by Malla Nunn
First published 2009
Emmanuel Cooper arrives in Jacob's Rest to investigate a murder that will test every assumption about justice in 1950s South Africa. The victim is Willem Pretorius, the town's beloved white police commissioner, found dead in this small settlement near the Zimbabwe border. The Security Service quickly takes over the case, eager to blame black political activists for the killing. Cooper refuses to accept their convenient narrative. He continues his investigation alone, digging deeper into Pretorius's life. The dead man's reputation as an upstanding Boer begins to crumble as Cooper uncovers evidence of deception. Pretorius lived two separate lives, hiding secrets that could destroy everything the community believed about him. Cooper must navigate the dangerous racial tensions of apartheid South Africa while pursuing a truth that powerful forces want buried. Each revelation brings him closer to understanding why Pretorius had to die and who really wanted him dead.
Genres: historical-fiction, african-literature, mystery, crime
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, investigation, secrets
Setting: Jacob's Rest, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Period: 1950s
407 pages · Paperback · Cargo
Content warnings: racism