Customer Reviews

Dead Before Dying: A Novel

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There is a certain common format in the writing of a British police procedural novel. The main protagonist, whether he is a chief inspector or detective inspector, are all complex creations full of angst with a whole host of personal issues. Over the course of a series these issues will be confronted and hopefully resolved. The murder or crime is almost peripheral to the characters. The reader is drawn in by these very realistically portrayed characters and can't wait to visit with them again. After all, it is not the crime the reader recalls, it is usually whether the main protagonist stopped drinking or left his wife that is most pressing. The whole host of supporting and minor characters, as well as the locale, give these books their full richness. Examples include the superb books of Ian Rankin, Peter Robinson, Reginald Hill, Elizabeth George, Stephen Booth or the historical novels of Charles Todd. Add to these highly regarded authors the South African writer, Deon Meyer, who writes very much in the vein of the contemporary British police procedural.


Captain Mat Joubert of Capetown, South Africa, has several problems he must solve. First of all, there is a polite bandit holding up the Premier Banks. He always compliments the bank clerks as he is robs them. Second, and more pressing, is the seemingly random murders of various men in town -- all killed by an old German handgun. On top of this, Joubert must cope with the recent loss of his wife, Lara, and his new boss who wants Joubert to straighten himself out or look for another job.


DEAD BEFORE DYING is a very impressive work because the characters are so carefully and realistically created. But do not pick up this book if you are expecting a fast read. It is not a thriller. It is, rather, a book to be read slowly and savored. The plot is complex enough to keep the readers wondering until the very end. The locale is somewhat sketchily detailed, but the richly portrayed characters easily make up for that. Interestingly, the book is translated from the Afrikaans language. I met Deon and he speaks perfect English! Go figure. DEAD BEFORE DYING is the third of Meyer's works to be published in the U.S. This is a strongly recommended work.

Captain Mat Joubert is sinking under the weight of his despair, still grieving the death of his wife two years and three months ago, his attention to police work slipping noticeably and his connection to life failing miserably. He has been in pain for too long, considering the only option that makes sense. When the sudden attention of a young girl occasions a surge of unexpected feelings, challenging his long slide into oblivion, it occurs to Joubert that he may not be ready to face the Grim Reaper. It's just as well. Under the leadership of a new commanding officer, the first black minister of law and order, the Department of Murder and Robbery is officially a part of the new South Africa, post-apartheid. Bart de Wit is enigmatic and demanding, requiring all the men in his command to shape up, physically and mentally, their jobs contingent on sufficient progress in every aspect of their lives.

Joubert acquiesces while dealing with a baffling new case: someone is shooting civilians point blank, with no apparent motive. Still reeling from his return to the living, Joubert grapples with awakening emotions and a desire to stop the senseless murders that are terrifying South Africans, while De Wit contentiously monitors his every move. Besides the tension Meyer brings to his novels, the character development is multi-layered and uniquely human, the inner turmoil of Captain Joubert; his friend and co-worker, the alcoholic Detective Sergeant Benny Griessel, whose job is on the line; the wife of the first victim, Margaret Wallace (she of the strangely colored eyes); even his assigned therapist. It is this combination of humanity and criminality that renders Meyer's novels irresistible, tapping into the utter horror of random murders and the devastation such acts leave in their wake. Opening up to life after his dark night of the soul, Joubert can hardly ignore the gritty reality of the criminal elements that define his work as a detective, particularly the seemingly random murders he must bring to an end. More than a police procedural, Dead Before Dying is solid, tightly-plotted and unpredictable, the new South Africa more recognizable with each Meyer title, the violence universal. Luan Gaines/2006.

Captain Mat Joubert of Murder and Robbery in Cape Town, South Africa is a tormented man. Two years ago his wife Lara, also with the police department, died--and since that time, Joubert has lost his will to live and his job is hanging by a thin thread.

Now, people in Cape Town, without any known connection, are being murdered with a century-old Mauser handgun and a gentleman robber is hitting branches of the Premier Bank.

Joubert and his colleagues have a new boss who is set on changing the department and those who work there. He is demanding that they not only solve cases quickly but they must also get healthy. That means lose weight, eat healthy, stop drinking and smoking and if, like Joubert, there are emotional distresses in their lives, see a psychologist.

Joubert is compelled to sort out his life, face his past and solve his cases in a last-ditch effort to save his career--and maybe even his life.

Deon Meyers is a master storyteller. Dead Before Dying is filled with action, excitement and intense tension. The characters are multi-dimensional and their work and personal lives share the stage in a manner that brings them and the story to life.

Armchair Interviews says: Since the setting is in Cape Town, there are cultural differences that Americans are not familiar with but don't let that prevent you from a good read.

I purchased this book because I thoroughly enjoyed the two earlier crime novels by Meyer that were published in the U. S. -Dead At Daybreak and Heart of the Hunter. This book was apparently written earlier and does not compare favorably. The plot is improbable. The violence gratuitous and graphic. It is not an enjoyable read unless you enjoy vivid descriptions of human savagery. My hope is that we will have no more retrospective publications of Meyer's work because I think he is an excellent writer and going forward will produce some more really good stuff.

As with most Meyer books, this captures South Africa very well and contains a very good mystery at the same time. His writing is sharp and is full of important detail while his characters are real and confronted with amazingly accurate problems. This is a first order thriller.

This South African crime novel was originally published in 1996 and only a decade later makes its appearance in the U.S. It's a shame, because in a sense it would have been much more interesting and exciting to read at the end of the apartheid era instead of now. The setting is Cape Town in the months after the ANC has come to power and the winds of change are blowing across the country. Police captain Mat Joubert of the Murder and Robbery Squad has been nursing a two-year depression since the death of his wife, who also worked as a cop. However, the arrival of a new black superior forces him to confront both his physical (weight, cigarettes, booze) and psychological demons if he wants to keep his job. At the same time, two new cases vie for his Joubert's attention. First, there's a master of disguise holding up banks. And then there's the murder of several apparently unconnected men in different parts of town, linked only by the unusual old handgun used in the killings. As the two cases drag on, the media frenzy and intense pressure and scrutiny from his superiors starts to mount up.

Meyer goes to great lengths to portray Joubert as a giant ball of misery and pain, and it's hard not to see his gradual healing as a metaphor for the new post-apartheid South Africa emerging at the same time. He's a moderately interesting character -- perhaps more so for readers who like their heroes deeply wounded and morose -- and the supporting cast of cops, victims, witnesses, journalists, etc. are all ably sketched. There are, however, a great deal of problems with the story. The most egregious of these is the identity of the killer, which requires one to swallow the most implausible coincidence imaginable. Not only is it a ridiculous coincidence, there's no real reason for the coincidence to exist in terms of the story. It simply comes across like the author was trying for a huge shocker. A second major flaw is that any reader paying a reasonable amount of attention will see what connects the murder victims within the first part of the book and grow increasingly bored waiting for Joubert to catch on -- meanwhile another three or four people die. Thirdly, the bank robber storyline feels tacked on and unnecessary, as if the author felt he should have a subplot with lesser stakes in order to give the reader a breather from the main story. Fourthly, there's a rather clumsy red herring presented early on, where it's stated that the killer "must" be a man because the recoil from the particular gun being used is so powerful. So, fine, we all know that means the killer is a woman. However, when the killer is revealed and has been described repeatedly as having delicate physique, it's never explained how she was able to handle the massive gun. If an author is going to set up a red herring that is so cut-and-dried, they need to explain why it didn't pan out at the end.

Finally, at the end, there is a big moment where it is revealed just why Joubert's pain over his wife's death is so large. However, again, any reader paying attention will have sussed this out very early on, so it lacks almost all its intended impact. All of this is not to say the book isn't entirely readable and reasonably enjoyable for those who like police procedurals. Just be warned that it has plenty of problems, along with some truly overwrought prose at times. I'd be interested in reading further Mat Joubert books to see if Meyer's plotting has improved and the writing is toned down at all. One final complaint that has nothing to do with the author -- the jacket is terrible and has no connection to the story. The tone of the book is very dark and bleak in most respects, and the jacket photo and type reflects none of this.

In Cape Town, South Africa, a killer has murdered three victims with no apparent links. The culprit used a Boer War German Mauser gun with bullets as old as the weapon is to fire two shots to the head and to the chest of the victim. Murder and Robbery Squad Captain thirty-four years old Mat Joubert heads the investigation. Mat knows this case is probably the last opportunity to salvage a career that has rapidly collapsed since his beloved wife Lara was killed on duty during a police matter two years ago.

Mat investigates the three murders, but finds no motive to tie them together. He begins to wonder if the killer is just randomly selecting his victims. Still as the local residents panic over who is next, the media adds to the feeding frenzy and the brass, especially the ambitious politicians in and out of the police station, demand either the culprit or a fall guy. Mat struggles with finding clues before he has to visit the crime scene of the next victim.

This graphic South African police procedural is a tense gritty serial killer noir that grips the audience from start to finish with a haunting final twist. Mat is an interesting detective carrying plenty of baggage in a career that is as dead as the victims of the killer, but hooks fans, who will join him as he seeks evidence especially something that ties the dead together. Readers will appreciate Deon Meyer's strong vivid murder mystery and want to read his other South African novels (see HEART OF THE HUNTER and DEAD AT DAYBREAK: PAST IS NEVER DEAD).

Harriet Klausner