Nobody Dies [Kindle Edition]

Zirk van den Berg (Author)

Book Description

Rated one of the Top 5 thrillers of 2004 by New Zealand Herald when first published by Random House NZ, Nobody Dies is now available internationally. A South African policewoman has found the perfect way to make sure people in her witness protection programme stay hidden – she kills them! As her victims are meant to disappear, her crimes stay hidden. Then Daniel Enslin enters the programme...

“A tense, spare tale which contrasts the claustrophobic interiors of its perfectly cast characters' lives with places nobody willingly goes: from lonely stretches of desert to the suburbs of Cape Town where dreams are punctuated by the sounds of howling alarms and dogs. [...] Edgy and truly frightening. The writing is superb.”
- Michelle Hewitson, New Zealand Herald

“He writes beautifully. It's the most beautiful evocation of the obviously stunning South African landscape. [...] A very good read and a dense, close read, an absorbing literary read, even though it's a crime novel.”
- Kate de Goldi, Breakfast, TVNZ

Product Details

• File Size: 310 KB
• Print Length: 179 pages
• Publisher: Say Books; v4 edition (April 14, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004WOYU1A
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #574,219 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Well crafted, poetic writing December 17, 2011

By Lex Loci

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I don't recall how I came across this book, but I'm glad I did. I won't summarize the plot, except to say that it unfolds at a beautiful pace that moves, without feeling rushed. The South African setting is practically a character in the book, beautifully rendered and provocative. People who like character driven crime novels won't be disappointed. You'll find the book creeps up on you and sticks with you.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent South African Crime Novel July 3, 2012

By Mack Lundy

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I can't believe that only two people have reviewed this book. I agree with everything Lex wrote, without reservations or qualifications. When he says that the book sticks with you, he isn't kidding. I read it over a year ago and I still recall my feelings when I finished it.

There is excellent crime and action but the author excelled with his characters who drive the story. There are four main characters: one wants to stay alive, one wants to dispense justice, one is looking for success, and one wants to eliminate a threat. How these people interact while trying to satisfy their individual and conflicting goals is the heart of the story.

Lex calls it poetic, I would say it approaches literary fiction. We both mean that it is beautifully written without pretension.

This is an author I intent to watch and already have his latest book, No-Brainer, on my Kindle.

More About the Author

Zirk van den Berg has written and published books in two languages, in two countries.

In his early writing career, he wrote literary works in Afrikaans, published in his native South Africa.

He migrated to New Zealand in 1998 and switched to writing fiction in English - a language he'd been writing in as a student, journalist and copywriter for many years.

In 2004, Random House NZ published his Nobody Dies to significant acclaim. The book was never available outside New Zealand until its publication online in 2011.

"It's a thriller with a strong story, but at the same time a memoir of South Africa," he says. "It's about a man faced with transitioning from one life to another and was written while I was migrating... I started it in South Africa and finished in New Zealand. The book itself starts in Namibia, in Walvis Bay, where I myself was born. Most of it is set in Cape Town, where I lived most my life. The parallels are obvious."

For the online edition, the author re-edited the original manuscript, making a number of improvements.

His light-hearted crime romp No-Brainer is set in his new homeland.

Zirk van den Berg now lives in Auckland, New Zealand.