
Devil's Peak
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for £15.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Saul Reichlin
-
By:
-
Deon Meyer
About this listen
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.
©2007 Deon Meyer (P)2007 WF Howes LtdCritic reviews
What a tangled web ...
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
When I saw a mention of an alcoholic cop, I immediately assumed it was the same alcoholic cop you get in all these detective novels - the angry, sardonic cop who hides his chauvinism and general lack of personality behind "humour" (sometimes puns or innuendos and others just sharp, mean comments followed by laughing).
Anyway this is not that guy! This is a fleshed out character trying really hard to keep his family, but really struggling.
The same goes for the novel in general. It set in a particular time and place, with relevant political backdrop. There is depth to the story as well as its characters.
And it's not all just set up for winning. Like they consider different ideas and go down different paths, in a logical, methodical way, just as they would in real life. And not in a Dora the Explorer way other novels and shows carry on either, ie Is it this one? No! Is it this one? No! Is it THIS one? Si!
The downsides of this Audible book mostly relate to the production. I was often confused as to who we were following and what was going on as changing chapters seemed to be done almost in the same breath as the previous sentence from last chapter. Without seeing the physical novel I can't really tell if it written in this same confusing manner. Probably to some degree. I did also think the pacing of both novel and production were a little off in their own ways.
In general though it is worth listening to. Although, probably reading the physical book would be a better experience overall.
Devil's Peak
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Saul strikes again...
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
very good
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Brilliant
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Top writer at the top of his game
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
loved it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It does have some of the usual detective novel cliches in it (cop with a broken marriage, anyone?) but they are at least done in a refreshing way (this cop's marriage is breaking, not broken, for instance). It also shows the story from the perspective of three radically different central characters who are all easy to sympathise with and cast their subsequent actions in a light that is at least understandable if not justifiable.
The plot skips along a fair pace with none of the periods I sometimes experienced of wishing everyone would just get on with it. The jumping from character to character might be a little confusing, but this where the Audible version scores over the dead tree edition; Reichlin's characterisation of each of the participants is amazingly consistent and means that you can almost immediately know who is speaking and from what perspective this part of the tale comes from.
Last, but by no means least, is the fantastically vivid portrait that Meyer paints of South Africa, both its people and the landscape. It has that wonderful sense of place that authors like Henning Mankel create. But gone is the drearyness of the Scandinavian winter that characterises many of the Wallander books, to be replaced with the vivid colours and textures of southern Africa.
Overall a great book that is well worth the 14 hours of your life it demands.
Top class crime novel
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Atypical therefore unpredictable plot
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Devil's Peak a really good listen!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.