Weeping Waters

February 5, 2018
Personal and professional issues have forced Insp. Albertus Beeslaar, the beleaguered hero of South African author Brynard’s impressive debut novel and series launch, to leave his position in Johannesburg for the unforgiving platteland of the Northern Cape. There Beeslaar and his two inexperienced sergeants look into the murders of artist Frederika Swarts—tagged “the Madonna of the Kalahari” by the media—and her four-year-old adopted daughter at their remote farmhouse. The artist’s estranged sister, Sara Swarts, is convinced that the double homicide is not connected to other brutal farm murders in the area and returns to her childhood home to investigate. Together Beeslaar and Swarts begin to uncover a grand conspiracy that’s entangled in tradition and mythology, historic injustices regarding land ownership, and unadulterated greed. Though the momentum suffers mightily in places, crime fiction fans will find the picturesque backdrop, cast of authentic characters, and knotty story line to be more than satisfying. Agent: Isobel Dixon, Blake Friedmann Literary (U.K.).

March 1, 2018

South African police inspector Albertus Beeslaar, under a cloud, has been transferred from Johannesburg to a small town on the edge of the Kalahari Desert. In some ways the slower pace suits him, but there is not a lot of crime to occupy his time. Then a series of stock thefts turns into murder, and his boss presses him to make progress on the case. The brutal killing of a local artist and her adopted daughter is attributed to the same miscreants, but Beeslaar begins to doubt the convenient solution. He must move carefully as a white policeman in a newly black-governed country as he investigates the artist's life and her interest in the contested history of the land. The victim's indigenous Bushman farm manager is not being cooperative and obviously knows more of the story, while the deceased's sister from the city is also trying to understand what happened in this tranquil town. More violent attacks and a resurgent white farmers' militia add more complications. VERDICT Winner of the University of Johannesburg Debut Prize, this strong South African crime novel will appeal to fans of gritty yet exotic small-town settings and complicated mysteries that turn on local knowledge as much as procedure and intuition. A good read-alike for Jassy Mackenzie's Bad Seeds and Martin Steyn's Dark Traces.--Dan Forrest, Western Kentucky Univ. Libs., Bowling

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2018
This arresting English-language debut from South African crime author Brynard validates her reputation as The Afrikaans Stieg Larsson. Johannesburg cop Albertus Beeslaar has transferred to a post on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, hoping to escape the horrors of big-city violence. But he soon finds there is no peace to be found in rural South Africa either. Despite the seductive landscape, he realizes that he has totally underestimated the oppressive, debilitating desert heat, and he faces a sweltering uphill climb to connect with the somewhat hostile local people and his resentful new colleagues. Even worse, unspeakably brutal crimes are being committed at an alarming rate on the outlying small farms. When a white eccentric artist and her daughter are murdered, the daughter's Bushman farm manager becomes the prime suspect, and Beeslaar has his hands full investigating while holding the angry neighboring white farmers at bay. Brynard brings a strong, authentic voice to the country's conflict-ridden past and its current complex society and entangled land claims. A brilliant ensemble cast, well-measured suspense, straightforward dialogue, and nice pacing add up to an outstanding thriller. Fans of other South African authors, from James McClure to Deon Meyer, will relish Brynard's new and distinctive voice, although readers should be prepared for the book's gritty and, at times, gruesome details.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)