Thirteen Hours [Import] [Hardcover]

Deon Meyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2010

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

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In South African author Meyer's impressive second thriller to feature Cape Town Det. Insp. Benny Griessel (after Devil's Peak), which spans just 13 hours in a single day, Benny lands a pair of explosive cases: the gang slaying of an American tourist and the murder of the husband of a washed-up, alcoholic popular singer. After teenager Erin Russel turns up on the street with her throat cut, her traveling companion, Rachel Anderson, goes on the run. Rachel, who fears the police are connected to her friend's slaying, is trying to stay ahead of her pursuers without the help of the authorities. A few hours later, Benny interviews Alexandra Barnard about the death of her husband, Adam, a record company owner. Alexandra was found next to Adam's body and to the firearm used to kill him. While the windup doesn't match the pulse-pounding opening scenes, this crime novel does further enhance Meyer's reputation as a deft storyteller.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* College student Rachel Anderson is running in the mountains of Cape Town. Hours earlier, she witnessed the death of her traveling companion, Erin Russel, who had her throat slit from ear to ear, and Rachel is just steps ahead of the men who did the killing. Twice she has approached strangers asking for help, and twice she has been dismissed. Inspector Benny Griessel (last seen in Devil’s Peak, 2009) has been called to the scene of Russel’s murder, and when he finds out it is a white tourist who has been killed, he knows it’s going to be a very long day. He craves a drink, but he has been sober for six months, ever since his wife kicked him out of the house. What’s more, he is not really in charge of the murder scene; long considered to be a drunk and a dinosaur by the department, he is supposed to be mentoring the young black detective assigned to the case, and their delicate, overly polite dealings with each other are hampering the investigation. Best-selling South African novelist Meyer delivers another exciting if brutally violent crime novel. Expertly cutting away from the politicized police investigation to the plight of a terrified young girl literally running for her life, Meyer also steeps his novel in the day-to-day life of a country still reeling in the wake of radical transition. --Joanne Wilkinson --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Random House Canada (April 13, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307356647
• ISBN-13: 978-0307356642
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,716,120 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

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terse, nimble, white-knuckle thriller, July 5, 2010

By 

switterbug (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Thirteen Hours (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Afrikaner Deon Meyer's latest pulse-pounding thriller hits the ground running--literally. In Cape Town, South Africa, at six in the morning, an American teenage tourist is running for her life. Her best friend's throat was slit in front of her and she is bolting from the perpetrators' clutches. The story hits its stride early and swiftly as events unfold over thirteen-hours. Vicious outlaws and the snarl of conspiracy; Afrikaner, Xhosa, and Zulu crime-fighters; and crooners and corporate fleecers storm the pages of the book. Besides Rachel Anderson, the pursued and wily tourist, there's music industry giant, Adam Barnard, found shot and dead near his hard-drinking, faded-diva wife.

This is my third Meyer book (this is his seventh), after reading Dead at Daybreak and Blood Safari, all set in the author's home country. The narrative is bracing and the characters resonant and ripe. Meyer delivers with sizzle in this dual-crime novel; his terse prose lances the pages, and the pitch-perfect pace purrs and thrums. The reader feels like a detective as fragments eventually pull together from the grime of corruption. You suspect, you speculate, and you quiver. The knot of Barnard's death is teased out concurrently with Rachel's web of intrigue. Meyer is brilliant at interlocking disparate characters, events, and scenes, and at solving parallel puzzles.

The crisp story is supported by trenchant characters. Benny Griessel, the Slavic-eyed, bushy-haired Inspector with a sinking marriage and six months sobriety, has a sharp radar and a fox's energy, as well as a tarnished reputation. He pursues the perps with thirsty zeal while trying to keep his inner demons at bay. Can he save his marriage? Can he rescue the girl? Will the lure of drink undo him? Benny struggles to keep it together while people's lives are falling apart.

Fransman Dekker, an apt, avid cop with a strident temper, is furious about the racial hiring practice in the department. He's close to losing his cool over the results of affirmative action--not black enough, not white enough, feeling the statistical stab of "eight percent coloured." His nemesis, Zulu Mbali Kaleni, is one of the most delightfully imperious and exotic policewomen I have come across in fiction. She looks like an "overstuffed piegeon," with a "big bulge in front and a big bulge behind in her tight black trouser suit." Dekker, Griessel, and Kaleni, like the other players in the book, are dimensional and sympathetic. Meyer has a knack for fiery characters that vault from the pages while they crackle and burn.

The story is taut and the climax is gripping. Although more cinematic and conventional than his previous work, Meyer's brio is seductive, his pointed narrative is spicy. Some parts are predictable, yet without feeling tired and shopworn. He tells the story with a candid depth that is wholly humane and authentic. A primal essence buzzes and hums as he juxtaposes scenes, cutting from one jolting moment to the next. And although I am typically put off by cell phone bits in a novel, Meyer's snappy insertions actually increase the story's tensile strength. The chapters revolve around the clock and the minutes fly with the pages. He controls the fluid narrative with an acid restraint and never goes overboard. It vibrates with soul, but it's not for the faint of heart.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "In this country the possibilities were complicated and legion, the agendas inscrutable. It was all antagonism and suspicion.", September 9, 2010

By 

Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Thirteen Hours (Hardcover)

In his best and most complex novel yet, Afrikaans-writer Deon Meyer recreates thirteen hours of life in Cape Town, South Africa, hour by terrifying hour, revealing more about the city's many criminal cultures than you may want to know. The police who try to keep the criminal underworld at bay are undermanned and undertrained. A series of police scandals has led the National Commissioner to establish a whole new South African Police Service (SAPS), retaining the best and most experienced officers within new departments and hiring new recruits from all racial groups. Racial differences, tribal differences, and changing historical roles add to the complexities here as good people try to prevent crimes in a fraught and changing environment in which the Metro Police are also flexing muscles over control, and private security agencies perform their own investigations.

In the opening pages, a young girl, still in her teens, is tearing through the city, begging for help from people she sees, as she tries to escape five or six young men who are pursuing her. Her companion, who was also trying to escape these men, now lies dead, her throat slit and her backpack stolen. SAPS Captain Benny Griessel and his young, inexperienced staff are assigned to this case, and soon have their worst fears realized. The young victim was an American tourist, with all the governmental complications that entails on all levels. At the same time, the body of a music executive, shot in the head with his own gun, is found at home near his wife, an alcoholic who knows of his flagrant affairs and who has been lying passed out for hours. She appears to have shot him.

As Benny and his staff investigate, these separate stories interrupt each other as more information is revealed about each crime in the course of the day. The author keeps the suspense at fever pitch. Rachel Anderson, the girl trying to escape, must evade discovery for many hours, while Benny Griessel must keep all the leads for two separate cases going in the right direction and find Rachel before her pursuers do. The main characters' own backgrounds and family lives unfold and add depth to the novel, showing how they live, for better or worse, in the newly integrated society. As the novel develops further, the ins and outs of the not always honest music business, the roles of Russian owners and managers of clubs and bars, the weaknesses of police officers who may be offered enormous bribes, illegal immigration from other African countries whose governments are in total disarray, the problems of a drug culture, and the corruption which seems to be an unfortunate natural result of power all appear as well integrated themes and plot lines.

Despite the darkness of its plot, Afrikaans writer Deon Meyer honors hard-working and honest people of all races in this novel--Benny Griessel (white), bright new detective Vusumuzi Ndabeni (black), no-nonsense female investigator Mbali Kaleni (black), and pathologist, Tiffany October ("coloured"). These people and others like them are the future of the country and its hope, and Deon Meyer, an Afrikaaner, celebrates them within the context of a society in transition. Mary Whipple

Blood Safari
Dead at Daybreak

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars VERY IMPRESSIVE THRILLER FEATURING DET. INSP. BENNY GRIESEL!, November 30, 2010

By 

Travis Deputy "TheInsatiableBookReader" (Padukee, Keentukee) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Thirteen Hours (Hardcover)

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From I gather, this is the 2nd detective thriller featuring Detective Inspector Benny Griesell. I believe the first one is titled Devil's Peak. It's now officially on my to be read list! Thirteen Hours was an expolsive and harrowing thriller! I'd never heard of Meyer prior to reading this one, but he's on my radar now. Usually I'm hesitant to read an author I'm unfamiliar with unless the book is free. From the opening explosive scenes to the finale this one goes a breakneck speed. It's definitely in the top 5 books I've read this year.

Deon Meyer knows how to spin a story! I won't go in the plot or anything like that as you can read about that in the synopsis or someone who is more adept at giving you and idea about the what the book is about. I will say, as you may have guessed already, is that the book takes place over 13 hours. I will give the basic premise of the novel: A girl witnesses the murder of her friend and goes on the run from the bad guys. Griesell is the one investigating the murder and must protect the girl. Keep in mind this novel is not for the weak of heart: It's very violent! I love Griesell as the main character. He is a complex and tragic character. I also gig the setting, Cape Town, South Africa, which is very unique and intriging in how it is presented.

For some reason, even with thrillers this awesome, the price on them doesn't stay up. That's you can now get a nice copy fairly cheap! What are you waiting for? I'd bet that even the most jaded of readers would have a hard time putting this one down. It does everything a detective thriller should and then some. I'm waiting in agony for my copy of Devil's Peak to arrive! Bravo, Mr. Meyer... keep'em coming!!!!!!!!!!!!