Dead Before Dying

I make a lot of purchases on the Marketplace and Momox is unbeaten for efficiency and rapidity. They can deliver up to one week before the estimated time. World of Books comes second. But if I can, I will give Momox my preference. May I say though, that this constant demand for evaluations is a bit of a bore. Surely the fact of being a returning customer is proof enough.

My heart went out to Mat Joubert with his emotional wounds and insecurities, just as if he was a real person, not just a character in a book. I wanted to comfort him. I was a little in love with him, as was the sexy criminologist in this book who called him a " big shy bear." I have to admire an author who can get me this caught up. Mat Joubert of the South African Police has been mourning two years for his dead wife, an undercover detective murdered "in the line of duty." To add to his distress, he has a new boss, a skinny little man who's obsessed with fitness. He decrees that the whole force must lose weight if they're fat, stop smoking and drinking, and get in shape. And the boss wants cases to be solved, no excuses. Mat's struggles to trim his stomach, deal with booze and cigarettes and exercise are heroic and pretty funny. Amazingly he keeps dieting and swimming laps all through the most perplexing case the police have seen in years. A serial killer is shooting men one by one with an antique gun. The motive is a mystery, the victims have nothing in common, and it takes the whole book for Joubert to find a useful clue. Another perpetrator is proving just as elusive: a bank robber who changes his appearance dramatically with each robbery. Meanwhile, Joubet's boss is making him see a psychologist for his mental health - the final indignity. Can this attractive, petite woman fix Joubert's head? Joubert has many hilarious and dramatic encounters with women in this book. The multi-layered plot is so gripping, I didn't want the book to end and at the same time, couldn't wait to finish it. This is definitely one of my favorite Deon Meyer books, and they're all terrific.

Deon Meyer is a true find. His books are so well plotted and his characters so well developed that it's easy to become addicted. The translation is so good that it's hard to believe it's a translation. My South African friends adore Deon Meyer -- even those who "don't like crime."

This story is about Captain Mat Joubert, of the South African police. He is trying to solve a series of murders, but he is still troubled by the death of his wife, from two years before. Joubert moves through life, heavy hearted, but he pushes forward in trying to solve the Mauser Murders. The deaths are linked by the use of an old Mauser pistol, but what is the connection? Mat Joubert tries to piece it together as he battles his own demons. Ok writing and a good story, but it is the emotional impact of the ending that stays with you.

J'ai lu ce livre ainsi que tous les autres de cet auteur, en français. Ce livre était un cadeau que j'ai fait et la personne a été très heureuse de le recevoir.