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Title details for A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn - Available

A Beautiful Place to Die

#1 in series

by Malla Nunn
Saul Reichlin
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
Acclaimed Australian filmmaker Malla Nunn makes her debut as an author with A Beautiful Place to Die. Unfolding in 1952 South Africa, this riveting crime novel has been compared to the work of Graham Greene and Raymond Chandler.
Police detective Emmanuel Cooper is dispatched from Johannesburg to Jacob's Rest, a remote town deep in the bush, to look into a murder report he suspects is a hoax. Arriving at Old Voster's farm, he finds white police captain Pretorius dead, face down in a creek. Three of the Afrikaner's sons are present at the scene and they demand to know why only one investigator has come when there ought to be a whole division. Facing resistance, Cooper nevertheless begins his investigation. But trouble comes when another of the deceased's sons—a member of the feared Special Branch—arrives.
This exceptional novel received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which says "Nunn's stellar debut explores a divided society through the frame of a classic murder mystery." Accomplished narrator Saul Reichlin vividly intones the characters, making for an audio production no mystery lover will want to miss.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Detective Emmanuel Cooper

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 26, 2009

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781456109066
      • File size: 365239 KB
      • Duration: 12:40:54

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from October 27, 2008
      Set in South Africa in 1952, Australian filmmaker Nunn’s stellar debut explores a divided society through the frame of a classic murder mystery. When Det. Sgt. Emmanuel Cooper, Nunn’s tortured sleuth, investigates white suspects in the fatal shooting of Afrikaner police captain Willem Pretorius, he immediately encounters resistance from the victim’s family. Before long, brutal investigators from the Security Branch offer a politically expedient solution. Cooper must fend off their threats as he pursues a link between the murder and an open Peeping Tom case that Pretorius had been probing. The detective finds no shortage of people who might have had a motive for killing the captain. Fans of Charles Todd’s Inspector Rutledge series (A Matter of Justice
      , etc.) will note some parallels, in particular Cooper’s being haunted by the spirit of his old sergeant-major. Smooth prose and a deft plot make this novel a welcome addition to crime fiction set in South Africa.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Saul Reichlin's vocal definition helps the listener keep track of the multiethnic characters in this story of murder, molestation, and hypocrisy in 1952 South Africa. White detective Emmanuel Cooper investigates the killing of an Afrikaner police chief whose sons don't want any interference. Add "coloreds" of all hues, the brutal Special Branch police, a mysterious Jewish doctor-in-hiding, and an abundance of villagers--and you have a potentially explosive situation. Cooper himself has personal conflicts that are well brought out. Reichlin uses elegant diction most of the time, lets off steam occasionally, and gives the climactic scene plenty of juice. Filmmaker Nunn must be pleased with this dramatic performance of her first novel. J.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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