Cobra - (Benny Griessel Mysteries) by Deon Meyer (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Deon Meyer is one of the unsung masters." --Michael Connelly

At the start of this masterful thriller, a famous English mathematician is kidnapped and his two bodyguards are killed at a guest house in the beautiful wine country outside Cape Town. It's clearly a professional hit, and the spent shell cases offer a chilling clue: Each is engraved with the head of a spitting cobra.

Meanwhile, in the city, a skilled thief is using his talents to put his sister through college. But he picks the wrong pocket, grabbing the wallet of a young American woman delivering something very valuable and dangerous to South Africa. The thief not only becomes the target of the Cobra, but unwittingly has in his possession information that could cause an international outcry. And it's up to Captain Benny Griessel and his elite investigation team to find the pickpocket and track down the Cobra as the novel hurtles toward a brilliant, heart-stopping finale. Cobra is a first-rate thriller from a writer at the top of his game.

Review Quotes

Shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association International Dagger
A Publishers Weekly Top 10 Mystery & Thriller for Fall

"Mr. Meyer, the leading thriller writer in his native country, traffics in crime-novel situations familiar the world over: drunken cops, charming robbers, dangerous murderers, sudden violence--and sometimes, issues of race. Mr. Meyer's South Africa, however, is unique. His books, translated from Afrikaans, are usually set in the Cape Town region, where mountains spectacularly meet the sea on the Horn of Africa. Amid these vistas his detective confronts his own--and his country's--tortured past and the legacy of Apartheid."--Wall Street Journal

"Meyer . . . vividly depicts the story of South Africa in his novels, from the hope and turmoil of the fall of apartheid to the corrupt and desperate aspects of present-day Cape Town. . . . Meyer's novels have an insistent forward motion, and the ones featuring Captain Griessel in particular have a pleasing relentlessness."--Los Angeles Review of Books

"An excellent South African thriller featuring one of the best ensemble casts of policemen currently pounding the crime beat."--Deadly Pleasures

"Meyer's assured fourth Bennie Griessel thriller takes the Cape Town homicide detective to South African wine country. . . . Suspense builds as the action shifts between Griessel's and [Cape Town pickpocket] Tyrone's increasingly life-threatening exploits."--Publishers Weekly

"Meyer combines intricate plotting, a compelling cast, and timely themes in this fourth novel featuring Captain Benny Griessel. . . . Meyer has added another provocative novel to his impressive oeuvre."--Booklist

"A chase-themed thriller set in the tense political climate of post-apartheid South Africa. . . . As always, Meyer writes with a strong sense of character and an eye on post-apartheid politics."--Kirkus Reviews

"Deon Meyer's series . . . grow[s] richer and more sophisticated with each new book. This progression makes Cobra the most dazzling of the bunch."--Toronto Star

"In this ninth thriller, Deon Meyer shows his mastery of the form once again. He tells a great story with suspense that doesn't let up. Highly recommended."--I Love a Mystery

About the Author

Deon Meyer is an internationally acclaimed, prize-winning author of crime novels, including Blood Safari, Thirteen Hours, and Trackers. His books have been sold in twenty-seven countries. He lives on the western coast of South Africa.