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Overview
The newest headspinning thriller from breakout South African crime writer Deon Meyer: the story of an ex-cop who has seven days to solve a seemingly unsolvable crime—the answer to which lies in his own dark past.When Smit, an antiques dealer, is burned with a blowtorch then killed execution-style with a single shot to the back of the head, former cop Zatopek “Zed” van Heerden is called in to investigate the unusual circumstances of the murder. Zed is still obsessed with the betrayals of his own past but must fill in the blanks of the victim's life. Who tortured and killed Smit, and who was he in the first place? Not the man whose papers he carries, that much is certain. Zed can never be sure of the loyalties of the people with whom he is dealing—his own past reputation ensures that—and he soon finds himself uncovering secrets that the security services of many countries would like left alone.Author Biography: Deon Meyer is an internationally renowned South African crime writer who also works as a journalist and Internet consultant. He is the author of Heart of the Hunter and Dead Before Dying, which is forthcoming from Little, Brown and Company. He lives in Cape Town.
Synopsis
- This is a taut, provocative mystery and a telling psychological portrait of a man and a nation haunted by the past.- This book provides another tightly woven, brilliantly written thriller with an African backdrop—appealing to readers of "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.- Deon Meyer has already been published to great success and acclaim in the UK, France, Italy, Germany and many other countries beyond his native South Africa. His previous book, "Heart of the Hunter (7/04), was his first US release and this new book will build on the exciting feedback generated by "Heart's publication.- The movie rights to "Heart of the Hunter have been sold to Jungle Media. Tiny, the central character in that book, has a recurring role in this book as well.- The mass market of "Heart of the Hunter will be published in 7/05 and will include a teaser chapter of DEAD AT DAYBREAK.
The Washington Post - Kevin Allman
What makes Lethal Legacy one of Linda Fairstein's stronger offerings is the intriguing setting: the catacombs beneath the New York Public Library. It also helps that the author downplays the unrealistic girlie-girl aspects of Cooper's life…in favor of a heightened focus on the mystery and its mix of high society, rare maps, library crimes and literary restoration. Fairstein presents the latter, interestingly and in great detail, as just another form of forensic science.
Editorials
Kevin Allman
What makes Lethal Legacy one of Linda Fairstein's stronger offerings is the intriguing setting: the catacombs beneath the New York Public Library. It also helps that the author downplays the unrealistic girlie-girl aspects of Cooper's life…in favor of a heightened focus on the mystery and its mix of high society, rare maps, library crimes and literary restoration. Fairstein presents the latter, interestingly and in great detail, as just another form of forensic science.—The Washington Post
Publishers Weekly
At the start of bestseller Fairstein's entertaining 11th legal thriller to feature ADA Alexandra Cooper of Manhattan's Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit (after Killer Heat), Alex persuades librarian Tina Barr to go to the hospital after a burglar posing as a fireman assaults Tina at her East Side home. After Tina disappears, a woman's corpse turns up in Tina's abandoned apartment that looks like Tina's landlady, heiress Minerva Hunt, but in fact is Minerva's Romanian housekeeper. Alex and her sidekick, NYPD detective Mike Chapman, later learn that Tina was once employed by Minerva's father, Jasper Hunt, a rare book and map collector. The investigation leads Alex and her team into the dark depths of the New York Public Library in search of stolen items that certain bibliophiles and antique map enthusiasts would kill for. Full of fun information about the NYPL, the plot builds to a cool resolution that sets up Alex's next adventure involving a disturbing cold case. Author tour. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Publishers Weekly
South African crime writer Meyer's expertly crafted second thriller (after 2004's Heart of the Hunter) confirms his place as one of the genre's finest new stylists. Afrikaner Zatopek "Zet" van Heerden, a former cop, is slipping fast into drunken dissolution when a colleague pulls him up and gives him an opportunity. An attorney, Hope Beneke, needs a private investigator fast to find a missing will. An antiques dealer, Johannes Jacobus Smit, was recently found burnt with a blowtorch and shot execution-style, the contents of his walk-in safe, including his will, gone. Beneke and van Heerden have only seven days to find the document before Smit's considerable assets revert to the state, leaving his common-law wife destitute. It doesn't take long for van Heerden to discover that "Smit" wasn't the person whose papers he carried, and that someone very important, quite possibly the state itself, wants to hide his true identity. Meyer keeps the suspense moving throughout the third-person narrative, alternating back and forth with van Heerden's own first-person account of his past. This is a remarkable achievement from a singular new talent. Agent, Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann. (Aug.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.Library Journal
South African crime writer Meyer (Heart of the Hunter) seamlessly merges two engrossing story lines in his second novel, at once a character study and a violent crime story set in Cape Town. In the first-person backstory, Zatopek "Zed" van Heerden traces his maturation from a boy in search of his soul mate to a hardened 38-year-old ex-cop who acts out at the slightest provocation. At first, Zed seems destined for a career as a criminal psychologist, cloistered in the world of academe. But when he tracks down the serial killer responsible years earlier for the brutal murder of his neighbor, he finds his true calling and joins the police force. He leaves after the death of his partner during a raid, but there's a much deeper reason for his guilt and despair. In the third-person crime story, Zed has been hired to find the will of Jan Smit, a murdered antiques dealer. As he begins to make headway in the case, sinister forces hinder his quest for the truth. A breathtaking pace, heart-pounding action set against a psychological backdrop, and a fascinating protagonist make this book a winner. Highly recommended for most public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/05.]-Ronnie H. Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tuscon Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.Library Journal
Could the pursuit of a rare book or map be motivation to lie, steal, or commit murder? Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper and colleagues Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace are drawn to the scene of a home invasion and possible assault of a young library conservator named Tina Barr. Barr is refusing to leave the confines of her Manhattan apartment, and fear prevents her from divulging details to help snare her assailant. The disappearance of Barr and two subsequent murders propel Cooper and cohorts into a world of socialites, rare map and book collectors, librarians, and thieves. Their investigation leads them to the New York Public Library, where they discover the magnificence and secrets that lie within this historic landmark. As they travel through hidden passages, marvel at rare antiquities, and uncover decades-old secrets, their adventures are reminiscent of the quests of Indiana Jones or National Treasure. Bibliophiles and Fairstein fans are in for a treat with this compelling 11th Alex Cooper novel (after Killer Heat). Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ7/08.]
—Mary Todd Chesnut
Kirkus Reviews
More darkness out of post-apartheid South Africa, but after a sizzling debut, Meyer's second disappoints. It's that pesky protagonist problem. With Thobela Mpayipheli, black, ex-freedom fighter, Meyer got it right in Heart of the Hunter (2004). With Zat van Heerden, white ex-cop, he doesn't. Thobela is all about action, purpose, narrative drive. Zat, on the other hand, throbs with angst and wallows in introspection, both of which will hamper pace and hamstring thrillers every time. Zat is in a bad way when first we meet him as a self-hating borderline alcoholic. He does, however, have at least one long-suffering friend. Kemp guides Zat to Hope Beneke, an attractive young lawyer who needs an experienced investigator, a description that would have fit Zat tidily before he messed himself up. (How and why is exhaustively rendered in flashbacks that also hamper pace.) Hope's client is the surviving significant other of a brutally murdered millionaire. In the process, Jan Smit's safe was robbed of everything in it, including the will that left the bulk of his estate to the deserving Wilna van As. Without it, lock, stock and barrel goes to the government. Zat's charge-find and retrieve the will before the final sitting of the Master's Supreme Court in exactly one week. Zat knows, of course, that the task isn't going to be easy. What he can't know is how wild the complications will become when, as it soon turns out, Jan Smit isn't-and never was-Jan Smit. Well, then, who was he? That's the kind of secret hard men on both sides of the law will do just about anything to keep hidden. But Zat buckles down, chasing the missing will and his own redemption simultaneously. A step back then, but enoughflashes of real talent to hope for better from his next.New York Times Book Review
“Layers and layers of criminal history and political intrigue are exposed in Dead at Daybreak.”—New York Times Book Review
Booklist
“Meyer manages to ratchet up the tension so effectively that [listeners] will have a hard time deciding which mystery they wish to pierce first. . . . A narrative gem.”—Booklist [HC starred review]