Crime Beat

Journalist, broadcaster, author of two true crime books, Rob Marsh entered the crime fiction scene in 2003 with a story of murder, robbery and deceit, The Serpent Under, and now comes his next, Beasts of Prey from Human & Rousseau. International Thriller Writers did a preview interview with him in last month’s The Big Thrill and here’s what he told them.

International Thriller Writers: Would you give me a sneak preview of Beasts of Prey?

Rob Marsh: January 1988. A body is discovered in the Kruger National Park and Russell Kemp, disgraced Special Branch operative now relegated to the Criminal Investigation Department at Phalaborwa police station, is dispatched to the crime scene. What at first appears to be a simple case of suicide evolves quickly into something infinitely more sinister. Before long, the trail leads Kemp to crime and corruption at the highest levels of the South African Defence Force. A terrible secret of the apartheid government is about to be revealed – and there are those within the military who will stop at nothing to prevent him from completing his investigation … Beasts of Prey is based upon a true story.

ITW: How did you do your research on the South African CID and Special Branch?

Rob Marsh: I already knew the subject well. I have been writing about crime in South Africa for over 20 years. I’ve written two books on SA crime and I’ve written and presented a 13-part radio series on crime for SAfm. It was more difficult to research the role the South African Defence Force (SADF). However, the story on which the book is based has been the subject of an official commission of enquiry. I have a copy of the Commission Report, which made things fairly easy. The aims of Beasts of Prey are twofold. First and foremost it’s intended to be a ‘good’ read; a page-turner if you like, but it’s also a reminder of the evil that men do, that government organisations – such as the SADF – that are supposed to protect us and our interests can sometimes be the worst culprits.

ITW: What’s special about the setting of Beasts of Prey?

Rob Marsh: It begins in the Kruger Park and most of the book is set in and around the Kruger Park area. The book also takes us to Johannesburg and Rundu to an SADF camp on the Caprivi Strip, which borders SA, Botswana, Namibia, Angola and Zambia.

ITW: How do you measure your success as a writer?

Rob Marsh: I write both fiction and non-fiction and have had 30 books published to date. However, my aim has always been to become a full-time novelist. When I achieve this aim I shall consider myself a ‘success’, at least in one sense.

ITW: Is writing crime fiction a solitary profession, especially in Johannesburg?

Rob Marsh: I don’t think that writing crime fiction in Jo’burg is any different to writing crime fiction anywhere else. In order to eat regularly I do other kinds of writing: I write training programmes for companies and corporates – I’m an ex-teacher and I’m very knowledgeable about outcomes-based learning – I do consultancy work, I write radio programmes – I’m currently writing a radio play for SAfm that is based on Beasts of Prey – and I write non-fiction books. I also occasionally write newspaper and magazine articles.

ITW: Do South African readers look for the same type of crime fiction as British and American readers?

Rob Marsh: The short answer is ‘yes’. One of the problems for a South African writer is that one has to compete with writers from overseas and – generally speaking – South African bookshops import the best of the best. There is also some anecdotal evidence to suggest that certain readers prefer ‘overseas’ fiction. For these reasons it is very difficult to get English fiction published in South Africa. My publisher – Human & Rousseau – told me that they only publish about three percent of the English language manuscripts they receive. I’m not sure if this is the international norm. It’s a little easier to get fiction published if you write in Afrikaans.

ITW: What types of programmes do you write for radio?

Rob Marsh: I’ve written more than 300 radio programmes. All sorts of programmes – documentaries, educational programmes (Aids etc.) dramas, dramatisations.

ITW: What’s on your to-do list?

Rob Marsh: Firstly, I’m always working on a novel between my other work. My next novel, which features the same detective as Beasts of Prey, is quite advanced, though I’m putting aside fiction for a few months because I’ve been commissioned to do other work. My main task at the moment is to write the radio play based on Beasts of Prey. And finally, I’ve practised Shotokan karate for 38 years. I still train for about an hour a day and I’m still trying to improve. I find karate an effective break from writing. It helps me unwind and de-stress, and, of course, writing is sedentary profession so physical activity is very important.