Book review: Local crime fiction is alive and well with ‘End Game’

When I picked up my first Deon Meyer book, I must admit I was somewhat cynical. I didn’t really believe a South African could construct the sort of tense, gritty crime novels that the world’s best fiction authors could.

Perhaps it was that, with the local colour and setting, it was much easier to visualise, for example, than the streets of San Francisco or Budapest (both places I haven’t yet been to). But, even beyond that, Meyer showed an ability to build a cliffhanger dotted with red herrings and just enough gore to key the fascination-repulsion response.

Meyer is a very difficult act to follow, but after spending the festive season with a pair of South African crime novels, both in the Deon Meyer mould, I can safely say local crime fiction is alive and well … despite the body count.

Wilna Adriaanse’s End Game is actually the sequel to her book Blindside and is the sequel of the story. Yet, it is still self-contained enough that it is a satisfying stand-alone read on its own. You’re left wondering a bit about the lead-up to events in End Game… but in a way which makes you want to read the first book.

It tells the story of a hardscrabble female cop, Lieutenant Eliie McKen

It’s got all the regular crime thriller elements – blood, romance, and plot twists – but it’s not predictable and you’ll hardly notice as you race through the pages.

The descriptions of Cape Town and the platteland around the Cape are excellent and the events are cast into current relevance, which – as with a Deon Meyer novel – means you have to do little thinking about the background or the context … you just know instinctively.

End Game leaves you with one conclusion: Wilna Adriaanse’s name is going to be top of mind when you’re next browsing the book store.

Similarly – but in a much more brutal fashion – In the Midst of Wolves by Joburg writer Kurt Ellis – is also a riveting read.

Its hero (although he’s a flawed one, as becomes crystal clear early on in the story) is Nick Creed, a South African detective and psychological expert who has done time with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States. That sojourn was not pleasant, as becomes clear.

Creed’s called in to help solve the mystery of the killing of a young woman whom the community believes was murdered by a witch, Nomtakhati.

The story plunges right into the dark heart of Joburg criminality and weaves into and out of the tricky questions about traditional beliefs and witchcraft … and, right up to the end, is unpredictable.

Some of the scenes are gut-punch realistic, which remind one of the sometimes brutal and heartless place we call home. Ellis demonstrates, though, that he is at the top of his game when it comes to the crime genre. Another name to put on your book “watch list”.

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