Thirteen Hours
Meyer, Deon
£17.99 £15.19
1 available
Book Details:
Publisher:Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN:9780340953594
Published Date:1st April 2010
Dimensions:156 X 238 X 38 mm
Weight:0.6806 kilograms
Pages:416
Binding:Hardcover
Illustrations:None
Condition:VeryGood
Short Description
The finest novel yet from the undisputed king of South African crime writing, winner of the 2011 Boeke Prize in South Africa and shortlisted for the 2010 CWA International Dagger for Best Translated Crime Fiction.
Full Description
Some would call Detective Benny Griessel a legend. Others would call him a drunk. Either way, he has trodden on too many toes over the years ever to reach the top of the promotion ladder, and now he concentrates on staying sober and mentoring the new generation of crime fighters - mixed race, Xhosa and Zulu. But when an American backpacker disappears in Capetown, panicked politicians know who to call: Benny has just thirteen hours to save the girl, save his career - and crack open a conspiracy which threatens the whole country. A potent, suspenseful thriller, and a brilliant portrait of life in the country that will host the 2010 World Cup.
Review
'South African thrillers arrive with racial baggage, and it's a mark of Meyer's talent to see just how well the issues are balanced with a smashing story. Imposing a strict time limit and a tight location on his plot, he ramps up the suspense to an unbearable degree. Best of all, his sharply drawn characters really feel part of the new South Africa, where loyalties and beliefs must always be questioned.' -- Financial Times 20100522 'What makes this novel so outstanding is its setting... and Meyer's superlative talent for suspense... Above all though, this is a vigorous, exciting novel that combines memorable characters and plot with edge-of-the-seat suspense.' -- The Sunday Times 20100425 'One of the sharpest and most perceptive thriller writers around' -- Peter Millar, The Times, on DEVIL'S PEAK 20100425 'gripping and suspenseful crime novel set in a violent, post-apartheid South Africa' -- Culture Magazine (Sunday Times) 20100425 'A cracking read from one of Africa's finest' -- Shots ezine 20100425 'Deon Meyer is the best known contemporary South African crime writer. His six books have won a number of awards, and he was the first to honestly reflect the current realities of the new South Africa in his books.' -- Michael Stanley in The Guardian 20100630 'One of the most exciting thrillers I've read for a long time.' -- Lady Antonia Fraser 20100630 'Far and away the best crime writer in South Africa' -- Matthew Lewin, Guardian, on BLOOD SAFARI 20100630 'Blood Safari is my first exposure to the man billed by his publishers as the "king of South African crime thrillers". For once the publicity spinners are not guilty of hyperbole -- Meyer is simply excellent.' -- Business Day on BLOOD SAFARI 20100630 'Pulsating and gripping' -- The Sunday Times on BLOOD SAFARI 20100630 'I rushed through it like one of Meyer's beloved BMW motorbikes in overdrive. A fantastic read. I know Cape Town well and he did glorious justice to the city's mosaic' -- Tim Butcher, author of Richard and Judy bestseller BLOOD RIVER, on DEVIL'S PEAK 20100630 'A moving, expertly constructed story of a broken man's redemption' -- The Sunday Times on DEVIL'S PEAK 20070701 'Out of post-apartheid South Africa comes a thriller good enough to nip at the heels of le Carre' -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on HEART OF THE HUNTER 20070701 A Christmas Choice for best thrillers in 2007 -- The Times on DEVIL'S PEAK 20070701 'A glimpse of the soul of the new South Africa in all its glory, and with all the gory details of its problems and corruption...I marvelled at the intricacy of the plotting, I smiled at Christine's cheeky ingenuity, I felt Thobela's pain and Benny's desperation, and I was stunned by a denouement of awesome power and accomplishment' -- Guardian on DEVIL'S PEAK 20070721 'My favourite South African thriller writer' -- James Mitchell, Tonight, South Africa, on DEVIL'S PEAK 20070721 'Meyer is a gifted writer...believable and disturbing' -- Tangled Web on DEVIL'S PEAK 20080510 'Deon Meyer, who writes in Afrikaans, portrays a world of terrifying uncertainty, in which those who fought for liberation from apartheid are having to come to terms with the knowledge that freedom is not enough to wipe out cruelty. A thoughtful and exciting novel' -- Times Literary Supplement on DEVIL'S PEAK 20080510 'This guy is really good. Deon Meyer hooked me with this one right from the start. HEART OF THE HUNTER is a thriller with some weight attached and that is a rare find.' -- Michael Connelly on HEART OF THE HUNTER 20080510 'HEART OF THE HUNTER is a brilliant book. Deon Meyer does an excellent job of developing a whole range of characters who are affected by the changes in South Africa in different ways. And Thobela, a giant of a man in search of redemption, is a wonderful hero.' -- Michael Ridpath, author of THE PREDATOR, on HEART 20080510 'Meyer weaves an impressively tangled web and taut narrative keeps the reader guessing until the last couple of pages' -- Heat***, on DEAD AT DAYBREAK 20080510 'Like post-war Germany, post-apartheid South Africa offers fertile ground for reflective fiction ... Senior editor at Little, Brown, Judy Clain, a fellow South African, says, "Meyer has an extraordinary landscape - a changed world where the ghosts of the past play a huge role." ' -- Publishers Weekly, on HEART OF THE HUNTER 20041122 'With simmering racial tensions, a bounty of natural resources, and a government whose members worked both sides of the cold-war fence, South Africa should prove fertile ground for many fine spy thrillers to come. Don't be surprised if quite a few of them are written by Meyer.' -- Booklist (starred review) on HEART OF THE HUNTER 20041122 'A fascinating portrayal...a black, assegai-wielding former freedom fighter who turns into a vigilante and goes on a killing spree; a high-class tart; and a policeman who drinks to drown the screaming that's waiting inside his head: "One day it will come out and I am scared that I am the one who will hear it." It does come out and he is the one who hears it, winding up the tension to a gripping, shocking climax. Highly recommended.' -- Jessica Mann, Literary Review, on DEVIL'S PEAK 20070601 'A sombre but terrifying thriller, and some parts will ignite even those readers with the iciest of hearts...Meyer plays the best of mind games with his readers' -- Mail & Guardian, South Africa, on DEVIL'S PEAK 20070810 'Tough in-your-face crime writing that spares nothing in language, visceral scenes of blood and mayhem (for Meyer is adroit at choreographing descriptions of slaughter), and never wavers from the compelling pace of the story. It also has a mean line in humour that comes through in the snappy dialogue.' -- Sunday Independent, South Africa, on DEVIL'S PEAK 20070810 an explosive mixture -- Peterborough Evening Telegraph 20100424 'the staccato story slips back and forth between the various strands at a breathless clip, doling out huggest of plot in just the right amounts to have us salivating to know more' -- Metro Scotland 20100513 [Benny Griessel is] 'a gem of a protagonist... This is my favourite novel of the year so far.' -- Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine 20100513
