Written by Deon Meyer
Winner of the Barry Award for Best Thriller [2011]
Winner of the 2009 ATKV Prize for Suspense Fiction (South Africa)
Finalist for the 2010 CWA International Dagger
Shortlisted for the 2011 Boeke Prize
Shortlisted for the 2011 Sunday Times Fiction Award
Finalist for the 2011 Macavity Award––Best Mystery Novel
Finalist for the 2011 Barry Awards––Best Thriller
FINALIST 2012 – Dutch Crimezone Thriller Awards
An unputdownable thriller from South Africa's #1-bestselling crime writer.
Some would call Detective Benny Griessel a legend. Others would call him a drunk.
Either way, he has trodden on too many toes over the years ever to reach the top of the promotion ladder, and now he concentrates on staying sober and mentoring the new generation of crime fighters — mixed race, Xhosa and Zulu. But when an American backpacker disappears in Cape Town, panicked politicians know who to call: Benny has just thirteen hours to save the girl, save his career, and crack open a conspiracy, which threatens the whole country.
A potent, suspenseful thriller, and a brilliant portrait of life in the country that will host the 2010 World Cup.
WINNER 2011 - Barry Award for Best Thriller
“Try picking up Thirteen Hours and setting it down. Try. You can’t do it. I’m a pro, and I couldn’t do it.”
—Don Winslow, author of The Power of the Dog and Satori
“Bestselling South African novelist Meyer delivers another exciting if brutally violent crime novel.”
—Joanne Wilkinson, Atlantic Monthly (starred review)
“Outstanding . . . edge-of-the-seat suspense.”
—The Sunday Times
“Deon Meyer is one of the unsung masters. Thirteen Hours proves he should be on everyone’s reading list. This book is great!”
—Michael Connelly
“Thirteen Hours is Cape Town today, with all its exquisite beauty, tribal conflicts, loyalties and corruptions.”
—The Globe and Mail
“Meyer is brilliant at suspense, a skill that is coupled with beguilingly unabashed social commentary.”
—The Sunday Times
"Deon Meyer is...one of the sharpest and most perceptive thriller writers around."
—The Times
"If you want a glimpse of the soul of the new South Africa in all its glory, and with all the gory details of its problems and corruption, Meyer is your man."
—The Guardian
"A heart-pumping yarn in an exotic locale."
—Winnipeg Free Press
"There have been other South African crime novelists, but none are as deft at place as Deon Meyer. . . . Meyer weaves all this into a tightly plotted story--with a twist that works beautifully--and unforgettable characters."
—Margaret Cannon, The Globe and Mail
DEON MEYER lives near Cape Town in South Africa with his wife and four children. Other than his family, Deon's big passions are motorcycling, music, reading, cooking and rugby. In January 2008 he retired from his day job as a consultant on brand strategy for BMW Motorrad, and is now a full-time author. Deon Meyer's books have attracted worldwide critical acclaim and a growing international fanbase. Originally written in Afrikaans, they have now been translated into several languages including English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Russian, Finnish, Czech, Romanian, Slovakian, Bulgarian, Japanese and Polish.
From the Hardcover edition.
Upgrade to the Flash 9 viewer for enhanced content, including the ability to browse & search through your favorite titles.
Click here to learn more!