- Paperback: 480 pages
- Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd (1 Jun 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0340769998
- ISBN-13: 978-0340769997
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,529,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Dead at Daybreak
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk 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
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
""The complexity of its tightly woven plot [is] skillfully revealed....Meyer's US debut moves at a breathtaking pace that will carry readers away."
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Zapotek "Zet" van Heerden is beaten, bruised, and sleeping off a drinking binge in a South African jail when he is hired to work as a private detective for attorney Hope Beneke. Hope's client is the lover of Johannes Jacobus Smit, an antiques dealer who was tortured with a blowtorch before being shot and killed. His safe, reportedly containing two million dollars, has been emptied, and his will, purportedly leaving everything to his lover, has been stolen. If it cannot be found within a week, everything will go to the state.
Living on the edge and decidedly antisocial, Zet van Heerden is fighting numerous personal demons. Once honored as an intelligent and resourceful crime fighter, he feels responsible for the death of his mentor, Nagel, who was shot in front of him. Filled with rage which he does not even try to control, he now lashes out at the world and then escapes into an alcoholic stupor.
As van Heerden tries to unearth the will and information about Smit's past, he also investigates events from 1976, when Smit was in the army, and from 1983, when Smit accumulated an enormous amount of cash. During his research, Zet is haunted by two other cases--one from 1991, involving the murder and mutilation of a woman who lived behind him when he was a teenager, the event which led him to join the police force, and the recent tragedy involving Nagel's death, which led him to leave the force.
As van Heerden's family background, his past love life, and the events which have brought him to his present state unfold, the reader comes to appreciate how disturbed van Heerden really is and to feel sympathy for him. A wide variety of peripheral characters in various police organizations add to the depth of the novel and expand its scope, as van Heerden must deal with the Murder and Robbery division, a "friendly" gangster with a large security force, the Urban Anti-Terrorist Force, the military Defense Force, and the American consular office.
Meyer resists the temptation to turn this compelling psychological mystery and character study into a quasi-love story, involving the reader less through romance than through intriguing and alternating stories, time periods, and points of view. Details about South African life and the individual characters give immediacy and emotional intensity to the action, and Meyer's deliberate withholding of key information keeps the various mysteries fresh and exciting. The conclusion is satisfying on all levels, making this unusual and psychologically astute mystery far more intriguing than the typical police procedural. Mary Whipple
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Thriller which reminded me a bit of Ed McBain. The story was totally believable and illustrated the complexities of modern South Africa but still giving hope for the future. Easily identified with van Heerden as the 'bad' good buy. Had me hooked until I finished the last page
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
What a wonderful journey into Van Heerden's world and personality. Van Heerden's sensitivity and intelligence shine through in this book. Deon Meyer has written a truly gripping thriller which not only gives the reader an insight into Van Heerden's world, but also that of the police force in South Africa. The chapters alternate between the present, pacy action and an autobiography by Van Heerden. This is definitely a book worth buying.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent
I read a lot of crime fiction. My favourite writers are James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly and Jo Nesbo. Read more
Published 11 months ago by S. J. Blackburn
A guilty pleasure
This is a fun, readable crime novel with an interesting protagonist. It's by no means high brow, and some of the storylines are somewhat cliched and ever so slightly saccharine,... Read more
Published on 15 April 2010 by Frederick Helmersley-Bott
South African Noir
Though I'm a crime fiction fan I had never come across a South African crime novel before I picked this book up in a charity shop & I'm very glad I did. Read more
Published on 17 Oct 2009 by N. Pemberton
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
