Thirteen Hours - by Deon Meyer (Paperback)

About the Book

After a teenage American tourist has her throat slit in Cape Town, detective Benny Griessel must find her friend, Rachel Anderson, before she meets the same fate; and when he's also put on the case of a murdered music executive, he realizes he must solve both crimes for Rachel to survive.

Book Synopsis

Internationally acclaimed, prize-winning thriller writer Deon Meyer has been heralded as the King of South African Crime. In Thirteen Hours, morning dawns in Cape Town, and for homicide detective Benny Griessel it promises to be a very trying day. A teenage girl's body has been found on the street, her throat cut. She was an American--a PR nightmare in the #1 tourist destination in South Africa. And she wasn't alone. Somewhere in Cape Town her friend, Rachel Anderson, an innocent American, is hopefully still alive. On the run from the first page of Thirteen Hours, Rachel is terrified, unsure where to turn in the unknown city. Detective Griessel races against the clock, trying to bring her home safe and solve the murder of her friend in a single day. Meanwhile, he gets pulled into a second case, the murder of a South African music executive. Griessel's been sober for nearly six months--156 days. But day 157 is going to be tough. A #1 best seller in South Africa and a finalist for the CWA International Dagger, Thirteen Hours is an atmospheric, intensely gripping novel from a master storyteller.

Review Quotes

"Deon Meyer is one of the unsung masters. "Thirteen Hours" proves he should be on everyone's reading list. This book is great!" --Michael Connelly
""Thirteen Hours" has breathtaking suspense, psychological understanding, and one of the most inspiring detectives ever. Deon Meyer deserves his international reputation."--Thomas Perry
"A smashing story. Imposing a strict time limit and a tight location on his plot, [Meyer] ramps up the suspense to an unbearable degree. Best of all, his sharply drawn characters really feel part of the new South Africa, where loyalties and beliefs must always be questioned."--"Financial Times"
"A vividly drawn locale where political considerations affect everything, cliff-hanging suspense, and shocking plot twists, Meyer again has produced a winner. Highly recommended." --Roland Person, Library Journal (starred review)
"Try picking up "Thirteen Hours" and setting it down. Try. You can't do it. I'm a pro, and I couldn't do it.'" --Don Winslow, author of "The Power of the Dog" and "Savages"
"There have been other South African crime novelists, but none are as deft at place as Deon Meyer. "Thirteen Hours" is Cape Town today, with all its exquisite beauty, tribal conflicts, loyalties and corruptions. ... Meyer weaves all this into a tightly plotted story - with a twist that works beautifully - and unforgettable characters.--Margaret Cannon, "Globe and Mail"
"A gem of a protagonist ... [a] wonderfully realized book. ... Deon Meyer continues to be one of the most underappreciated writers in the genre, especially in the U.S., but if he keeps turning out books like "Thirteen Hours," I can't see that situation continuing for long. This is my favorite novel of the year so far." --George Easter, "Deadly Pleasures"
""Thirteen hours" in the life of South African police Detective Inspector Benny Griessel make Jack Bauer's exploits look like child's play. ["Thirteen Hours"] progresses at breakneck spe