After a recommendation I decided to try out South Africa's best-selling crime writer Deon Meyer. 13 Hours has the reader clock-watching from the start, hurtling you forwards into the aftermath of a gory murder of a young American tourist. Meyer's main character Detective Inspector Benny Griessel is a recovering alcoholic, bouncing on the pulse of Cape Town and with everything to prove. Allocated as mentor to the younger, fresher generation of police cops, Griessel's every move is tinted with a bitter need to push himself and re-establish his dwindling career. He has just 13 hours to rescue the innocent companion of the murdered traveller and secure his future as a Captain.


Against the clock and with countless police graduates demanding his attention and an international scandal about to blow a hole through the South African tourist industry - this D.I can't afford to lose. Sounds like a perfect plot for a movie, right? Yup, it's already in the pipeline. And if you fail to imagine what Meyer's Cape Town looks like you can head over to www.deonmeyer.com where the author has provided snaps of his chosen locations, validating the landscape of his riveting story.


Read 13 Hours if you're ready to run. This race has already started.