barbara fister reviewed Blood Safari by Deon Meyer
Review of 'Blood Safari' on 'LibraryThing'
Deon Meyer is known for his muscular, intelligent, and psychologically probing police procedurals set in a complicated post-apartheid South Africa. In Blood Safari, Meyer introduces a new hero, one reminiscent of Jack Reacher, if Reacher had a conscience and fewer super-powers.returnreturnLemmer works as a bodyguard, and heâs good at his job, even though his parole status following a stint in prison means he canât carry a weapon. He lives by simple laws. Lemmerâs First Law: Donât get involved. Lemmers Second Law: Trust nobody. When Emma Le Roux becomes his client, he isnât sure her life really is at risk. But he protects her as she tries to find out how her brother, who disappeared into the wilderness twenty years ago, could now be on the news with a new name, accused of murdering three poachers and a traditional healer near the national park where he had disappeared. It doesnât take …
Deon Meyer is known for his muscular, intelligent, and psychologically probing police procedurals set in a complicated post-apartheid South Africa. In Blood Safari, Meyer introduces a new hero, one reminiscent of Jack Reacher, if Reacher had a conscience and fewer super-powers.returnreturnLemmer works as a bodyguard, and heâs good at his job, even though his parole status following a stint in prison means he canât carry a weapon. He lives by simple laws. Lemmerâs First Law: Donât get involved. Lemmers Second Law: Trust nobody. When Emma Le Roux becomes his client, he isnât sure her life really is at risk. But he protects her as she tries to find out how her brother, who disappeared into the wilderness twenty years ago, could now be on the news with a new name, accused of murdering three poachers and a traditional healer near the national park where he had disappeared. It doesnât take long for Lemmer to conclude that someone really does want Emma dead, including a harrowing attempt on her life involving a cobra.returnreturnAs always, Meyer roots his well-paced story in the South African soil, from veld to the Karoo, from the high society of Cape Town to environmental activists fighting to preserve endangered species in the face of tribal land claims. Wealth and poverty, the old South Africa and the new - Meyer brings it all to life in a gripping thriller, seasoned with equal measures of fondness and frustration with his countrymen. The high-energy ending confronts conflicts between nature and development and shows that the bones of ugly apartheid policies lie in a shallow grave.
