie Griessel en sy spanmaat Kaptein Vaughan Cupido is die sterre in 'n andersins donker, korrupte hemelruim, waar hulle in groot gevaar hulle werk moet doen, terwyl kriminele en mede polisiemanne uit hulle pad gaan om die twee se sterre te laat vervaag.
Donkerdrif is die verhaal van gierigheid en desperaatheid om te oorleef, en die maniere wat gebruik word om vooruit te gaan in die lewe. Daar is 'n bietjie van 'n clifhanger ending, wat 'n mens laat uitsien na die volgende boek in die reeks. Maar die groot, belangrike saak word opgelos, wat die twee dapper polisie beamptes in hulle poste mag herstel. Hulle is dit belowe.
Hy skryf in sy notas agter in die boek: Een van die groot uitdagings by die skryf van ’n misdaadroman is om die versnit tussen werklikheid en fiksie aan die regte kant van geloofwaardigheid te hou, sonder om tempo, spanning of vermaak in te boet. Want realiteit en storie is dikwels in stryd met mekaar.
Ek is heel gemaklik en gelukkig met hoe hy werklikheid en fiksie versnit, baie dankie, Deon.
Absoluut die moeite werd.
Maar eers moet Bennie-hulle op Stellenbosch soek na ’n verdwene student, en die spoor vat van die eiendomsagent wat die kooptransaksie van Donkerdrif, korporatiewe swendelaar Jasper Boonstra se peperduur wynplaas, behartig het.
Stadigaan besef die speurders al hul ondersoeke het ’n gemene deler: die donkerste drif, gierigheid.
Ek het nog nooit 'n boek van Deon Meyer gelees wat nie 'n ongelooflike goeie leeservaring was nie. 'n Mens staan telkens verstom oor sy fyn mensekennis en die empatie waarmee hy alle karakters uitbeeld. Ek reken hy is tans ons land se mees susksevolle literêre uitvoerproduk, en met rede.
Geskorste Kaptein Bennie Griessel en sy spanmaat Kaptein Vaughan Cupido is die sterre in 'n andersins donker, korrupte hemelruim, waar hulle in groot gevaar hulle werk moet doen, terwyl kriminele en mede polisiemanne uit hulle pad gaan om die twee se sterre te laat vervaag.
Donkerdrif is die verhaal van gierigheid en desperaatheid om te oorleef, en die maniere wat gebruik word om vooruit te gaan in die lewe. Daar is 'n bietjie van 'n clifhanger ending, wat 'n mens laat uitsien na die volgende boek in die reeks. Maar die groot, belangrike saak word opgelos, wat die twee dapper polisie beamptes in hulle poste mag herstel. Hulle is dit belowe.
Hy skryf in sy notas agter in die boek: Een van die groot uitdagings by die skryf van ’n misdaadroman is om die versnit tussen werklikheid en fiksie aan die regte kant van geloofwaardigheid te hou, sonder om tempo, spanning of vermaak in te boet. Want realiteit en storie is dikwels in stryd met mekaar.
Ek is heel gemaklik en gelukkig met hoe hy werklikheid en fiksie versnit, baie dankie, Deon.
Absoluut die moeite werd.
November 25, 2022
Bin eigentlich großer Fan von Deon Meyer und seiner Reihe um den Kapstädter Kommissar Bennie Griessel. Meyer versteht es in der Regel, die Probleme der Regenbogennation Südafrika in seinen Romanen gut herauszustellen.
Todsünde ist bereits Band 8 der Reihe. Bennie und sein Partner Vaughn Cupido sind degradiert und strafversetzt worden und haben es im vermeintlich beschaulichen Stellenbosch mit zwei verschwundenen Personen zu tun. Ein Student und Computernerd, der offenbar seine Hackerfähigkeiten an der falschen Stelle ausprobiert hat und ein stinkreicher Geschäftsmann, der Investoren geprellt hat, aber sich noch nicht gerichtlich verantworten musste. Das alles ist routiniert und souverän geplottet, aber erreicht nicht mehr ganz das Niveau der ersten Bände. Trotzdem mit gutem Willen auf vier Sterne aufgerundet.
Todsünde ist bereits Band 8 der Reihe. Bennie und sein Partner Vaughn Cupido sind degradiert und strafversetzt worden und haben es im vermeintlich beschaulichen Stellenbosch mit zwei verschwundenen Personen zu tun. Ein Student und Computernerd, der offenbar seine Hackerfähigkeiten an der falschen Stelle ausprobiert hat und ein stinkreicher Geschäftsmann, der Investoren geprellt hat, aber sich noch nicht gerichtlich verantworten musste. Das alles ist routiniert und souverän geplottet, aber erreicht nicht mehr ganz das Niveau der ersten Bände. Trotzdem mit gutem Willen auf vier Sterne aufgerundet.
April 19, 2022
I thought The Dark Flood was excellent. I have enjoyed all of the books I have read in this series but I think this is the best so far. This works as a stand-alone, but it would probably help to have read some previous ones – especially its immediate predecessor, The Last Hunt.
In the fallout from The Last Hunt, Benny and Vaughan are threatened with dismissal, but escape – just – with demotion and banishment from the Hawks to a provincial posting. There, they work on a puzzling Missing Person case; in the meantime disgraced millionaire Jasper Boonstra is involved in some shady property dealing and eventually the two become linked in a tangled web of deceit and corruption.
It’s brilliant. I was hooked from the start; the pacing and structure are excellent and there is a lot of genuine excitement (including a climax which is actually both plausible and thrilling). The background of South Africa in the last days of the Zuma presidency is excellently and subtly done in both the social set-up and the dreadful corruption of “state capture”. The relationship between Benny and Vaughan is realistic, touching at times and humorous at others, as is the progress of their personal lives.
I thought this was an exemplary police procedural. I was convinced by and completely engrossed in the story and I can recommend it very warmly.
(My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC via NetGalley.)
In the fallout from The Last Hunt, Benny and Vaughan are threatened with dismissal, but escape – just – with demotion and banishment from the Hawks to a provincial posting. There, they work on a puzzling Missing Person case; in the meantime disgraced millionaire Jasper Boonstra is involved in some shady property dealing and eventually the two become linked in a tangled web of deceit and corruption.
It’s brilliant. I was hooked from the start; the pacing and structure are excellent and there is a lot of genuine excitement (including a climax which is actually both plausible and thrilling). The background of South Africa in the last days of the Zuma presidency is excellently and subtly done in both the social set-up and the dreadful corruption of “state capture”. The relationship between Benny and Vaughan is realistic, touching at times and humorous at others, as is the progress of their personal lives.
I thought this was an exemplary police procedural. I was convinced by and completely engrossed in the story and I can recommend it very warmly.
(My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC via NetGalley.)
August 18, 2021
Bennie Griessel, seit 200 Tagen trockener Alkoholier, und sein Kollege Vaughn Cupido von der südafrikanischen Sondereinheit Valke sind nach 30 Dienstjahren in einem Disziplinarverfahren degradiert und befristet strafversetzt worden; ihr Gehalt wird entsprechend gekürzt. Wundern könnte man sich allerdings, warum sie statt in die Karoo (wie geplant) ausgerechnet nach Stellenbosch verbannt werden, eine liebliche Gegend, in der andere Leute Urlaub machen. Das ist doch keine Strafe, entrüstet sich jemand. Bennie und Vaughn jedenfalls fühlen sich gestraft genug, „Benna“ meint, seine Hochzeit mit Alexa deshalb absagen zu müssen, und Vaughn findet sich sowieso unwürdig, der Liebe seines Lebens einen Antrag zu machen, ehe seine Anzüge ihm nicht wieder passen.
In Stellenbosch bereitet die angestellte Immobilienmaklerin Sandra das Geschäft ihres Lebens vor, mit dem sie ihre Schulden endlich tilgen könnte. Der Verkauf eines angesehenen Weinguts an einen ausländischen Investor hat allerdings mindestens zwei Schönheitsfehler: der Auftraggeber ist ein bekannter Betrüger und Sandras Chef versucht sie bis zur letzten Minute über den Tisch zu ziehen, weil er ihr den üblichen Anteil an der Verkaufsprovision nicht gönnt. Als in Stellenbosch ein unauffälliger Student vermisst wird, der ein begnadeter Hacker sein soll, habe ich mich gefragt, ob es Zufall sein kann, dass ausgerechnet Griessel und Cupido in Stellenbosch aushelfen, die (vom Beruf und ihren Süchten ausgelaugt) jedoch noch immer zu den erfahrensten Ermittlern Südafrikas zu zählen sind. Ein Polizistenmord und Briefe, die Griessel und Vaughn persönlich zugestellt werden, werfen sogar die Frage auf, ob nicht jemand bewusst an der Versetzung gedreht haben könnte, damit in Stellenbosch jemand den beiden auf den Leim geht oder damit andere Ermittler sich an heiklen Fällen nicht die Finger verbrennen.
Fazit
Deon Meyers 7. Benny-Griessel-Band nimmt sehr zögernd Tempo auf, bis alle Handlungsstränge eingerichtet sind und Griessels Fans zu rätseln beginnen, wie die Ereignisse zusammenhängen könnten. Was ein Hacker in einem korrupten Staat zusammentragen kann oder wie nützlich der Kollege aus dem Archiv ist, der sich mit Waffentypen auskennt, macht Laune zu lesen. Auch wie Sandra sich aus ihrer aussichtslosen Situation herauszuwinden versucht oder wie Bennies Chefin Mbali Khaleni aus dem Hintergrund ihre Fäden bis Stellenbosch zieht, hat mir manches Grinsen entlockt. Schließlich demonstriert Deon Meyer einmal wieder, dass er exzellent recherchiert, wenn er alle Experten, die zu diesem Abenteuer ihr Wissen beigetragen haben, in der Danksagung am Ende aufführt. Wer etwas Geduld aufbringt, entdeckt in diesem Band, dass Griessel und Vaughn zwar Chaoten sind, man sie jedoch nicht unterschätzen sollte.
In Stellenbosch bereitet die angestellte Immobilienmaklerin Sandra das Geschäft ihres Lebens vor, mit dem sie ihre Schulden endlich tilgen könnte. Der Verkauf eines angesehenen Weinguts an einen ausländischen Investor hat allerdings mindestens zwei Schönheitsfehler: der Auftraggeber ist ein bekannter Betrüger und Sandras Chef versucht sie bis zur letzten Minute über den Tisch zu ziehen, weil er ihr den üblichen Anteil an der Verkaufsprovision nicht gönnt. Als in Stellenbosch ein unauffälliger Student vermisst wird, der ein begnadeter Hacker sein soll, habe ich mich gefragt, ob es Zufall sein kann, dass ausgerechnet Griessel und Cupido in Stellenbosch aushelfen, die (vom Beruf und ihren Süchten ausgelaugt) jedoch noch immer zu den erfahrensten Ermittlern Südafrikas zu zählen sind. Ein Polizistenmord und Briefe, die Griessel und Vaughn persönlich zugestellt werden, werfen sogar die Frage auf, ob nicht jemand bewusst an der Versetzung gedreht haben könnte, damit in Stellenbosch jemand den beiden auf den Leim geht oder damit andere Ermittler sich an heiklen Fällen nicht die Finger verbrennen.
Fazit
Deon Meyers 7. Benny-Griessel-Band nimmt sehr zögernd Tempo auf, bis alle Handlungsstränge eingerichtet sind und Griessels Fans zu rätseln beginnen, wie die Ereignisse zusammenhängen könnten. Was ein Hacker in einem korrupten Staat zusammentragen kann oder wie nützlich der Kollege aus dem Archiv ist, der sich mit Waffentypen auskennt, macht Laune zu lesen. Auch wie Sandra sich aus ihrer aussichtslosen Situation herauszuwinden versucht oder wie Bennies Chefin Mbali Khaleni aus dem Hintergrund ihre Fäden bis Stellenbosch zieht, hat mir manches Grinsen entlockt. Schließlich demonstriert Deon Meyer einmal wieder, dass er exzellent recherchiert, wenn er alle Experten, die zu diesem Abenteuer ihr Wissen beigetragen haben, in der Danksagung am Ende aufführt. Wer etwas Geduld aufbringt, entdeckt in diesem Band, dass Griessel und Vaughn zwar Chaoten sind, man sie jedoch nicht unterschätzen sollte.
December 11, 2020
#Donkerdrif - Deon Meyer
#humanenrousseau
Die sinopsis van hierdie nuutste van Deon Meyer is al verskeie kere gedeel en bespreek, so ek gaan dit nie herhaal nie; bloot my persoonlike indrukke deel.
Kyk, die skrywer kán skryf. Ek het die boek gekoop omdat ek dit weet; het nie eers vooraf geweet waaroor dit eintlik gaan nie. Verskeie bekende karakters maak weer hulle verskyning en een van die finale tonele in ‘Prooi’ se gevolge word hier voortgesit, maar ek beskou dit nie regtig as ‘n opvolg nie.
Vir my was daar 3 storielyne (wat relevant tot mekaar is, maar dis vir die leser om uit te pluis presies hoe dit in mekaar skakel) en, ironies genoeg, het my gunsteling baie min met die arme Bennie te doen gehad. Sandra Steenberg se storie was egter vir my fassinerend en sou op sy eie ‘n 5 ster novella kon wees.
Bennie en Vaughn se tonele is goed geskryf (die transito-rooftog in die openingstoneel is briljant) maar dit was vir my tog of hulle effe futloos was. In die konteks is dit seker te verstane, maar dit het veroorsaak dat ek eerder Sandra se storie as hulle s’n wou volg.
Die skrywer se navorsing is, soos altyd, uitstaande, maar het vir my soms aan té gegrens: om byvoorbeeld die samestelling van ‘n polisiedossier te verduidelik het vir my amper soos ‘n lesing begin voel. Daarteenoor was die Stellenbosch-eiendomsmark vir my baie interessant uiteengesit en ek het myself betrap dat ek saam met Sandra senuweeagtig begin word het, terwyl ek baie minder in Bennie & kie se doen en late belanggestel het.
Desnieteenstaande die kritiek was dit ‘n lekker lees, in kenmerkende Meyer-styl, en dit verdien 4 sterre van my.
#Uitdieperdsebek
#humanenrousseau
Die sinopsis van hierdie nuutste van Deon Meyer is al verskeie kere gedeel en bespreek, so ek gaan dit nie herhaal nie; bloot my persoonlike indrukke deel.
Kyk, die skrywer kán skryf. Ek het die boek gekoop omdat ek dit weet; het nie eers vooraf geweet waaroor dit eintlik gaan nie. Verskeie bekende karakters maak weer hulle verskyning en een van die finale tonele in ‘Prooi’ se gevolge word hier voortgesit, maar ek beskou dit nie regtig as ‘n opvolg nie.
Vir my was daar 3 storielyne (wat relevant tot mekaar is, maar dis vir die leser om uit te pluis presies hoe dit in mekaar skakel) en, ironies genoeg, het my gunsteling baie min met die arme Bennie te doen gehad. Sandra Steenberg se storie was egter vir my fassinerend en sou op sy eie ‘n 5 ster novella kon wees.
Bennie en Vaughn se tonele is goed geskryf (die transito-rooftog in die openingstoneel is briljant) maar dit was vir my tog of hulle effe futloos was. In die konteks is dit seker te verstane, maar dit het veroorsaak dat ek eerder Sandra se storie as hulle s’n wou volg.
Die skrywer se navorsing is, soos altyd, uitstaande, maar het vir my soms aan té gegrens: om byvoorbeeld die samestelling van ‘n polisiedossier te verduidelik het vir my amper soos ‘n lesing begin voel. Daarteenoor was die Stellenbosch-eiendomsmark vir my baie interessant uiteengesit en ek het myself betrap dat ek saam met Sandra senuweeagtig begin word het, terwyl ek baie minder in Bennie & kie se doen en late belanggestel het.
Desnieteenstaande die kritiek was dit ‘n lekker lees, in kenmerkende Meyer-styl, en dit verdien 4 sterre van my.
#Uitdieperdsebek
February 25, 2021
wonderlik, manjifiek, bravo !! ek het die boek binne 24 uur gelees, ek kon dit eenvoudig net nie neersit nie. ek wag maar gewoonlik dat die boeke bietjie goedkoper word, maar dis maar swaar om te wag. 'n vriend van ons kom gister hier aangery en leen die boek vir ons. ek weet my man gaan dit net so geniet.
die verskillende stories was fantasties gewees en hoe dit dan alles bymekaar kom was so goed gedoen. die einde was die beste !!
December 28, 2020
Vermaaklik. Gee my heimwee vir Stellenbosch.
December 3, 2021
One of his best. If not THE best book of his that I've ever read. I enjoyed it so much!
January 28, 2022
Recently, a friend recommended Deon Meyer, said his writing was just my cup of tea, so I thought why not? At first, I was a bit dubious, I thought it started off a little tamely...
I was so wrong. The Dark Flood was jam-packed with action, and the characters were immensely likeable and brought to vivid life. I'm mad about Cupido, and Benna really grew on me. I also loved reading the sprinkling of South African words and terms, it made me very proud to say Deon Meyer is one of our own. Im definitely going to look for more of his books.
Thanks to the publisher, Net Galley, and Deon Meyer for my ARC.
I was so wrong. The Dark Flood was jam-packed with action, and the characters were immensely likeable and brought to vivid life. I'm mad about Cupido, and Benna really grew on me. I also loved reading the sprinkling of South African words and terms, it made me very proud to say Deon Meyer is one of our own. Im definitely going to look for more of his books.
Thanks to the publisher, Net Galley, and Deon Meyer for my ARC.
September 6, 2021
Stellenbosch
Man glaubt es kaum Bennie Griessel und sein Partner Vaughn Cupido sind nach einem Disziplinarverfahren degradiert worden und zur Strafe werden sie von der Valke zur Polizei nach Stellenbosch versetzt, ein liebliches Städtchen in der Nähe von Kapstadt. Sie hatten Schlimmeres befürchtet. Kaum sind sie an ihrer neuen Wirkungsstätte, wo den Kollegen klar ist, dass die Neuen nicht ganz freiwillig da sind, kommt schon ein neuer Fall herein. Ein junger Student ist verschwunden, dessen Mutter sehr besorgt ist. Der Vorgesetzte der Beiden will den Fall erst nicht aufnehmen, Studenten sind schließlich mal unterwegs, doch schließlich entscheidet er, die Neuen müssen ja mit irgendwas beschäftigt werden.
Zum achten Mal ermittelt Bennie Griessel. Es lief alles so gut, seine Position, seine Beziehung zu Alexa, sogar seinem Sohn hat er sich wieder angenähert und trocken ist er auch schon eine Weile. Und nun das, degradiert und strafversetzt. Und Cupido hat er auch mit reingezogen. Doch nun ist alles halb so wild. Natürlich wollen sie in diesem Vermisstenfall ordentlich ermitteln. Kurz darauf verschwindet ein ehemals angesehener Geschäftsmann, von dem sich herausgestellt hat, dass er wahrscheinlich nichts weiter als ein Betrüger ist. Doch seine Frau ist sicher, er wäre nie unpünktlich gewesen und sie waren verabredet.
Der Name des Autors ist fast schon eine Garantie für eine packende Lektüre. Ein besonders gutes Beispiel dafür ist seine Reihe um Bennie Griessel, der mit sich und seiner Alkoholsucht kämpft, dem auch mal eine gute Phase vergönnt ist und der immer der herausragende Polizist bleibt, weil er es eben so will. Fast schon genial, wie hier zwei Handlungsstränge eine ganze Weile nebeneinanderher mäandern, nur um in einem bestimmten Moment aufs Packendste zusammenzuprallen. Fein gesponnen ist jeder Teil der Handlung, sowohl was das Private angeht als auch was das Berufliche betrifft. Die Besorgnis der Mutter und auch die Schwierigkeiten bei der Tätigkeit als Immobilienmaklerin sind so treffend beschrieben, dass man in jedem Moment förmlich in diesen beiden sehr unterschiedlichen Frauen zu sitzen vermeint. Natürlich kann man hier die Lebensumstände in Südafrika nicht so kennen wie die hiesigen, aber der Autor versteht es einfach, seinen Lesern ein lebendiges Bild von seinem Land zu zeichnen. Diese Reihe könnte, wenn es nach der Leserin geht, noch ewig weitergehen.
Man glaubt es kaum Bennie Griessel und sein Partner Vaughn Cupido sind nach einem Disziplinarverfahren degradiert worden und zur Strafe werden sie von der Valke zur Polizei nach Stellenbosch versetzt, ein liebliches Städtchen in der Nähe von Kapstadt. Sie hatten Schlimmeres befürchtet. Kaum sind sie an ihrer neuen Wirkungsstätte, wo den Kollegen klar ist, dass die Neuen nicht ganz freiwillig da sind, kommt schon ein neuer Fall herein. Ein junger Student ist verschwunden, dessen Mutter sehr besorgt ist. Der Vorgesetzte der Beiden will den Fall erst nicht aufnehmen, Studenten sind schließlich mal unterwegs, doch schließlich entscheidet er, die Neuen müssen ja mit irgendwas beschäftigt werden.
Zum achten Mal ermittelt Bennie Griessel. Es lief alles so gut, seine Position, seine Beziehung zu Alexa, sogar seinem Sohn hat er sich wieder angenähert und trocken ist er auch schon eine Weile. Und nun das, degradiert und strafversetzt. Und Cupido hat er auch mit reingezogen. Doch nun ist alles halb so wild. Natürlich wollen sie in diesem Vermisstenfall ordentlich ermitteln. Kurz darauf verschwindet ein ehemals angesehener Geschäftsmann, von dem sich herausgestellt hat, dass er wahrscheinlich nichts weiter als ein Betrüger ist. Doch seine Frau ist sicher, er wäre nie unpünktlich gewesen und sie waren verabredet.
Der Name des Autors ist fast schon eine Garantie für eine packende Lektüre. Ein besonders gutes Beispiel dafür ist seine Reihe um Bennie Griessel, der mit sich und seiner Alkoholsucht kämpft, dem auch mal eine gute Phase vergönnt ist und der immer der herausragende Polizist bleibt, weil er es eben so will. Fast schon genial, wie hier zwei Handlungsstränge eine ganze Weile nebeneinanderher mäandern, nur um in einem bestimmten Moment aufs Packendste zusammenzuprallen. Fein gesponnen ist jeder Teil der Handlung, sowohl was das Private angeht als auch was das Berufliche betrifft. Die Besorgnis der Mutter und auch die Schwierigkeiten bei der Tätigkeit als Immobilienmaklerin sind so treffend beschrieben, dass man in jedem Moment förmlich in diesen beiden sehr unterschiedlichen Frauen zu sitzen vermeint. Natürlich kann man hier die Lebensumstände in Südafrika nicht so kennen wie die hiesigen, aber der Autor versteht es einfach, seinen Lesern ein lebendiges Bild von seinem Land zu zeichnen. Diese Reihe könnte, wenn es nach der Leserin geht, noch ewig weitergehen.
September 27, 2021
Ag die arme Vaughn Cupido. Ek verstaan sy gewigsprobleem so goed. Om 'n Suid-Afrikaner en veral 'n Afrikaans sprekende leser te wees, is regtig swaar op die gewig.
Ons hou maar van 'n storielyn wat gevleg is soos 'n koeksister. Karakters wie se ware kleure eers uitkom as hulle in kookwater gedompel word, nes lekker boerebeskuit. Om nie eens van 'n lekker skaaptjoppie te praat nie. Veral as die geslagte skaap lekker dik in die boud was. Vet gemaak met staatsgeldjies en korrupsie.
Nee kyk, solank Deon Meyer aanhou om ons vet om die bek te smeer met sy eg Suid-Afrikaanse, maar wêreldklas misdaadfiksie, sal ons so nooit as te nimmer maer word in die land nie.
Hoera vir dik in die boud lekkerlees!
Ons hou maar van 'n storielyn wat gevleg is soos 'n koeksister. Karakters wie se ware kleure eers uitkom as hulle in kookwater gedompel word, nes lekker boerebeskuit. Om nie eens van 'n lekker skaaptjoppie te praat nie. Veral as die geslagte skaap lekker dik in die boud was. Vet gemaak met staatsgeldjies en korrupsie.
Nee kyk, solank Deon Meyer aanhou om ons vet om die bek te smeer met sy eg Suid-Afrikaanse, maar wêreldklas misdaadfiksie, sal ons so nooit as te nimmer maer word in die land nie.
Hoera vir dik in die boud lekkerlees!
June 5, 2021
Alweer levert Deon Meyer een thriller van wereldformaat af: een wervelend begin, spanning, vaart en een onverwachte cliffhanger. Dit alles doorsneden met een pak maatschappijkritiek en een vleugje humor. Meer van dat!
July 31, 2022
I was really looking forward to the latest Benny Griessel installment, and while good, it lacked the usual Meyer spark. In many ways, it felt like the author had a point to make about the themes explored, and there is a lot of telling and not enough showing.
After the events of the last outing, Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido have been demoted from the elite Hawks. Per usual, there are 2 story lines that intersect at the end, and while I liked it, I didn't get fully absorbed in this story. It was Griessel "lite" in my opinion, and the final resolution was a tad too neatly wrapped up.
I listened to the audiobook, which was well narrated by Saul Reichlin. It took me a while to get over the fact that unlike the other books in this series, it was not Simon Vance's voice in my ears. Still, I think Saul nails the accents, and I enjoyed his performance.
Not one of the better ones in the this series, but I'll pick up the next installment when it drops.
After the events of the last outing, Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido have been demoted from the elite Hawks. Per usual, there are 2 story lines that intersect at the end, and while I liked it, I didn't get fully absorbed in this story. It was Griessel "lite" in my opinion, and the final resolution was a tad too neatly wrapped up.
I listened to the audiobook, which was well narrated by Saul Reichlin. It took me a while to get over the fact that unlike the other books in this series, it was not Simon Vance's voice in my ears. Still, I think Saul nails the accents, and I enjoyed his performance.
Not one of the better ones in the this series, but I'll pick up the next installment when it drops.
February 17, 2022
Brilliant, I loved it. Deon Meyer certainly knows how to write, and I’ve been a huge fan of his books ever since I first picked up and read ‘Devil’s Peak.’ Benny Griessel is a fabulous character, along with his off-sider Vaughn Cupido. They bounce well off of each other, and they are relentless in their investigations. Sandra Steenberg is doing it tough with her husband not working and trying to sell real estate in the current market isn’t easy. With the bills mounting up, Jasper Boonstra might be her ticket to financial freedom, it was just going to take every ounce of strength she had. Benny and Vaughn are at a loss what to do, when a missing person’s case turned out to be a hell of a lot harder than they first expected. The pressure from above and the spot light from the media is starting to get to them.
I received an advanced copy of this book for an unbiased review
I received an advanced copy of this book for an unbiased review
February 4, 2021
Dit is altyd so maklik om weer in hierdie boeke weg te raak. Die storie trek jou in van die begin en jy kannie ophou lees tot die einde.
Bennie en Vaughn word verban na Laingsburg as straf vir die gemors met SSA. Dan word dit verander na Stellenbosch. Bennie weet daar is iets fout, die voel amper na 'n beloning. Hulle eerste saak is 'n vermiste student ... ja, baie anders as hulle Valke dae.
Maar vinnig begin dinge verander en Vaughn en Bennie is in die middel van 'n intrige wat die SAPS uitmekaar kan skeur.
Ek het veral van die Sandra storielyn gehou en die einde hou mens veral in spanning.
Natuurlik is die persoonlike aspek in Bennie en Vaughn se lewens vir my van byna groter belang as die intrige in die SAPS. Kan Vaughn tog nou net die ja-woord vra!!
Bennie en Vaughn word verban na Laingsburg as straf vir die gemors met SSA. Dan word dit verander na Stellenbosch. Bennie weet daar is iets fout, die voel amper na 'n beloning. Hulle eerste saak is 'n vermiste student ... ja, baie anders as hulle Valke dae.
Maar vinnig begin dinge verander en Vaughn en Bennie is in die middel van 'n intrige wat die SAPS uitmekaar kan skeur.
Ek het veral van die Sandra storielyn gehou en die einde hou mens veral in spanning.
Natuurlik is die persoonlike aspek in Bennie en Vaughn se lewens vir my van byna groter belang as die intrige in die SAPS. Kan Vaughn tog nou net die ja-woord vra!!
January 6, 2021
Werklik een van Deon se beter Bennie-boeke.
Soos altyd lees dit vinnig en maklik met n snaarstyf gespande storielyn. Altyd histories relevant met karakter ontwikkeling buite die gewone speurlyn. 'n Baie globare verhaal, behalwe vir die polisieman wat 'n ander een skiet om "dié se lewe te red". Regtig?
Soos altyd lees dit vinnig en maklik met n snaarstyf gespande storielyn. Altyd histories relevant met karakter ontwikkeling buite die gewone speurlyn. 'n Baie globare verhaal, behalwe vir die polisieman wat 'n ander een skiet om "dié se lewe te red". Regtig?
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