Crime Beat

Take Two in how the reviewers are responding to our homegrown krimis – here’s what they have to say about Jassy Mackenzie’s My Brother’s Keeper. Now Jassy’s a star that’s rising at the rate of a book a year as she hit the scene in 2008 with Random Violence, which has been snapped up by US and German publishers, and then in August she got reviewers rummaging through their adjectives once more with the publication of My Brother’s Keeper. She’s a favourite of Crime Beat’s Afrikaans editor Chanette Paul and I thought My Brother’s Keeper was a triumph of thriller writing. Guess what? Next year there’ll be another Mackenzie coming off the presses. But, hold the phone, get an eyeful of what’s been going down about her in the local rags:

‘This is a thrilling story of intricate connectivity, packed with sophisticated clues and doubtful coincidences that hint at something deeper, a sinister puppet master with a hidden agenda and ingenious subplots, which make it a rare delight to read…. A clever book, excellently written, lean, spare and tight, My Brother’s Keeper is an intriguing and exciting page-turner by a major new talent who could, if she wanted, put Jozi on the literary map. – Aubrey Paton (Sunday Times)

‘This is a book you’ll race to finish, and the double denouement is as satisfying as it’s unexpected and shocking. It’s perfect in its reality, yet nowhere trite… I can’t wait for the next instalment.’ – James Mitchell (The Star)

‘A real page-turner… The novel is set in Johannesburg and has several subplots that come together with a terrific twist in the tail and an intentionally troublesome ending. It’s not deep, but it’s intelligent and believable.’ – Jane Rosenthal (Mail & Guardian)

‘An accomplished, scary foray into the criminal underbelly of Johannesburg, a city whose differing aspects, moods and byways she clearly knows intimately.’ – William Saunderson-Meyer (The Weekender)

‘Set in Johannesburg, this is a gripping thriller from a local author… Well-written, fast paced and with plenty of twists.’ – Anne Duncan (Femina)

‘My Brothers’ Keeper has all the ingredients of a good crime thriller – a convoluted plot that unfolds at the right pace; strong protagonists whose life stories slowly start to form a picture as the plot progresses and, lastly, that twist at the end that turns the fictional world upside down. – Natalie Bosman (The Citizen)