Bibliography:  Nunn, Malla.  (2009).  A Beautiful Place to Die. New York: Atria Books ISBN: 978-1416586203

Plot Summary:  In the early 1950s South Africa where new apartheid laws have recently gone into effect, Detective Sargeant Emmanuel Cooper is called to the small town of Jacob’s Rest when white Afrikaner police captain from a prominent family is found murdered.  The family is sure that one of the coloureds is to blame, but Cooper wonders about the role the Captain’s sons and wife might have played.  Then there is the shy coloured girl and Zulu police officer who know more than they are saying.  Just when it seems like Cooper will win the day, the security branch swoops in, claiming the blame lies with a black Communist radical.  It is up to Cooper to find the real killer, but he will uncover secrets many wish would stay hidden along the way.

Critical Analysis:  I listened to this book on audio CD and I highly recommend that experience.  It allows for the full appreciation of the language and description that Nunn uses and feels authentic, as the reader has a slight accent and beautiful pronunciation of Afrikans and Zulu words and names.  What struck me most about the book was how real everything felt.  The murder, the town, the land, the people even secondary characters are fully described and fleshed out.  The details are what make the story, you can see it, feel it, hear it.  The separation between whites and coloureds, the laws they must obey are in stark contrast to the beautiful setting and wildlife.

Emmanuel Cooper is very compelling, sort of one man fighting for justice against the world, and doesn’t care to make friends with right people or play politics, but yet he displays his loyalty through his actions and determination to make sure the murderer is caught.  In addition, he works on a secondary case at the same time involving coloured women being bothered by a peeping tom, a case the Jacob’s Rest police had let slide earlier.  He is not perfect, haunted by his service in the Second World War, and hiding a secret that could be used against him.

This is the first in a series featuring Cooper, and I am looking forward to reading the next one.

Readalikes:  The Inspector Rutledge historical mystery series by Charles Todd features a detective struggling with his ghosts from World War I and fighting for justice regardless of personal or political consequences.

Review Excerpts: “Nunn’s stellar debut explores a divided society through the frame of a classic murder mystery….Smooth prose and a deft plot make this novel a welcome addition to crime fiction set in South Africa.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“What holds the reader in this debut historical mystery (the first of a projected series about Detective Cooper) is the fabric of secrets and lies, supported by the Immorality Act, which makes it a crime to have sex across the color line….but the story is consistently engaging, with revelations right up until the very end. Born in southern Africa, the author gets the politics exactly right: the farce, cruelty, sorrow, and rebellion in daily life.”–Booklist

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