Publication
Amsterdam : CPNB Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek; 1 online resource (ePub2, 96 pagina's, 1127608 bytes); http://opc4.kb.nl/DB=1/PPN?PPN=410607630
ISBN
9789059654198
Language
Collections
Series
Description
Early on a May morning in the depth of South Africa's winter, a woman's naked body, washed in bleach, is discovered on a stone wall beside the N2 highway at the top of Sir Lowry's Pass, some thirty-five miles from Cape Town. The local investigation stalls, so the case is referred to Captain Benny Griessel and his colorful partner Vaughn Cupido of the Hawks--the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations. The woman proves to be Alicia Lewis, an expert in old Dutch Masters paintings specializing in the recovery of valuable lost art. Discovering the two men she had contacted before coming to South Africa reveals what she was seeking--a rare painting by Carel Fabritius, Rembrandt's finest student, not seen since it disappeared from Delft in 1654. But how Lewis died, why, and at whose hand shocks even the two veteran detectives. The Woman in the Blue Cloak is a compact jewel of a thriller, filled with Deon Meyer's earthy dialogue, clever plotting, and the memorable characters that have peopled all of Deon Meyer's award-winning novels.… (more)
Genres
User reviews
LibraryThing member jetangen4571
law-enforcement, murder-investigation, procedural, detective, South Africa
***** Fascinating story! A woman's body is found in strange circumstances and turns out to be an American working in England as an expert in a particular style of paintings. The special detectives are assigned the case which
It appears that this is one in a series led by Detective Benny Griessel and his partner Detective Vaughn Cupido of the Priority Crime Investigations. I know that I will be looking for more of these!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press via Netgalley. Thank you!
***** Fascinating story! A woman's body is found in strange circumstances and turns out to be an American working in England as an expert in a particular style of paintings. The special detectives are assigned the case which
Show More
takes many twists, blind alleys, and red herrings. Excellent! It appears that this is one in a series led by Detective Benny Griessel and his partner Detective Vaughn Cupido of the Priority Crime Investigations. I know that I will be looking for more of these!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press via Netgalley. Thank you!
Show Less
LibraryThing member BrianEWilliams
Thanks to Grove Atlantic Books and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy of this eBook. The comments about it are my own.
This is a clever and colourful police procedural murder mystery novella set in the South African city of Cape Town. It introduced me to Benny Griessel, a captain in an
The murder mystery involves a woman's naked body found without any identification in a rural area on the city's outskirts. The police investigation is hampered by the body having been rinsed in bleach. The press dubs the case the Bleached Body Homicide. Bernie and Cupido follow a trail which eventually leads them to a mysterious art expert, a retired history professor, a reclusive farming family and an unsavoury ex-cop turned private detective. In due course, there's a satisfying conclusion to the mystery.
Benny is as interesting as the murder mystery. He's a recovering alcoholic getting a fresh start, which includes losing weight, taking up cycling and entering a second marriage with another recovering alcoholic. He needs to find money to buy an engagement ring for his fiance and there's an amusing sidebar about him applying for a bank loan.
This story can easily be read as a standalone novel, even though there are several books in the Bernie Griessel series. It has been translated into English from Afrikaans without any loss of readability.
Recommended
This is a clever and colourful police procedural murder mystery novella set in the South African city of Cape Town. It introduced me to Benny Griessel, a captain in an
Show More
elite branch of the South African police known as The Hawks. He and his quirky partner Vaughn Cupido make an unlikely pair of detectives, which helps make the story interesting to read.The murder mystery involves a woman's naked body found without any identification in a rural area on the city's outskirts. The police investigation is hampered by the body having been rinsed in bleach. The press dubs the case the Bleached Body Homicide. Bernie and Cupido follow a trail which eventually leads them to a mysterious art expert, a retired history professor, a reclusive farming family and an unsavoury ex-cop turned private detective. In due course, there's a satisfying conclusion to the mystery.
Benny is as interesting as the murder mystery. He's a recovering alcoholic getting a fresh start, which includes losing weight, taking up cycling and entering a second marriage with another recovering alcoholic. He needs to find money to buy an engagement ring for his fiance and there's an amusing sidebar about him applying for a bank loan.
This story can easily be read as a standalone novel, even though there are several books in the Bernie Griessel series. It has been translated into English from Afrikaans without any loss of readability.
Recommended
Show Less
LibraryThing member cathyskye
This novella is a little gem that's slow to take off but once the woman's identity is established, it's hard to stop turning the pages. It was just as good to see Benny on the wagon and not craving alcohol as it was to see him working together with Cupido. There's a nice little twist for the
Show More
whodunit, although it may not be totally unexpected for the more seasoned readers of crime. Show Less
LibraryThing member niaomiya
This mystery was only so-so. It was a short book and a quick read; sometimes it's tougher for the author to craft a good story in fewer words. In this case, the mystery just wasn't very engaging, nor was the investigation, and the characters were not well developed. The resolution was a fairly
Show More
satisfying surprise, but there was no tension leading up to it. Part of the problem is that the translation from Afrikaans was not very well done. There were moments of awkward vocabulary use that interrupted the flow because I had to stop and re-read, trying to figure out what the translator was trying to say. The English translation seemed to be a mix of British English, South African English, and American English, which made for awkward reading. I have a feeling that this story would read much better in its original Afrikaans. Show Less
LibraryThing member Todd_D._Zittlow
#GoodreadsGiveaway
This short novel seems to have been written with the intent of introducing new readers to the Benny Griessel series of novels by South African Deon Meyer. As such it serves the purpose well. We get a feel for the characters and setting both of which would be high on my list of
This short novel seems to have been written with the intent of introducing new readers to the Benny Griessel series of novels by South African Deon Meyer. As such it serves the purpose well. We get a feel for the characters and setting both of which would be high on my list of
Show More
enticements to read the series. This particular plot line however is quite brief. I read another reviewer who indicated that the book felt like half of a novel. I concur with this assessment. I would have enjoyed a few thousand more words added to the plot arc. On balance, though, the book is a quick read (it took me two days) with interesting characters and a fascinating setting. Pick it up and give a South African Crime novel a shot. Show Less