Fabulous reads – Snappy thriller has a local twist
Book review: Dead in the Water by Irna Van Zyl.
Dead in the Water, Irna Van Zyl, Penguin Random House, ISBN: 978 1 41520 721 5
Dead in the Water is a South African thriller set in the quaint town of Grootbaai near Hermanus in Cape Town.
This is her debut novel after many years as a journalist, editor and media entrepreneur.
The novel has very clear cultural stereotypes and customs present and I can easily describe it as thoroughly South African.
Detective Storm van der Merwe was banished to the small town after an incident at her home force.
Choosing to lay low, despite her continuous attempts to stay in the good graces of her superiors, proves to be a difficult task – especially after a body missing a limb is found washed up on the beach.
The shark-cage diving capital is quickly placed under a microscope as the investigation plays out.
Her previous colleague, Andreas Moerdyk, is in the process of investigating the death of a provincial rugby player and somehow their cases are connected.
With a colourful array of characters, everyone is a suspect and no one is innocent.
A thrilling read and intricate story line. Applause for Irna Van Zyl on her first novel.
Dead in the Water, while it was quite a thrilling book, I feel may be a better read in Afrikaans.
