What do you think?
Rate this book
Yudel Gordon #4
The October Killings
Abigail Bukula was fifteen years old when her parents were killed in a massacre of antiapartheid activists by white apartheid security forces. Because a young soldier spoke up in her defense, she was spared. Now she’s a lawyer with a promising career in the new government, and while she has done her best to put the tragedy behind her, she’s never forgotten Leon Lourens, the soldier who saved her life. So when he walks into her office almost twenty years later, needing her help, she vows to do whatever she can. Someone is slowly killing off members of the team who raided the house where her parents were murdered, and now Leon and an imprisoned colonel are the only targets left.
Abigail turns to Yudel Gordon, an eccentric, nearly retired white prison psychologist for help. To save Leon’s life they must untangle the web of politics, identity, and history before the anniversary of the raid—only days away.
The October Killings, the first novel in decades from Wessel Ebersohn, not only brings to life the new South Africa in all of its color and complexity but also Abigail Bukula—the sharpest, most determined sleuth in international crime fiction.
Abigail turns to Yudel Gordon, an eccentric, nearly retired white prison psychologist for help. To save Leon’s life they must untangle the web of politics, identity, and history before the anniversary of the raid—only days away.
The October Killings, the first novel in decades from Wessel Ebersohn, not only brings to life the new South Africa in all of its color and complexity but also Abigail Bukula—the sharpest, most determined sleuth in international crime fiction.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 2009
7 people are currently reading
462 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
October 1, 2014
another riveting story by my new favourite south african author. loved the plot and the twists.
i'm not reading the books in sequence - hope it doesn't give too much away, but so far it hasn't. definitely reading the one that comes after this one.
i'm not reading the books in sequence - hope it doesn't give too much away, but so far it hasn't. definitely reading the one that comes after this one.
August 4, 2019
Juste le plaisir de retrouver Yudel même vingt ans après !
February 19, 2011
This South African mystery is well told with a good sense of time and place. Starting in 1985 during the bad old days of apartheid, and ending 20 years later when there is an uneasy truce between blacks and whites someone is killing the policemen who murdered a number of black agitators in an illegal cross-border raid.
Suspense and tension are very real during the search for a kidnapped former policeman, one of two survivors.
Suspense and tension are very real during the search for a kidnapped former policeman, one of two survivors.
May 23, 2011
October 21, 1985
“The convoy stayed in the shadow of the hillside until after darkness had fallen. By the time the ten armored personnel carriers started moving, the trees on the far side of the valley had long faded into poorly defined shadows….Like most nineteen-year-olds of his time and culture, Leon was a patriot. He knew that, if need be, he was willing to die to defend his country.”
Abigail Bukula was fifteen-years-old when the white apartheid security forces crossed into Lesotho and attacked the camp where she was staying with her parents and other leaders of the African National Congress. It was early in the morning of October 22. The anti-apartheid activists, branded as terrorists, were sleeping when the security forces came for them. Abigail watched as her parents were murdered. She would have died, too, if it not for that nineteen-year-old boy who took a risk and saved her life.
October 13, 2005
It has been twelve years since the new South African government had taken the reins of power and leadership. Abigail, an attorney happily married to the editor of one of the nation’s major newspapers, is the face of the new South Africa. Educated in London and at Harvard, Abigail is chief director of one one of the departments of the government in Pretoria. She has buried the memories of the night in Lesotho; she is not the teenager who watched her parents die, she no longer allows herself to be one of the six survivors who escaped the hate-fueled rampage. Abigail is a woman who will not let herself be anyone’s victim by reliving the horrors of her life. On this day, the senior members of the justice department are holding an award ceremony for Michael Bishop, a hero of the struggle to end apartheid. ” ‘Yes,’ the minister said, ‘a genuine hero of the struggle. While the rest of us were getting educated at international universities, he was in the front lines, risking his life. It just shows how sound our nonracial policies are’. The last reference was to the fact that Bishop was white.” But Michael Bishop never arrived and the ceremony honoring him went on without him.
Three days later, Abigail is buried in the details of an international conference that will showcase South Africa on the world stage. Abigail does not want to be distracted when Johanna, her assistant, comes to tell her that there is a white man who is insisting on seeing Abigail. Johanna tries to send him away but he refuses to leave. When Abigail hears the man is Leon Laurens, Johanna is unprepared for Abigail’s reaction. She is shocked as Abigail changes from the supremely confident woman she knows to a much younger girl. Her bearing and her voice and her voice are different. Abigail has never forgotten the young soldier and she can’t refuse to see him but the mention of his name erases the past twenty years and this brings her back to the night in Lesotho.
There is a powerful connection between the two that has not been lost in twenty years. Leon comes to Abigail, desperate for her protection, not for himself but for his wife and children. There were 20 men in the group who invaded the house in Lesotho, led by Colonel van Jaarsveld. The colonel is in prison. Leon is the only one of the twenty recruits who is still alive. Over the years, all the others were killed on October 22, the anniversary of the raid.
Abigail wants to save Leon but she needs help. She contacts Yudel Gordon who was a prison psychologist before the end of apartheid. He lost his job but he has recently signed a contract to help at the prison. Yudel is the only one who can get Abigail in to meet with the only other surviving member of the security force, van Jaarsveld. Abigail tries to convince van Jaarsveld to help them save Leon but van Jaarsveld is an unrepentant supporter of the old apartheid social divisions. He has killed too many people to care about one more life.
To save Leon, Abigail and Yudel join forces to find Michael Bishop. Neither have any doubt that the assassination of the security forces is the work of Bishop who didn’t see the end of apatheid as a pardon for the people who murdered blacks with impunity. Michael Bishop is an avenging angel for the dead of the anti-apartheid struggle. The rest of the country may want to forget those days but those days, when he made himself judge and executioner, defined his life.
It is a stunning accomplishment that the author was able to convey the inhumanity of apartheid, the struggle that will likely take generations to resolve (the American Civil War began in 1860, 150 years ago, and we still suffer the consequences of the slavery that was the excuse for starting it) within a story that the reader will not want to put down. In fact, Abigail and Yudel are so real that many not want to let them go; finishing the book is saying goodbye. Ebersohn indicates that THE OCTOBER KILLINGS is the first in a series and I hope it is true. In the 1990′s, Ebersohn wrote three books featuring Yudel Gordon, A LONELY PLACE TO DIE, DIVIDE THE NIGHT, and THE CLOSED CIRCLE.
December 21, 2015
Ever since Steig Larsson's popularity I make it a point to pick up mysteries/thrillers by writers from countries other than North America or England. It is not that they are any better mysteries or that the writing is any better (translated mind you) but there is something about reading a story set in a different country dealing with character traits and historical backgrounds that are unique to that culture.
The October Killings by Wessel Ebersohn does just that. It isn't that the plot had me riveted or that the characters were special in any way, but the story was made that much more interesting when an event from the apartheid era has consequences to people living in post-apartheid South Africa. We get a sense of some of the difficulties facing the people of South Africa as a whole not just for the characters in the story.
If I see another book by Ebersohn, I will likely give it a try.
The October Killings by Wessel Ebersohn does just that. It isn't that the plot had me riveted or that the characters were special in any way, but the story was made that much more interesting when an event from the apartheid era has consequences to people living in post-apartheid South Africa. We get a sense of some of the difficulties facing the people of South Africa as a whole not just for the characters in the story.
If I see another book by Ebersohn, I will likely give it a try.
January 15, 2011
This was a compelling story written in a peculiar fashion. We were obviously supposed to sympathize with the some of the characters, but the writing style made them so distant and impersonal that it was difficult to really care about them. Abigail was an odd mix of strong, powerful, modern woman, and a take on the 1950's ideal. Robert was her distant but lovable husband. Yudel's character hit the mark; he was supposed to be the eccentric, unfathomable psychiatrist and his character came off the pages as such. Michael's character also hit the mark; he was the distant, cold, mysterious psychopath. I would probably read the next book, when it comes out, but only to see where the story leads, and not to figure out what happens to these distant characters.
December 13, 2010
I was lucky enough to receive an advance uncorrected proof of "The October Killings" via the Goodreads First Reads program. The minute I began reading I knew I was in for a treat. Wessel Ebersohn succeeded in pulling me in from the very first line and by the end I simply could not put it down.
From the start, Abigail Bukula and Yudel Gordon make an unlikely pair. As the story progresses, Ebersohn ratchets up the tension as Abigail and Yudel work to uncover who is responsible for a series of murders and how to stop him. The characters were complex and the story satisfying. I can only hope that the wait for next addition to this series won't be too long!
From the start, Abigail Bukula and Yudel Gordon make an unlikely pair. As the story progresses, Ebersohn ratchets up the tension as Abigail and Yudel work to uncover who is responsible for a series of murders and how to stop him. The characters were complex and the story satisfying. I can only hope that the wait for next addition to this series won't be too long!
September 28, 2013
This book was such a waste of time and it really makes me tired of these stories with a so-called heroine who is supposedly tough and headstrong but it turns out they're so weak you wonder if the writer even made an effort or if it was meant to be a joke. The main character was so poorly written that it's really just another reason why old white men have no business writing characters of young black woman.
February 23, 2011
south african setting about 10 years after the end of apartheid. i liked the characters and in particular the setting as i don't often read books set in south africa.
February 14, 2011
Wessel Ebersohn, according to his mother, has been writing since he was eight years old.
However, like most novelists, his career began in another field. He trained and qualified as an engineer, and began working for the Post Office (now Telkom) but continued writing.
He published his first novel in 1979.
The background to most of his fiction from the late 1970s until the early 1990s was apartheid South Africa. While he and his wife, Miriam, were not activists, they were very closely involved in the liberation struggle and experienced it "from close by".
Because of his political beliefs, two of Ebersohn's books - Store up the Anger and Divide the Night - were banned by the apartheid regime.
However, an intense disillusionment with South Africa and the freedom struggle in the 1980s saw the Ebersohns withdraw from the society that they could not come to terms with.
"Perhaps we expected too much from those resisting the government. The reality was that while government agents were regularly killing activists, the side of freedom and justice was as regularly, without the semblance of a trial, murdering people by the necklace method.
"Many who were killed that way were guilty of nothing at all. Few leaders of the liberation movement ever spoke out against it," says Ebersohn on his website.
The family moved to the edge of the Knysna forest where Miriam ran a bird sanctuary.
I was struck by the fact that while others' fear and unease compelled them to leave South Africa entirely, the Ebersohns could not break ties with the land and people they felt so passionate about.
However, in 1993, when the new South Africa was about to see its first democratic elections, Ebersohn and Miriam felt they needed to make a meaningful contribution to the development of the country. Succeed magazine was then born.
"The country needed more entrepreneurs and at that time no one was doing anything about this. There was a gap in the market for an entrepreneurial publication," says the engaging novelist.
However, a 60-hour work week on Succeed also meant something had to be sacrificed - and that something was his fiction writing.
Now that he has handed over the reins of editorship of the magazine to his daughter, Tes, he has returned to fiction writing.
In The October Killings Ebersohn shifts his focus to the New South Africa and its idiosyncrasies. While he celebrates his country, he is also critical of the new government and its shortcomings.
Ebersohn is passionate about the fact that his novels are more than just detective stories. The social backdrop is very important to the action in all of them.
"I'm passionate about having a good story. I'm passionate about gripping the reader so that the reader simply cannot put the book down," he says.
"I like to think my novels are thrillers on the one hand, but say something about our society on the other.
"Politics is an important part of my novels, but the story is the thing.
"My story must be real and have a meaning for people."
Prison psychologist Yudel Gordon is the main character in three of Ebersohn's earlier books that were set in apartheid South Africa.
The October Killings is the fourth novel in which he appears. However, this time he is not the main character.
According to Ebersohn, the most important new development in this novel is the appearance of Abigail Bukula, a senior official in the Department of Justice, who grew up in exile.
She is another character who will appear regularly in Ebersohn's future novels.
"Abigail threatens not to die. In the book I'm writing at the moment Abigail appears again," he says. "Somehow, Abigail has ambushed me if you like."
Abigail's story begins on October 21, 1985 - a violent night when she is saved by a good man fighting an evil cause for the apartheid government.
Leon Lourens had been part of a commando that raided one of the liberation movement's safe houses in Lesotho when Abigail was just 15 years old.
Of the 15 people in the house, Abigail was one of only six who survived. Leon had come between her and his commanding officer to save her.
The next day Abigail is rescued from police custody. This time she is saved by an evil man fighting for a just cause.
In the juxtaposition of these two characters Ebersohn touches on a theme that he believes in strongly - that "nothing is ever quite what it seems".
"Just because you have someone making a public stand about something doesn't mean that person is not guilty of the very thing he is making a stand about," says Ebersohn.
Now, 20 years later, Abigail discovers that on the anniversary of that incident, the men who took part in the raid are being murdered at the rate of one a year. Leon is one of only two who are still alive. The other is a prisoner in C-Max prison.
Abigail knows she owes her life to Leon.
With the help of Yudel, the two characters try to unravel the mystery around the murders in an attempt to save Leon from what seems like certain death.
It is a gripping story and I could not put this book down until I had read the last sentence.
The character of Abigail was an especially engaging one. I believe Abigail is a tribute to the many strong women in Ebersohn's life - his wife and business partner Miriam, his two daughters who both work at Succeed, and his granddaughters.
Ebersohn agrees: "I'm sure Abigail is inspired by them. She is inspired largely by my wife who is the type of woman who gets things done and has little respect for authorities being stupid. Abigail also has little respect for silly authority."
Ebersohn has definitely marked his re-emergence on the literary scene with a bang. Moreover, he is already planning two more books.
The October Killings is due to be followed by another thriller in 2010.
In addition, there is another novel, not a thriller this time, called The Classifier in the works.
This book deals with the race classification system as they experienced it at the height of apartheid when they were living in Red Hill in Durban.
If these novels are as exciting and gripping as The October Killings, then they are certainly going to be a treat.
However, like most novelists, his career began in another field. He trained and qualified as an engineer, and began working for the Post Office (now Telkom) but continued writing.
He published his first novel in 1979.
The background to most of his fiction from the late 1970s until the early 1990s was apartheid South Africa. While he and his wife, Miriam, were not activists, they were very closely involved in the liberation struggle and experienced it "from close by".
Because of his political beliefs, two of Ebersohn's books - Store up the Anger and Divide the Night - were banned by the apartheid regime.
However, an intense disillusionment with South Africa and the freedom struggle in the 1980s saw the Ebersohns withdraw from the society that they could not come to terms with.
"Perhaps we expected too much from those resisting the government. The reality was that while government agents were regularly killing activists, the side of freedom and justice was as regularly, without the semblance of a trial, murdering people by the necklace method.
"Many who were killed that way were guilty of nothing at all. Few leaders of the liberation movement ever spoke out against it," says Ebersohn on his website.
The family moved to the edge of the Knysna forest where Miriam ran a bird sanctuary.
I was struck by the fact that while others' fear and unease compelled them to leave South Africa entirely, the Ebersohns could not break ties with the land and people they felt so passionate about.
However, in 1993, when the new South Africa was about to see its first democratic elections, Ebersohn and Miriam felt they needed to make a meaningful contribution to the development of the country. Succeed magazine was then born.
"The country needed more entrepreneurs and at that time no one was doing anything about this. There was a gap in the market for an entrepreneurial publication," says the engaging novelist.
However, a 60-hour work week on Succeed also meant something had to be sacrificed - and that something was his fiction writing.
Now that he has handed over the reins of editorship of the magazine to his daughter, Tes, he has returned to fiction writing.
In The October Killings Ebersohn shifts his focus to the New South Africa and its idiosyncrasies. While he celebrates his country, he is also critical of the new government and its shortcomings.
Ebersohn is passionate about the fact that his novels are more than just detective stories. The social backdrop is very important to the action in all of them.
"I'm passionate about having a good story. I'm passionate about gripping the reader so that the reader simply cannot put the book down," he says.
"I like to think my novels are thrillers on the one hand, but say something about our society on the other.
"Politics is an important part of my novels, but the story is the thing.
"My story must be real and have a meaning for people."
Prison psychologist Yudel Gordon is the main character in three of Ebersohn's earlier books that were set in apartheid South Africa.
The October Killings is the fourth novel in which he appears. However, this time he is not the main character.
According to Ebersohn, the most important new development in this novel is the appearance of Abigail Bukula, a senior official in the Department of Justice, who grew up in exile.
She is another character who will appear regularly in Ebersohn's future novels.
"Abigail threatens not to die. In the book I'm writing at the moment Abigail appears again," he says. "Somehow, Abigail has ambushed me if you like."
Abigail's story begins on October 21, 1985 - a violent night when she is saved by a good man fighting an evil cause for the apartheid government.
Leon Lourens had been part of a commando that raided one of the liberation movement's safe houses in Lesotho when Abigail was just 15 years old.
Of the 15 people in the house, Abigail was one of only six who survived. Leon had come between her and his commanding officer to save her.
The next day Abigail is rescued from police custody. This time she is saved by an evil man fighting for a just cause.
In the juxtaposition of these two characters Ebersohn touches on a theme that he believes in strongly - that "nothing is ever quite what it seems".
"Just because you have someone making a public stand about something doesn't mean that person is not guilty of the very thing he is making a stand about," says Ebersohn.
Now, 20 years later, Abigail discovers that on the anniversary of that incident, the men who took part in the raid are being murdered at the rate of one a year. Leon is one of only two who are still alive. The other is a prisoner in C-Max prison.
Abigail knows she owes her life to Leon.
With the help of Yudel, the two characters try to unravel the mystery around the murders in an attempt to save Leon from what seems like certain death.
It is a gripping story and I could not put this book down until I had read the last sentence.
The character of Abigail was an especially engaging one. I believe Abigail is a tribute to the many strong women in Ebersohn's life - his wife and business partner Miriam, his two daughters who both work at Succeed, and his granddaughters.
Ebersohn agrees: "I'm sure Abigail is inspired by them. She is inspired largely by my wife who is the type of woman who gets things done and has little respect for authorities being stupid. Abigail also has little respect for silly authority."
Ebersohn has definitely marked his re-emergence on the literary scene with a bang. Moreover, he is already planning two more books.
The October Killings is due to be followed by another thriller in 2010.
In addition, there is another novel, not a thriller this time, called The Classifier in the works.
This book deals with the race classification system as they experienced it at the height of apartheid when they were living in Red Hill in Durban.
If these novels are as exciting and gripping as The October Killings, then they are certainly going to be a treat.
July 7, 2017
This is a solid mystery set within the politics, racial tensions, and lingering apartheid system of the still young democracy that is South Africa. Abigail Bukula is a lawyer in the Justice Department, just one of many directors, but still one of the very few black females. Twenty years ago she was witness to a raid and her parents murders, and now the man who saved her needs her help. He is certain that his life will end this year on October 22. Others involved in the raid have been killed in previous years on the same date, the date of the raid. Abigail is fearless and resourceful but needs the help of Yudel Gordon, a semi-retired eccentric prison psychologist, to sort out her emotions and help find the killer. These two characters are very different but still manage to work together well. She is action; he is analysis; and they both are instinctual. I liked this story.
March 19, 2021
I started reading Wessel Ebersohn with this book, then read THOSE WHO SEIZE THE NIGHT. After that, I started searching for his earlier books, the ones he wrote during the apartheid period, and found old, dog-eared copies of the first three — all only published in the UK. So I was able to follow the career of Yudel Gordon from initial fear, through hope as South Africa threw off the mantle of apartheid, to the final disillusionment of corruption that was now occurring in the new South Africa (in the sixth, Yudel Gordon book, The Top Prisoner of C-Max).
March 25, 2023
Fake “alternative” history without accurately identifying itself as such. Yes, apartheid existed and sucked. No, government militias didn’t go around committing massacres. That would be Winnie Mandela and her brigade who was famous for “necklacing” innocent white people for fun. So the whole premise is preposterous to the extreme and it perpetuates grievances against all white people that are undeserved.
March 14, 2022
Four stars seems a bit generous; three seems a bit harsh.
The plot has its twists and turns, some of which (confession time) left me a bit confused.
The sense of place, though, is engaging and holds its own appeal. To write a novel set in post-apartheid South Africa, and to incorporate politics and issues of race without feeling too preachy, is no mean feat.
The plot has its twists and turns, some of which (confession time) left me a bit confused.
The sense of place, though, is engaging and holds its own appeal. To write a novel set in post-apartheid South Africa, and to incorporate politics and issues of race without feeling too preachy, is no mean feat.
October 9, 2017
3.5 stars. It was definitely hard to put down.
December 7, 2010
A first reads give away--thank you GoodReads!
I really liked this book. I admit I was a little afraid that I'd be overwhelmed with language, but that wasn't the case. There is plenty, but it works in context and it's not impossible. Wessel Ebersohn crafted a great story and makes you feel like you understand the area and the people.
It's a good story, with very, very interesting characters. It started a little slowly, but in a way it reminded me of watching a foreign film so it just seemed to make sense as it meandered. The first half of the book lets you get to know the main characters well so that the second half, when it really picks up steam, you can enjoy the ride and know who's aboard with you. The book isn't long--so when I say first half I'm only talking about 125 pages or so, so when considering whether or not to read this, don't take that into consideration.
I'm not going to give away much here, the synopsis of the book says plenty. What I found compelling about the book was more what it showed, and what it made me want to learn. First of all, I find myself wishing I knew more about South Africa. I'm ashamed of how little I really do know. I remember when Nelson Mandela was freed, and I remember his election. Watching Invictus showed me how important he considered forgiveness in order for his country to move forward. That probably sums up practically everything I know. Wow, did this book not only open my eyes, but make me respect the people of South Africa for what they've gone through. The power of forgiveness, sure, but how to understand and find places for people in society when they worked for the 'bad' side but are essentially good and decent people, or worked for the 'good' side but are essentially sick psychopaths, how to show respect and not be fake, how to bring everyone up together, what a Gordian knot they face.
Think for a minute about the difficulties our country still faces in race relations--and our civil war was 150 years ago and the civil rights act was 50 years ago. We still deal with it, every day. For South Africans, apartheid was abolished 16 years ago. Think how raw things must still be for all of them.
I look forward to reading more of Abigail and Yudel; I hope Mr. Ebersohn doesn't wait long for the next installation.
I really liked this book. I admit I was a little afraid that I'd be overwhelmed with language, but that wasn't the case. There is plenty, but it works in context and it's not impossible. Wessel Ebersohn crafted a great story and makes you feel like you understand the area and the people.
It's a good story, with very, very interesting characters. It started a little slowly, but in a way it reminded me of watching a foreign film so it just seemed to make sense as it meandered. The first half of the book lets you get to know the main characters well so that the second half, when it really picks up steam, you can enjoy the ride and know who's aboard with you. The book isn't long--so when I say first half I'm only talking about 125 pages or so, so when considering whether or not to read this, don't take that into consideration.
I'm not going to give away much here, the synopsis of the book says plenty. What I found compelling about the book was more what it showed, and what it made me want to learn. First of all, I find myself wishing I knew more about South Africa. I'm ashamed of how little I really do know. I remember when Nelson Mandela was freed, and I remember his election. Watching Invictus showed me how important he considered forgiveness in order for his country to move forward. That probably sums up practically everything I know. Wow, did this book not only open my eyes, but make me respect the people of South Africa for what they've gone through. The power of forgiveness, sure, but how to understand and find places for people in society when they worked for the 'bad' side but are essentially good and decent people, or worked for the 'good' side but are essentially sick psychopaths, how to show respect and not be fake, how to bring everyone up together, what a Gordian knot they face.
Think for a minute about the difficulties our country still faces in race relations--and our civil war was 150 years ago and the civil rights act was 50 years ago. We still deal with it, every day. For South Africans, apartheid was abolished 16 years ago. Think how raw things must still be for all of them.
I look forward to reading more of Abigail and Yudel; I hope Mr. Ebersohn doesn't wait long for the next installation.
April 20, 2011
Abigail Bakula heads up the gender desk in South Africa’s Justice Department in 2005 and her husband is a prominent newspaper editor. But when a hero’s name surfaces at work, she’s plunged right back to the night 20 years before when she, age 15, watched her father die in a raid on an ANC safe house.
When a frightened white man, Leon Lourens, comes to see her in fear for his life and tells her that members of the apartheid-government security squad present that night are being ritually executed one by one on the anniversary of the raid, Bakula needs no reminding as to who Lourens is.
He’s the man who saved her life, standing up to his captain, Marinus van Jaarsveld, who is currently spending his days in maximum security at Pretoria Central Prison, having rejected the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and sworn to uphold his apartheid principles.
Feeling a chill to her deepest core, Bakula determines to save Lourens. But that’s not the whole story and Bakula won’t share the rest of it, not even with her husband.
Bakula teams up with a brilliant, eccentric veteran prison psychologist, Yudel Gordon (featured in a previous Ebersohn series set in the 1980s), to track down the killer in time to save Lourens. As time grows short the pace speeds up, but even more than action, the interest lies in the contrast between South Africa then and now – in some ways not so different, in others completely changed.
This is a character-driven narrative and Bakula is an interesting heroine in part because of her elite background. She spent most of her youth in private schools outside of South Africa, and is as frightened of township gangs as any middle-class white lady would be. But she is also brave and loyal and stubborn and willing to push against the barriers of her fears.
Cape Town writer Ebersohn has captured the strange, tortured, violent, backward-harking and forward-thinking place that is South Africa and readers will hope that Gordon and Bakula return soon.
When a frightened white man, Leon Lourens, comes to see her in fear for his life and tells her that members of the apartheid-government security squad present that night are being ritually executed one by one on the anniversary of the raid, Bakula needs no reminding as to who Lourens is.
He’s the man who saved her life, standing up to his captain, Marinus van Jaarsveld, who is currently spending his days in maximum security at Pretoria Central Prison, having rejected the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and sworn to uphold his apartheid principles.
Feeling a chill to her deepest core, Bakula determines to save Lourens. But that’s not the whole story and Bakula won’t share the rest of it, not even with her husband.
Bakula teams up with a brilliant, eccentric veteran prison psychologist, Yudel Gordon (featured in a previous Ebersohn series set in the 1980s), to track down the killer in time to save Lourens. As time grows short the pace speeds up, but even more than action, the interest lies in the contrast between South Africa then and now – in some ways not so different, in others completely changed.
This is a character-driven narrative and Bakula is an interesting heroine in part because of her elite background. She spent most of her youth in private schools outside of South Africa, and is as frightened of township gangs as any middle-class white lady would be. But she is also brave and loyal and stubborn and willing to push against the barriers of her fears.
Cape Town writer Ebersohn has captured the strange, tortured, violent, backward-harking and forward-thinking place that is South Africa and readers will hope that Gordon and Bakula return soon.
July 31, 2012
A fascinating story of the post-Apartheid era. Abigail Bukula, a lawyer in the new Government is forced to face the past in the form of ex-soldier, Leon Lourens. When a raid on her village caused the deaths of many residents,including her parents, Lourens risked his career to save Abigail, then only 15. And now Lourens appears at her government office begging her for help.
It seems one by one, members of Lourens unit are being murdered on the anniversary of the raid on Maseru. Bukula can't turn down Louren's request because she wouldn't be alive some 20 years later if it wasn't for his bravery on her behalf. The key to these murders may lie in the prison known as C-Max. All soldiers who renounced their allegiance to the old regime were given amnesty but the leader of the unit refused to and now Marinus van Jaarsveld will spend the rest of his life in jail.
Abigail , somehow, has to get to visit him in prison and get answers that might stop the murders. She is about to establish a strange relationship with the ex-prison psychologist, Yudel Gordon. Gordon had been dismissed because some of his techniques in working with prisoners were unorthodox. And yet now he has been rehired to perform some new tasks for the prison system. Gordon is Abigail's only way into the prison system. Can she discover anything that will prevent the next murder which will occur in five days.....the next anniversary of the raid at Maseru?? But one name keeps 'popping' up in Abigail memory.....Michael Bishop ! Abigail is scared just thinking that Bishop is involved with these murders.
This story could 'almost' be called historical fiction because it touches much of what life was like in South Africa over the last quarter century . And certainly Wessel Ebersohn holds your attention with his spellbinding murder mystery.
It seems one by one, members of Lourens unit are being murdered on the anniversary of the raid on Maseru. Bukula can't turn down Louren's request because she wouldn't be alive some 20 years later if it wasn't for his bravery on her behalf. The key to these murders may lie in the prison known as C-Max. All soldiers who renounced their allegiance to the old regime were given amnesty but the leader of the unit refused to and now Marinus van Jaarsveld will spend the rest of his life in jail.
Abigail , somehow, has to get to visit him in prison and get answers that might stop the murders. She is about to establish a strange relationship with the ex-prison psychologist, Yudel Gordon. Gordon had been dismissed because some of his techniques in working with prisoners were unorthodox. And yet now he has been rehired to perform some new tasks for the prison system. Gordon is Abigail's only way into the prison system. Can she discover anything that will prevent the next murder which will occur in five days.....the next anniversary of the raid at Maseru?? But one name keeps 'popping' up in Abigail memory.....Michael Bishop ! Abigail is scared just thinking that Bishop is involved with these murders.
This story could 'almost' be called historical fiction because it touches much of what life was like in South Africa over the last quarter century . And certainly Wessel Ebersohn holds your attention with his spellbinding murder mystery.
December 7, 2010
An advance reader copy, won from goodreads.
I'm always searching for new interesting authors of thrillers, detectives and mysteries - ideally from other parts of the world than where I've lived or know anything about. This is the first one by Ebersohn I've ever read it, and I quite enjoyed it. I can see Abigail and Yudel working together with other (future) mysteries easily.
The two good characters in this book (and I guess in a series) are Abigail Bakula, a black woman working for the government in South Africa, and Yudel Gordon, who is a white psychologist. Leon Lourens, who saved Abigail's life 20 years ago, comes to ask for help to find out what has happened to the others who were present the night Abigail's parents were killed. Who (the government?) is killing these people?
Abigail starts to investigate, and she and Yudel have their own twists with history, politics, corruption etc before they can find out who - and why - is behind these killings - all of which have occurred in October. Good amount of action in the book, and interesting characters. I guess my ideal detective is a bit like Montalbano or Bosch, super intelligent, trusting their instincts, and with a lot of unexpected action - but very few detectives in the books are ideal to that taste. If I'll see other books in the series, I'll be curious to see how the stories continue and develop.
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/8...
I'm always searching for new interesting authors of thrillers, detectives and mysteries - ideally from other parts of the world than where I've lived or know anything about. This is the first one by Ebersohn I've ever read it, and I quite enjoyed it. I can see Abigail and Yudel working together with other (future) mysteries easily.
The two good characters in this book (and I guess in a series) are Abigail Bakula, a black woman working for the government in South Africa, and Yudel Gordon, who is a white psychologist. Leon Lourens, who saved Abigail's life 20 years ago, comes to ask for help to find out what has happened to the others who were present the night Abigail's parents were killed. Who (the government?) is killing these people?
Abigail starts to investigate, and she and Yudel have their own twists with history, politics, corruption etc before they can find out who - and why - is behind these killings - all of which have occurred in October. Good amount of action in the book, and interesting characters. I guess my ideal detective is a bit like Montalbano or Bosch, super intelligent, trusting their instincts, and with a lot of unexpected action - but very few detectives in the books are ideal to that taste. If I'll see other books in the series, I'll be curious to see how the stories continue and develop.
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/8...
December 6, 2010
South African government official Abigail Bukala and prison psychologist Yudel Gordon have six days in which to find and apprehend a killer named Michael Bishop, who has been murdering the ex-members of a convoy which massacred a group of government activists twenty years ago. The target for the next killing--which happens every year on the anniversary of the raid--is Leon Lourens, who saved Bukala's life that night during the raid. He comes to her for help, which propels Bukala to revisit her turbulent past on her quest to save him.
The characters are well-drawn, realistic, and unique, and the author brings them to life in a practiced manner. He is knowledgeable about the history of South African government, but doesn't overload the story with unnecessary facts. His writing is intelligent and smooth, and he deftly communicates the intrigue, emotion, and suspense in the story to the reader. The plot was smartly accomplished, and while it lacked some of the speed/action that I prefer, the twists and turns in the latter half proved this crime novel--the first in a series--a worthy read. I give this one four stars.
Note: I recieved an advance release copy in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
The characters are well-drawn, realistic, and unique, and the author brings them to life in a practiced manner. He is knowledgeable about the history of South African government, but doesn't overload the story with unnecessary facts. His writing is intelligent and smooth, and he deftly communicates the intrigue, emotion, and suspense in the story to the reader. The plot was smartly accomplished, and while it lacked some of the speed/action that I prefer, the twists and turns in the latter half proved this crime novel--the first in a series--a worthy read. I give this one four stars.
Note: I recieved an advance release copy in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
December 3, 2010
Woohoo! I won this in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. Can't wait to get my copy and start reading.
** 3.5 Stars ** - The further I read into this book, the more I liked it. The author really ramped up the suspense in the last half of the book. I think I would have liked the book more if the novel included a preface or introduction explaining African history during the time period in which the plot was set. I searched google and found what I needed to get a better understanding of the events that has taken place in the novel. It is possible that the final print edition includes something to this effect, but the copy I read was an ARC. I also would have appreciated an appendix/glossary of "Afrikaans" terms that were used in the book. For the most part, Ebersohn explains each term in context, but I didn't always remember the meanings of recurring terms and couldn't remember where in the text the specific term was defined.
** 3.5 Stars ** - The further I read into this book, the more I liked it. The author really ramped up the suspense in the last half of the book. I think I would have liked the book more if the novel included a preface or introduction explaining African history during the time period in which the plot was set. I searched google and found what I needed to get a better understanding of the events that has taken place in the novel. It is possible that the final print edition includes something to this effect, but the copy I read was an ARC. I also would have appreciated an appendix/glossary of "Afrikaans" terms that were used in the book. For the most part, Ebersohn explains each term in context, but I didn't always remember the meanings of recurring terms and couldn't remember where in the text the specific term was defined.
July 27, 2016
This takes place about fifteen years after Apartheid. While the mystery is average, the depiction of South Africa is fascinating. This new government is still struggling with the political correctness of interracial relations. You have the upper class of blacks and whites living in secure dwellings that are almost like fortresses protecting themselves from the the reality outside. You have whites from the old regime trying not to do or say anything stupid that would jeopardize their positions. It is not that they believe in the old regime anymore, they do not. It is because they were part of it that makes everyone ELSE kind of mistrusts them. There are the poor or less than successful whites struggling with the fact their lives are worse now apartheid is gone. Then, there are the blacks still living in abject poverty, whose lives are no better. South Africa has a long way to go from my standpoint. It seems to be a sad society.
December 11, 2010
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
The book was set in South Africa in 2005 and refers back to events taking place in 1985 during aparthied. Primary characters and unlikely partners in crime investigation are - Abby, a black Lawyer and child of assasinated anti-apartheid activists now working for the government, and Yudel a semi-retired eccentric prison Psychologist who had worked for both apartheid and post-apartheid governments.
I found myself comparing this book to the Stieg Larson novels from Sweden. Both authors were journalists and both were adept at characterization, dialogue and plots addressing government and corruption. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope to read more of Abby Bukula and her partner Yudel Gordon. They were both fascinating and quirky; They held my interest and left me with a desire for more.
The book was set in South Africa in 2005 and refers back to events taking place in 1985 during aparthied. Primary characters and unlikely partners in crime investigation are - Abby, a black Lawyer and child of assasinated anti-apartheid activists now working for the government, and Yudel a semi-retired eccentric prison Psychologist who had worked for both apartheid and post-apartheid governments.
I found myself comparing this book to the Stieg Larson novels from Sweden. Both authors were journalists and both were adept at characterization, dialogue and plots addressing government and corruption. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope to read more of Abby Bukula and her partner Yudel Gordon. They were both fascinating and quirky; They held my interest and left me with a desire for more.
March 19, 2011
I don't want to put in any hint of a spoiler. This is a novel of recent South Africa after the government has reorganized and been reorganized for a while. What would you do if you were successful black woman who was a rising young career employee in a responsible government position, happily married to same...and someone from the past came by asking for help. Seems someone might be killing all the members of a security task force from the former government...in which the young lady's parents were killed? And this same scruffy former policeman, not a fanatic like some, was a member. And he had saved her life, others as well. Really, what would you do! It's not a long book. It's drama and action, characters, setting, characters well presented with history given of each given such that you really knew them. I will be getting more of this author's books!
August 18, 2015
Abigail Bukula was a terrific character - loyal, tough, smart and brave. She stood strong in the face of a demeaning boss. She listened carefully to people who needed her or who had important information. She was feeling understandably vulnerable when a man who abused her reappeared suddenly in her life. I thought she was well-rounded and well-written.
The plot was interesting. I know little of South Africa except that feelings are strong and divided. This book seemed to present the current state in a clear-eyed fashion. Things are not perfect. In some ways they are better, in others just the same or possibly worse. And in the past, the two factions resorted to actions that more settled, equitable countries would abhor but now they have to live with some of those people in positions of power.
I would read more books with this protagonist.
The plot was interesting. I know little of South Africa except that feelings are strong and divided. This book seemed to present the current state in a clear-eyed fashion. Things are not perfect. In some ways they are better, in others just the same or possibly worse. And in the past, the two factions resorted to actions that more settled, equitable countries would abhor but now they have to live with some of those people in positions of power.
I would read more books with this protagonist.
May 14, 2014
This was a good South African crime novel. It felt very realistic (as realistic as it can be to a person who has never been to Africa) and had a decent amount of suspense. The main character was described in a review to the "the sharpest and most determined sleuth in international crime fiction" but I disagree. It isn't her job to hunt down criminals, and she seems pretty regular. But that's why I really liked her because she did every single thing in her power to help someone. She enlisted the help of others. She struggled through the trauma of her past to make a difference. She was relatable. I dropped a star rating for foul language and a few moments of graphic violence. There was also a rape but not graphically described.
April 17, 2011
In the aftermath of apartheid, Abigail Bukula has been fast tracked into the new government as the Director of Gender Affairs. Her family sought change through reform and education, but were killed under orders of the anti-apartheid regime shortly before it's dissolution. Bukula has secrets and memories that are revealed as the old crimes surface. Good dialogue, characters well drawn, realistic presentation of post-apartheid allegiences and complex politics of the time. The mystery drives the narrative and reflects the middle-class and privledged classes of contemporary South Africa and little of day to day life and customs.
November 26, 2012
Hmm, not as good as I thought it would be. The setting is new to me, but details of landscape and environmental atmosphere are not exploited for what they might add to the story. The politics are hard to keep straight, but that's the point of this look into pre- and post-Apartheid history. The main thing I minded is that the device of keeping the deep dark secret that the protagonist won't tell anyone throughout most of the novel is all too obvious. We keep being told that she can't say it yet and that makes it feel too much like an authorial device. I would read a second book in the series and expect it to perhaps be a bit better. There are many points of interest in the book, but the writing and not-very-deep characterizations left me feeling...meh.
February 1, 2017
The October Killings is a real page turner.
A 1985 command raid on a small South African village leaves several people dead including Abigail's parents. Twenty years later Abigail is a high-ranking official in the Department of Justice in a new South Africa. She survived the 1985 raid thanks to Leon. But now someone is killing the surviving members of the commands each October. Is Leon next?
Wessel Ebersohn has more in common with Robert Harris (Fatherland and other thrillers) and Alan Furst than he does with Alexander McCall Smith. The characters are first rate and the pacing is very quick. For readers who like to lose sleep reading thrillers.
P.S Why did Ebersohn lose his American publisher? That's the real mystery here.
A 1985 command raid on a small South African village leaves several people dead including Abigail's parents. Twenty years later Abigail is a high-ranking official in the Department of Justice in a new South Africa. She survived the 1985 raid thanks to Leon. But now someone is killing the surviving members of the commands each October. Is Leon next?
Wessel Ebersohn has more in common with Robert Harris (Fatherland and other thrillers) and Alan Furst than he does with Alexander McCall Smith. The characters are first rate and the pacing is very quick. For readers who like to lose sleep reading thrillers.
P.S Why did Ebersohn lose his American publisher? That's the real mystery here.
December 4, 2010
I won this book in a First Reads giveaway and I'm so glad that I did. What an exciting read! The characters were so interesting and well developed--I enjoyed Abigail's strength and her vulnerability as well as Yudel's wisdom and eccentricities. Bishop is a haunting personality, and I couldn't help but admire Freek. The plot was intricate and full of twists. The unique setting was facinating to me; I enjoyed learning something about recent South African history. This was a page turner from the start. I highly recommend it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews