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A Beautiful Place to Die
 
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A Beautiful Place to Die (Hardcover)

by Malla Nunn (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
Price: £9.09 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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  • This item: A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Picador (6 Mar 2009)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0230711219
  • ISBN-13: 978-0230711211
  • Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 14.2 x 4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 475,686 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

'Page-turning, clever and multi-layered in its portrayal of the people and landscape of Apartheid South Africa. I loved it.' --Minette Walters


Review

'[Nunn] has written a first crime novel of considerable power.'
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Customer Reviews

23 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (14)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing ingredient, 4 Jun 2009
By D. Elliott (Ulverston, Cumbria) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
On the surface `A Beautiful Place To Die' is a fast moving `whodunnit' thriller with a 'good-cop hero' to be admired by readers, and with the added charm of location around a country town in the beautiful veldt of South Africa. However throughout the hero's investigations he is subject to high levels of uncontrollable influence with perhaps an over abundance of hidden secrets to be discovered and with credibility stretched for some of those he encounters. This leads to a few abrupt changes in scenarios as the narrative unfolds, with parts of the plot hardly plausible, characters not fully explained, and outcomes of relationships incomplete. Even so, as a `whodunnit' there is a compelling degree of intrigue, a steady build up of excitement, and a reasonable conclusion - but the book's added special ingredient is a forceful indictment of South Africa's insidious Apartheid system and an exposé of man's inhumanity. Malla Nunn skilfully lays bare political ideology, racism, bigotry, religious mania, injustice, violence etc. via interwoven relationships and personality conflicts. This aspect of `A Beautiful Place To Die' lifts it above the status of a normal thriller and overcomes storyline criticisms - but short of a 5-star rating.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful sense of place and vivid characterisations, 27 Feb 2009
By Julia Flyte - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
A Beautiful Place to Die is an incredibly satisfying book to read on so many levels. Firstly, it is an intriguing crime novel (it centers on the investigation into the death of an Afrikaner police captain in rural South Africa), but I enjoyed it even more because of the compelling way that it captures life in 1950s South Africa. I was aware that apartheid was in force at that time, but the book shows how race relations were far more complicated than a simple black-white divide.

This is the author's first crime novel but she has an excellent sense of pace and the need to keep events unfolding. There were aspects of the mystery that I found quite predictable but there were other aspects that took me by surprise. I also enjoyed the characterisations with even the minor characters being well rounded and brought vividly to life. The best crime novels are about far more than a simple whodunnit, and this is right up there with anything that I've read. I would categorize it as cross between Alexander McCall Smith and Raymond Chandler.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting debut, 10 Aug 2009
By Chunky Wilberforce ""Wilber"" (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)      
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
Ok so here's the check list.

1. Maverick cop who doesn't always play by the rules. Check.
2. Wrongful arrest. Check.
3. All white characters are honest whereas the blacks are villains to a man. Ch.. hang on, wait a minute...

This book is set in South Africa, so all racial stereotypes are essentially turned on their head. This time "whitey" is the villain.

What this means is that you will get a view of South Africa you might not otherwise have appreciated. Bear in mind though, that it could be about as realistic as the Oxford portrayed in the Morse novels, or that murderous black hole that is Midsomer.

As a first novel it is better than most, and the author definately shows promise.

One to watch out for.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Beach Reading
I've not finished reading it totally but I can say that whilst the story is interesting and the flow of the book decent enough it's not a 'must read' and more of a beach, lazy... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Agent Smith

4.0 out of 5 stars Taut thriller in the crucible of apartheid South Africa. Superb
This novel could be classed as an 'historical detective story' but there is nothing chintzy or twee about it. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Hooligween

3.0 out of 5 stars Very readable but a little slow
It would be fairly hard to review this book without giving away the plot, were it not for the fact that it is quite long and laid out in a conventional, linear fashion. Read more
Published 2 months ago by DJ Bez

5.0 out of 5 stars A very valuable book about life in south africa
OK, it's a murder story but the book is more than that. You will love it if you yearn to learn, understand and empathise with life in south africa. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lova

3.0 out of 5 stars Shows great form... but stumbles at the last hurdle
It's not often that I read crime fiction - I like it but somehow the genre has been sullied by the numerous copycat (! Read more
Published 2 months ago by bomble

4.0 out of 5 stars A good debut novel albeit perhaps overcomplex
This is the first novel by Malla Nunn, a Swaziland born author who has lived all over the world. It tells the story of Emmanuel Cooper, a Johannesburg-based detective who is... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Darren Simons

3.0 out of 5 stars Unexpected ending makes it a good read!
It is the early 195os in a turbulent post World War 2 South Africa where apartheid laws have recently been introduced. Read more
Published 2 months ago by BusyReader

4.0 out of 5 stars A great crime adventure.
From the very first page I have enjoyed this crime thriller.

Set in a racially divided South Africa I wanted to read this to learn about apartheid as much as read a... Read more
Published 3 months ago by J. Lyne

4.0 out of 5 stars Builds nicely
The first novel by Malla Nunn which is a bit slow to get going but builds towards a satisfying conclusion as events keep unfolding. Read more
Published 3 months ago by S. J. Finnerty

4.0 out of 5 stars South African Detective Novel
Malla Nunn's debut novel "A Beautiful Place To Die" cleverly blends a who-dunnit thriller with life in South Africa during the apartheid. Read more
Published 3 months ago by K. Wright

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