Dead at Daybreak: Deon Meyer - Softcover

Meyer, Deon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 144473072X ISBN 13: 9781444730722

Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks, 2012

Synopsis

From the author of Thirteen Hours - A Sunday Times '100 best crime novels and thrillers since 1945' pick

An antiques dealer is burned with a blowtorch and executed with a single shot to the back of the head. The only clues at the scene are a scrap of paper and an unusual choice of gun.

Ex-cop Zatopek 'Zed' van Heerden has just seven days to solve the case - an almost impossible task made even harder when he discovers that, until a few years ago, there was no proof that the victim even existed . . .

About this title

Review:

A provocative thriller of the new South Africa, Deon Meyer's Dead at Daybreak is set in a society where there are a new set of rules and people are still discovering the hidden depths of the old set. Ex-policeman Zed van Heerden is caught up in the betrayals of his own past, betrayals with which he has still to come to terms, when he is called in to look for a will, missing after the execution-style murder of a suburban antique dealer. Who tortured and killed Smit and who was he in the first place? Not the man whose papers he carries, that much is certain. Van Heerden can never be certain of the loyalties of the people with whom he is dealing--his own past reputation makes certain of that--and he soon finds himself uncovering secrets that the security services of more than one nation would like left well alone. Deon Meyer provides us with a gripping mystery solved by dogged legwork and occasional flashes of insight, and with a telling psychological portrait of a man and a nation haunted by a past that combines brilliance with much to be ashamed of. --Roz Kaveney

Review:

Deon Meyer recreates the beauty, wildness, and danger of modern Africa with an immediacy and force no other writer has achieved (Sunday Telegraph)

If DEAD AT DAYBREAK is anything to go by, we are seeing the rise of a major new, international writing talent. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. (Big Issue)

A highly entertaining, page-turning transposition of the American private eye genre to an exotic and vibrant setting . . . a terrific new talent. (Irish Independent)

DEAD AT DAYBREAK is a gripping read with a flawed but human protagonist who invites our compassion. The brutal terror of the hunt that develops is matched by the compulsive but increasingly ominous revelations of van Heerden's past transgression. This is the second novel by South African Deon Meyer, a fresh voice and a compelling storyteller. (Manchester Evening News)

A breathtaking pace, heart-pounding action set against a psychological backdrop, and a fascinating protagonist makes this book a winner. (Library Journal)

South African crime writer Meyer's expertly crafted second thriller confirms his place as one of the genre's finest new stylists. This is a remarkable achievement from a singular new talent. (Publishers Weekly)

Meyer manages to ratchet up the tension so effectively that readers will have a hard time decideing which mystery they wish to pierce first . . . A narrative gem. (Booklist)

[A] densely woven crime thriller . . . With DEAD AT DAYBREAK Deon Meyer has built an impressive and gripping book, a double helping of suspense . . . gripping, exciting and solidly written. (Eurocrime)

About this edition

• Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 144473072X
• ISBN 13: 9781444730722
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 416