Reviews for Knock'em Dead

The average rating for Knock'em Dead based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-02-10 00:00:00 Wade Murray 4.5 "the house is in disarray" stars !!! 2016 Honorable Mention Ms. Nunn has written a detective debut that is riveting, intense, complex and compelling. I was about to start Les Miserables but decided I wanted something shorter and my murder mystery fanatic buddy sent this my way. Well, I did not do a stitch of housework this weekend as all I wanted to do is read this book. The book takes place in 1950's South Africa where apartheid is about to begin in full swing and a Dutch Police Chief is murdered in a small town on the Mozambique border. Detective Cooper from Jo'burg is first on the scene and the investigation begins. The brilliance in this book is that it is much more than a police procedural. It is a political thriller, dark romance and is psychologically insightful. The characters are wonderfully etched and there are many of them. Ms. Nunn very succinctly teaches the non-South African about race relations, gender expectations and bits of history, sociology and cultural anthropology that is seamless and fits in beautifully with the rest of the story. I don't know why this book is not better known as it is superb, endlessly interesting and full of twists and turns about the evil that lies within privilege, power relations and the interrelationships that exist in a small South African town. I loved this book so much that I have already ordered books two through four in this detective series!!

Review # 2 was written on 2014-06-11 00:00:00 Ray Acuna This is a stunningly good debut novel. The writing is very assured and the characters complex and well developed. Set in the South Africa of 1952, with new apartheid rules introduced to segregate black from white, Detective Emmanuel Cooper is sent to investigate the murder of an Afrikaner police captain in a small town on the border with Mozambique. What he discovers is a complicated story of power, race and sex. However he is hampered in his investigations by the appearance of the sinister Security Branch who are convinced of a political plot and will do all in their power to pin the blame where they want. This story of power and corruption and the evilness that men are capable of is set against the beautiful background of South Africa. The author writes so evocatively of the time and place you can feel the fear and tension simmering below the surface in the everyday lives of those who are not white, male and dominant. Definitely looking forward to the next book in the series to see what becomes of Emmanuel Cooper.