Icarus

More about the book

South Africa’s preeminent crime fiction writer, Deon Meyer, is internationally acclaimed for his razor’s-edge thrillers, unforgettable characters, and nuanced portrayals of contemporary life in his native country. The fifth pulse-pounder featuring Captain Benny Griessel, a lead detective in South Africa’s priority crimes unit, explores the nation’s growing tech and wine industries. A week before Christmas, a young photographer discovers a plastic-wrapped corpse among the sand dunes north of Cape Town. The only item found on the body is a dead iPhone, but police soon identify the victim as Ernst Richter—the tech genius behind MyAlibi, an online service that helps unfaithful partners create convincing cover stories. Meanwhile, Benny Griessel is called to a multiple homicide involving a former colleague, and four years of sobriety are shattered on the spot. Emerging from his drunken spiral, he resolves to resign from the force, but the formidable Major Mbali Kaleni, now his boss, insists he take the Richter case. The high-profile murder sparks media frenzy: was it a betrayed spouse, a furious client, or something darker? As the investigation unfolds, an unexpected link to a storied family winery surfaces, putting Griessel’s reputation and future on the line. Building to a stunning conclusion, Icarus proves once again why Deon Meyer is hailed as the “King of South African Crime.”