A Beautiful Place To Die
by Malla Nunn
A magnificent start to a promising
detective series!
Publisher:
Simon & Schuster (January 2009)
First in the Detective Emmanuel Cooper series, A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO DIE, opens in
1952 South Africa as the National Party's apartheid laws go into
effect, expanding outwards into the farthest reaches of the country.
Called from Johannesburg to investigate a murder in Jacob's Rest, a
town near the border of South Africa and Mozambique, war veteran and
police detective Emmanuel Cooper discovers a body of Captain Pretorius,
a white policeman who rules the town in more ways than one. An
Afrikaner whose family spearheads the move to the new South Africa as a
land for God's chosen people, Captain Pretorius's family is the moral
pivot around which the white community and his own family turns.
Cooper's investigation proves difficult as the forces wanting to
unearth the murderer are checked by witnesses reluctant to come forward
on all sides of the racial divide for reasons of safety as well as to
preserve the reputation of the victim. When the Special Branch enters
the investigation, their determination to find black radical communists
to boost the success of the National Party's mission threatens to
sacrifice the truth for political purpose. Determined to uncover the
truth, Cooper sets off on his own to unravel the mystery of the murder
alongside a case of crimes against women that was long ignored since
the women were not white. Shabalala, a Zulu-Shangaan policeman who was
like a brother to Captain Pretorius gives Cooper and indeed the reader
a window thorough which to view the victim's complexity. As he
investigates, Cooper discovers the secret relationships and crimes
beneath the intricately layered rules of social and now legal rules, a
truth that threatens his physical safety and entire social construct
seemingly so stable in Jacob's Rest.
In A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO DIE,
Malla Nunn, the Swaziland born filmmaker and now debut author, creates
a murder mystery rich in detail that takes the reader to the heart of a
small South African town in this period. Every gesture or word between
characters carries with it the social construct of apartheid. Malla
explores the tense relations between the English and the Afrikaners as
well as the religious mythology behind apartheid, with subtlety tying
it into World War II through her characters and history. Against this
background, A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO DIE
creates complex characters whose divided loyalties belie surface
appearances. As characters uphold apartheid's legal and mythological
ideal of racial purity, the murder investigation unearths seething
passions, corruption and the dangerous lengths to which the characters
will go to preserve their outward sense of honor all the while
committing atrocious acts. Against this backdrop, Malla Nunn creates a
multi-layered portrait of the murder victim and indeed of Shabalala as
well, two men whose friendship crossed the racial divide. Cooper's
investigation takes the reader beyond the stereotypes created by
apartheid, revealing aspects of the murder victim's most private life
and the divided loyalties within his heart.
A BEAUTIFUL PLACE
TO DIE is not only a riveting mystery where clues and carefully
laid twists and turns make this book a fast page turner but also a rich
work of fiction to satisfy a deeper longing within the reader for depth
in setting, characterization and history. This reader hopes to catch a
deeper glance of some of the characters here, especially the Jewish
Zweigman and the policemen as the series develops. Malla Nunn draws the
reader into both the setting and the crime hunt as the shocking path to
the culprit leads to an unexpected revelation with dangerous
consequences. Unlike many detective crime movies set in Africa, A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO DIE provides a
more intimate look into the the subtle workings of the effects of
racial laws and makes this period of history come alive. Do not pick up
this book expecting a cozy mystery set in an exotic setting that passes
lightly over torture and other graphic details. If however, you crave a
mystery that goes beyond the mere solving of a crime, albeit with
exciting prepared but unexpected turns, into something grittier that
peers into the very social constructs and intimacy of the human heart,
for better and worse, A BEAUTIFUL
PLACE TO DIE is a stunning, memorable read. A magnificent start
to a promising series!
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