Dead Before Dying - Deon Meyer

ONE COP. ONE KILLER. TWO CAPTIVES OF THE PAST.

Mat Joubert, once a rising star of the South African police force, had it all. Then his wife was murdered, and his hopes died with her. Alcoholic, depressed and overweight, he is a shadow of his former self.

Then a new killer appears on the streets of Cape Town, murdering at random. Mat throws himself into the case, viewing it as his last chance for redemption.

But, as their shared desire for revenge threatens to destroy both him and the mysterious killer he is hunting, Mat soon learns that he is not the only one with ghosts to lay to rest . . .

I really enjoyed DEAD BEFORE DYING. I liked the complexity of the main character, the interactions between the detectives, and their dogged determination to find both the robber and the serial murderer ... A sad, tense denouement ends the book, with an unexpected twist. I'd highly recommend this book. I've enjoyed all the Deon Meyer books I've read so far, and this one is no exception. Eurocrime

An impressively tangled web and taut narrative keeps the reader guessing until the last couple of pages. Heat

The atmosphere of a hot, turbulent country is very vividly evoked, and the characterisation is dynamic ... A striking debut novel. Crime Time

A plot-driven page-turner ... Joubert is a haunted yet sympathetic protagonist. Bookpage

Meyer subtly juxtaposes the heartbreak of the victims' families with the heartbroken detective assigned to their cases. Using humour and pathos in equal measure, Meyer builds a deeply moving portrait of a man in search of his own dignity. Booklist

About the author (2012)