The Dark Flood

A Benny Griessel Novel (Benny Griessel Mysteries Series, Book 8)

By: Deon Meyer

Narrated by: Saul Reichlin

Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Having jeopardized their careers in an unauthorized investigation that threatened to reveal the corruption in South Africa's halls of power, Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido have been demoted from the elite Hawks police unit. While waiting to be transferred from Cape Town to seemingly mundane duty in Stellenbosch, Griessel receives a disturbing, anonymous letter: "I can only trust you and Captain Cupido. There is an adder in our bosom. Be careful of phone calls."

Assigned to investigate the disappearance of Callie de Bruin, a young university student and brilliant computer programmer, they hit dead ends until the trail, including the death of a fellow officer, leads to a series of gun heists and the alarming absence of certain weapons from the police registry.

As Griessel and Cupido intensify their search for de Bruin, real estate agent Sandra Steenberg confronts her own crisis: state corruption has caused the real estate market to crash, exacerbating the dire financial straits facing her family. When billionaire Jasper Boonstra contacts her to represent a major property he wants to sell, she pushes aside her concerns about his reputation as playboy and swindler. And then Boonstra himself disappears, and Griessel is forced to juggle between Boonstra's bitter wife, protective lawyer, and Steenberg, the last person to see him alive.

©2021 Deon Meyer; English translation copyright 2021 by K. L. Seegers (P)2022 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Masterpiece

As a former South African which took the gap, I did not think I would enjoy the expose' of the socio economic conditions I left behind. But the, story, the narrator and his interpretations of the characters constant tension and the juxtaposition of the legal, enforcement and humanity of the South African state were fascinating.

Sounds like you are there.

The reader has a South African accent, so you get the real flavor. Others have faulted the frequent references to the state capture aspect. However, it is essential to the notion of a otherwise stable if floridly unfair society committing slow suicide.

Another Fantastic Book.

I have read all of Deon Meyer's book that have been translated into English. They are all excellent. This one is one of my favorites. I look forward to more.

Another excellent Deon Meyer work

I have read and/or listened to all of Mr Meyer’s books and have never been disappointed. I did miss Simon Vance’s narration here and wish he could have been contracted to do it. But it’s a serviceable job done by Mr Reichlin. The story is again a good one. And if you’re a fan of Benny and Vaughn you won’t be disappointed. Best to reread a bit of the previous book, “The Last Hunt”, to understand the beginning of this one. But my advice overall is: start with “Dead Before Dying” and listen to them all.

Great story

Always love that characters. And from time to time it could be funny. Wish it has sequel

Cliché and Dull

This was undoubtedly an attempt by the author to demystify and humanize a community in South Africa that is known for its arrogance, opulence and racism. That aside, the plot is decent and so to the storytelling. However, the unnuanced state capture narrative and implicit anti-Zuma rhetoric makes for a sour reading experience. If that’s not bad enough, the narration is awful! The narrator’s accents and pronunciations are cringe. After reading his previous book which was almost as disappointing, perhaps it’s time to give this author a break.