Blood Safari [Import] [Hardcover]

Deon Meyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 2009

When the rich and famous visit South Africa, their first port of call is often Body Armor, the personal security company offering two types of protection: the big and intimidating muscle men called Gorillas or the lean and hungry former government body guards, referred to as Invisibles.

Lemmer is a freelance Invisible. The tiny and beautiful Emma le Roux, a brand consultant from Cape Town, wants to hire him. He needs the money, so he listens to her story. Lemmer’s First General Law is: Don’t get involved. But he has never failed as a body guard and he’s also grown a little too fond of Emma. He uncovers simmering racial and political tensions, greed, corruption, and a network of eco-terrorists. He follows the leads until he finds what he’s after: The people who attacked Emma. Getting to them will be extremely dangerous, and exposing them could have international political implications. If he fails, both he and Emma will end up dead. But Lemmer is sick and tired of being invisible. He goes after them, against all odds.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Set mainly in the game preserves of South Africa, Meyer's stellar stand-alone thriller delivers muscular prose with a hero to match. When three masked men break into the Cape Town home of Emma le Roux on Christmas Eve, Emma manages to escape over the wall into her neighbor's yard. Emma fears the attack may be connected to recent evidence that her brother, Jacobus, who she thought died 20 years before while serving as a temporary game ranger, is actually alive. She hires professional bodyguard Martin Lemmer to protect her while she investigates. Lemmer is a true original, tough, with a checkered past, a restless inquiring mind and the skills to thwart the masked thugs who are determined to kill his client. After Emma is severely injured, Lemmer goes on the offensive, bent on revenge and determined to solve the ever-widening mystery that threatens to kill them both. Once again, Meyer (Devil's Peak) shows he's a writer not to be missed. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Praise for Deon Meyer:
“Meyer’s extraordinary talents as a writer come from two points: he is masterful on plot … and he draws each character, whether pivotal or almost incidental, with the true craft of a powerful novelist. . . . Blood Safari will take you to unexpected places, make you ponder interesting questions and stand in awe at the cruelty that human beings inflict upon each other. . . . A read that should not be missed under any circumstances.” –Cape Times (South Africa)

“Un-put-downable.” –Cape Argus (South Africa)

“This translation of the novel Onsigbaar is tense, intelligent and convincing. The main character, Lemmer, is a charismatic freelance bodyguard and his chequered past puts a thrilling spin on the fast-paced drama. . . . [Meyer] knows how to tell a gripping story and his thorough research and lelievable characters make for a local crime thriller with a difference.” –YOU (South Africa)

“Deon’s books have been translated into English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Russian, Finnish, Czech, Romanian, Slovakian and Bulgarian. Whew!” –Cape Times (South Africa)

“Our best thriller writer. . . . We can all relate to Meyer’s characters. Outstanding.” –The Star (South Africa)

“Meyer’s secondary actors can be gems of charaterisation, sometimes stimulating the reader to give a delighted snort of recognition. . . . Meyer intrigues while he thrills. Him confident, sure touch just gets better. Highly recommended: If this is your first Meyer, you’ll find yourself rushing out to buy the earlier ones.” The Star (South Africa)

“Meyer is simply excellent. . . . Lemmer is too good a character to be a one-novel phenomenon.” –The Weekender (South Africa)

“A competently executed thriller. . . . Meyer cleverly brings in a major unsolved South African mystery and the problems of poaching and there are plenty of twists in the plotting to keep the reader hooked. . . . It all adds up to a pacy, well-plotted thriller.” –The Witness (South Africa)

“One of the sharpest and most perceptive thriller writers around.” — The Times (London)

“Tough in-your-face crime writing that spares nothing in language, visceral sense of blood and mayhem . . . and never waivers from the compelling pace of the story. It also has a mean line in humour that comes through in the snappy dialogue.” — The Sunday Independent

“Out of post-apartheid South Africa comes a thriller good enough to nip at the heels of le Carré . . . Wonderful setting; rich and colourful cast.” — Starred Review, Kirkus

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Random House Canada (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307356620
• ISBN-13: 978-0307356628
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,979,601 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Deon Meyer was born in the South African town of Paarl in the winelands of the Western Cape in 1958, and grew up in Klerksdorp, in the gold mining region of Northwest Province.

After military duty and studying at the Potchefstroom University, he joined Die Volksblad, a daily newspaper in Bloemfontein as a reporter. Since then, he has worked as press liaison, advertising copywriter, creative director, web manager, Internet strategist, and brand consultant.

Deon wrote his first book when he was 14 years old, and bribed and blackmailed his two brothers into reading it. They were not impressed (hey, everybody is a critic ...)


Heeding their wisdom, he did not write fiction again until he was in his early thirties, when he started publishing short stories in South African magazines.

"I still believe that is the best way to learn the craft of writing. Short stories teach you a lot about story structure - and you have limited space to develop character and plot," says Deon.

In 1994 he published his first Afrikaans novel, which has not been translated, "simply because it was not good enough to compete on the international market. However, it was a wonderful learning experience".

All later novels have been translated into 25 languages, including English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Russian, Finnish, Czech, Romanian, Slovakian and Bulgarian.

Deon lives in Melkbosstrand on the South African West Coast with his wife, Anita, and they have four children to keep them busy: Lida, Liam, Johan and Konstanz.

Other than his family, his big passions are motorcycling, music (he is a Mozart fanatic, but loves rock 'n roll too), reading, cooking and rugby (he unconditionally supports the national Springbok team and the Free State Cheetahs provincial team).

The Hodder interview

How did you come to write your first novel?
I sort of worked my way up to a novel by writing short stories for magazines first, to learn the basics of writing fiction. It took about 15 short stories before I attempted the longer form - and it was a steep learning curve.

How do you do your research?
I do as much hands-on research as possible, like spending a week or so with the police detectives in Cape Town, or riding the motorcycle routes (for Heart of the Hunter). Interviews with clever people, like police forensics experts, forensic psychologists and even a sex workers (for Devil's Peak) is next on the list, after which I read as much as possible about the subjects I'm writing about.

Do you still consult on brand strategy?
No, I started writing full time in January 2008, and had to resign from the wonderful privilege of working for BMW Motorcycles as a brand strategist and special projects manager.

Are you married/single?
I am happily married to Anita, without whom not much would have been possible.

What are your thoughts about the state of S.A. today?
I'm not sure that a short answer will do justice to such an intriguing and complicated country, but let me try: I am extremely positive about South Africa. Despite huge challenges, such as poverty, aids, and crime, we've come a long way since 1994.

The economy is growing at a rapid rate, Black Economic Empowerment is paying big dividends through the creation of an emerging black middle class, the new government, although sometimes struggling at local level, is learning and improving every day, and crime rates are going down.

Having said that, we still have a long way to go.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A South African Jack Reacher, October 14, 2009

By 

Zachary Hackett (Reno, Nevada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood Safari (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Lemmer (no first name given) is a loner who is employed by a South African Company called Body Armour, which is a security company headed up by an ex-regimental sergeant major named Jeanette Louw. Lemmer is a bodyguard. He's tough as nails, has served time in prison for manslaughter (unjustly as far as he's concerned). He's a recovering alcoholic. He lives by two simple rules, which are, 1. Don't get involved and 2. Trust nobody.

Emma la Roux is a brand consultant from Cape Town and she needs protection. She thought she saw her long lost brother on television. But before she can investigate three masked men break into her beach house. She was lucky enough to get away with her life.

Now she wants two things, to find her brother and to stay alive. So she calls Body Armour and gets Lemmer. Emma's quest takes them to several game preserves as it appears that her brother is wanted for the killing of a witchdoctor who has killed protected vultures for ceremonial reasons among other crimes involving conservation. And all along the way they are followed and Lemmer dispatches his fair share of bad guys.

There is quite a bit of background in this story involving recent South African history and the country's problems, but the author doesn't let it get in the way of the story. So, you'll learn a bit, get a bit of opinion and also you'll get one great story. If you're a fan of Lee Childs, you're going to love this book, because Lemmer is the next best thing to a South African Jack Reacher.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MY NEW FAVORITE MYSTERY/THRILLER WRITER, August 13, 2009

By 

Bonnie Brody "Book Lover and Knitter" (Port St. Lucie, FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Blood Safari (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

To date, I have written 974 reviews for Amazon, several of them for mysteries and thrillers. This is the first book in that category that I have rated a '5'. Usually I like mysteries and thrillers but don't love them. This book is in a category of its own. It is just that damned good. I loved it from beginning to end. I loved the intricacy of the plot, the quips, the characterizations, its literary bent, and the down-home feeling of the dialogue.

Without any spoilers, this novel is about a bodyguard named Lemmer who is hired to protect Emma, a young woman who was recently assaulted in her home. She tells Lemmer that she believes that her brother, long thought dead, is actually alive. She wants to find him but she believes that her assault is the result of her trying to investigate what she knows about her brother on her own. Lemmer does not believe her story. He has some personal beliefs which he calls his 'laws'. "Lemmer's First Law: Don't get involved. It was also one of the primary sources of Lemmer's Second Law: Trust nobody". (p. 12) Emma is also petite and pretty. For Lemmer, that, too, is a strike against her because he believes that cute women lie and manipulate more than average. If you watch the TV show 'House', Lemmer reminds me a lot of 'House'.

Emma and Lemmer travel throughout South Africa and face dangers of all kinds at every call. There is mystery, intrigue, and thrilling action in this book. I have already ordered two other books by this author: Devil's Peak: A Novel and Heart of the Hunter: A Novel. I suspect that I'll be reading all his books and looking forward to new ones coming out.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly Written With a Flawed and Likeable Main Character, August 5, 2010

By 

Burgmicester (Pittsburgh) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Blood Safari (Hardcover)

Deon Meyer is a terrific author with writing skills that should shoot him to the top of the mystery/murder genre. In Blood Safari he has created a likeable bloke, Martin Fitzroy Lemmer, a body guard for hire. Lemmer - only uses this part of his name - is an interesting and fully evolved character by the end of the book. Meyer uses flashback thinking and story telling to bring all of the pasts to the present. And he tells a fascinating story of South Africa through the characters.

It has been a while since I have found an author to follow. Most of my current favorites are going downhill. Meyer writes Africaans through a terrific translator that loses nothing in this story. There are twists and turns a plenty as Lemmer attempts to protect a attractive, white and rich South African on her trek to find her long lost brother. Within the story Meyer weaves some thoughts about how Apartheid has affected the racial climate in South Africa. He also winds the story around the environmental issues that will have to be dealt with. However, I did not feel that that book was "preachy" or I would have downgraded it to a lower star total.

Why a four instead of five stars? Mostly, I don't give out 5 stars to this genre unless the book is off the charts. While it is a very solid read and very entertaining, it wasn't quite enough for me to give it the highest rating possible. The ending was satisfying, but has a little too much artistic license - I grade stories by the amount of artistic license that the author takes. I do recommend this book and author to others that are looking for a new name in the genre; this book is definitely worth it.