Malla Nunn delivers a stunning and darkly romantic debut novel featuring the charismatic Detective Sergeant Emmanuel Cooper. It is 1952, and new apartheid laws have recently come into effect, dividing South Africa into black and white. Tensions simmer as the fault line between the oppressed and the oppressors cuts deeper, but it's not until an Afrikaner police officer is found dead that emotions more dangerous than anyone thought possible boil to the surface ...'A terrific debut! Page-turning, clever and multi-layered in its portrayal of the people and landscape of apartheid South Africa. I loved it.' Minette Walters 'Stellar ...Smooth prose and a deft plot make this novel a welcome addition to crime fiction set in South Africa.' Publishers Weekly, starred review 'Malla Nunn excels at the swift evocation of people and place ...Not a word is wasted ...Breath-catching ...Unforgettable and a talent to watch.' The Sydney Morning Herald, Critics' Choice Best Book of 2008

Author Biography

Malla Nunn is the author of the Emmanuel Cooper crime novels set in 1950s South Africa. A Beautiful Place to Die, Let the Dead Lie, Blessed are the Dead and Present Darkness have, between them, received two Edgar Award nominations, a RUSA Award for Best Mystery Novel and a Davitt Award for best crime novel by an Australian author. Blessed Are the Dead, a 2013 Publishers Weekly Top Ten Summer Crime Read, was shortlisted for an Anthony Award and a Ned Kelly Award. Malla lives with her family in Sydney.