Devil's Peak by Deon Meyer

Devil's Peak (Benny Griessel)

by Deon Meyer

Bennie Griessel may be losing his battle with alcohol but he still knows enough to head up the police team tracking 'Artemis', a vigilante killer who targets child murderers.The killer is in fact Thobela Mpayipheli, a former freedom fighter robbed of everything by the murder of his son. And when Griessel's daughter is kidnapped, his world and Thobela's converge towards a devastating climax. A brilliantly suspenseful novel, and a searing portrait of modern South Africa, in which sometimes only hope and humanity can fight the cruellest crimes.

Reviewed by ibeforem on

4 of 5 stars

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I wasn't sure about this book at first. Meyer is a South African writer, and this novel is mostly set in Cape Town and the surrounding area. I wasn't sure if there would be cultural aspects I just didn't get, but Meyer does a good job of giving you context around what's going on.

The story revolves around 3 characters: Benny Griessel, a long-time police detective whose alcoholism has caught up with him and whose wife has thrown him out of the house; Christine, a sex-worker who is telling a priest the story of her life; and Thobela, a Xhosa man on a mission of retribution. The first half or so of the novel switches between the point of view of each character. I thought this part was a little slow, but I'm glad I stuck with it. Once you get to the second half of the novel and the pieces start to fit together, you find the wait was well worth it.

I thought this was a strong crime novel, once all was said and done. And I felt like I learned a little about South Africa and its social politics along the way.

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  • Started reading
  • 9 December, 2019: Finished reading
  • 9 December, 2019: Reviewed