Leo (crime fiction in a local shop)

There are times I am just happy to see that my favourite writers' novels are available locally, and in the most unexpected places. It happened a few months ago: I went to a local gifts shop and lo and behold, I saw Deon Meyer's Leo, in paperback format. I was very surprised: it usually only sells children classics, travel guides and the odd whodunit. But this proper gritty crime fiction. I should not have been surprised: it's the same gift shop where I found another dark thriller. Still, if I hadn't have bought it already, I might have had done it then. And I can always buy it as a present to a friend or family to encourage a local business.

The arsenal in crime fiction

 Okay, so I don't ave a gun fetish, or a weapon fetish, but there is one little thing I like in crime fiction: it's how some weapons reveal something about characters, whether they are good guys or badguys. I love signature weapons in crime fiction. South African crime writer to Deon Meyer is keen on this trope, as I blogged here. He does it again with Leo, when police officers Vaughn Cupido and Benny Griessel do the inventory of the arsenal of a murder victim, a mercenary with a shady past. I love Cupido's connoisseur appreciation: "Number two, the cute but deadly little Heckler & Koch 416. (...) This time the elegant but deadly G36, in mint condition.(...)the very sexy bad girl of assault rifles, the AR-15. (...) Glock 17. Impeccable taste." It's a least a page of exposition, but Meyer reveals a lot about the victim and Cupido and makes it engaging. I found it really neat storytelling. So yeah, read the book.

Rooikat (word of the day)

The things you learn when you read crime fiction, particularly crime fiction from a different continent. So as you may know, I am currently reading South African  Deon Meyer's last novel, Leo. So I learned the existence of a wild cat called caracal or, in Afrikaans, rooikat. Which sounds darn cool. It's also the name they give to a South African tank. Now I love all cats, including wild cats, and I just love the name rooikat. I don't remember hearing about them before reading the novel, maybe I did, but did not notice, but anyway, I feel more cultured now. And rooikat (or caracal) is the word of the day.

Leo (#Noirvember)

I have been wanting it for at least a year, now I got it: South African crime writer Deon Meyer's latest novel,  Leo. Its English translation was released in October, I got it then, just on time for #Noirvember. I have been reading it at a fairly slow pace, not because I am a lazy reader, but because I really want to savour it. So far, so great. I should come back to it soon, because there is a lot of little things in it I want to blog about, aspects of African and South African life and so on. But for now, suffice to say that this is my book for November and Noirvember.

Crime Fiction News for #Noirvember

If you have been reading this blog, you may know that South African crime writer Deon Meyer was writing a new novel. Well, it has been published late last month. In Afrikaans. I learned that it will be released in its English translation in October next year. Right in time for #Noirvember 2024. I can't wait.

Crime fiction from South Africa (and elsewhere)

 You may know that my wife's father is South African. He is not a fan of Deon Meyer like me, although he does enjoy reading his work, but he loves crime fiction and he is always happy to make me discover more abouthis country. So when I told him that I had read all of Meyer's books, that I could not wait until his next novel is published and translated and thus I wanted to discover more crime writers from his country, my in-law happily obliged and sent me this article about 12 South African crime writers. So now I have a pool where I can look into to quench thirst for violence in an exotic setting. In the meantime, I discovered the website Crime Fiction Lovers, which I will revisit to find crime fic from all over the world.

New Crime Coming from South Africa

I learned yesterday that there is a new crime novel by South African crime writer Deon Meyer that will be released this year. I say this year, but it will only be available in translation in 2024. Darnit. I know little about it, except whatever info we have form this promotional picture: its Afrikaans title is Leo, it will involve sober alcoholic police captain Benny Griessel, his partner Vaugh Cupido, both form the Hawks (cool name), and probably a plane. Oh and there will be trouble, but that was to be expected.