Bibliography: Nunn, Malla.  (2010).  Let the Dead Lie.  New York: Washington Square Press. ISBN: 978-1416586227

Plot Summary:  Disgraced and dismissed at the end of A Beautiful Place to Die, former Detective Sargeant Emmanuel Cooper is working on the docks of Durban trying to catch corrupt cops when he stumbles on the body of a murdered child.  As much as he wants to leave the investigation to the authorities, he can’t ignore it when others around him turn up murdered and he becomes the chief suspect.

Critical Analysis:  A Beautiful Place to Die was one of my favorite books that I read last year, so I was VERY excited to see that the next in the series was out.  Completely different from Place, with an urban setting, complex and complicated mystery and a new set of characters, Cooper remains compelling, one of my favorite character types, a good honest man seeking justice in the face of unbelievable odds and at great personal cost. 

The historical details of the place and time only add to the suspense of the mystery, and to the veracity of all the characters.  When the reader becomes aware of what is really happening, the story reaches another level, and the return of Constable Shabalala and Dr. Zweigman is very welcome with a resulting satisfying ending which sets up Cooper’s and Shabalala’s future working relationship which will hopefully last for many volumes to come.

Readalikes: It won’t be published until October, but I recently read the perfect readalike for Nunn and Detective Cooper.  The Sleepwalkers by Paul Grossman is the story of a Jewish police detective in Germany at the end of the Weimar Republic who is faced with solving an awful crime while his country moves towards a new reality.

Review Excerpts: “With this gripping sequel set in South Africa in 1953, Nunn…proves that her impressive debut …was no fluke….deftly balances suspense and deduction as she offers a revealing glimpse into South African society under the segregation laws promulgated by the ruling National Party.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“Hard-boiled ex-detective Emmanuel Cooper returns to solve the murder of a young boy in 1950s South Africa…. Casual and institutional racism form a fascinating backdrop for the action, giving readers a feel for how apartheid actually looked and felt to those on both sides of the color line.”–Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed from public library copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.