Mendelson's debut thriller The First Rule of Survival, shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger, was a robust tale initially set in the turmoil of South Africa's post-Mandela release era, which introduced Colonel Vaughn de Vries, a local cop with old-fashioned, unorthodox methods, still smarting from earlier failures. His tale continues in another strongly atmospheric and unsparing investigation of extremist groups, race and hate crimes and the torrid melting pot of contemporary Cape Town and, later, down South on a trail of dead bodies, which brings de Vries closer to the resolution of a traumatic case 25 years-old which still scars him. The politics past and present of a renascent South Africa form a perfect background for gritty crime and compelling, breathless action, if you don't mind the dust, the dour relentness sun and the heavy cloak of guilt that still shadows this troubled nation. ~ Maxim Jakubowski
Primary Genre | Thriller and Suspense |
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