Dead at Daybreak

By: Deon Meyer

Narrated by: Saul Reichlin

Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's Summary

A South African antiques dealer is murdered with a single bullet from an M-16 assault rifle. The contents of his safe are missing, and the only clues are a scrap of blank paper and the unusual weapon used: a gun that's generally the choice of mercenaries, not burglars. Now ex-cop Zed van Heerden has seven days to fill in the blanks in this dead man's past - a past that appears only to start in 1983.

©2000 Tony Parsons

Critic Reviews

"Meyer keeps the suspense moving throughout the third-person narrative, alternating back and forth with van Heerden's own first-person account of his past. This is a remarkable achievement from a singular new talent." ( Publishers Weekly)
"The author once again mines South Africa's fertile history of racial conflict and cold war gamesmanship for a narrative gem." ( Booklist)

Great read!

I almost didn't buy this one, but am so glad I did. Would definitely buy something else by this author. The reader is excellent -- all the South African accents were superb, but then the reader is South African (I think) so that makes sense. The story rolls right along, becoming more intriguing as it goes and the lead character is terrific. A great listen. I highly recommend it.

First rate plot, scene and character development

This book fulfilled all my requirements for a good thriller.
1. Strong characters
2. Excellent plot well revealed
3. Unusual setting in South Africa
4. Plenty of action
5. Well read.
6. Shows an awareness of culture.
Perhaps some of the writing could be even tauter, a few of the passing thoughts meandered over long, romance was not that well developed but nevertheless
I immediately went out and listened to another in the same series.

BRILLIANT

One of the best books so far. Deon Meyer writes with insight and compassion. His characters live and suffer. And the narrator is outstanding. More from this author please!

Entertaining great narrator

I chose this book because the narrator is so good. However, the story did not dissapoint it was a great book with strong charaters and story line.

thanks

As a person from Cape Town, South Africa, Thank you .... to both Deon Meyer and Saul Reichlin

Can't wait for more from Deon Meyer

Again, I was facinated by the story, the characters and the writer's attention to detail.

Recommended.

My first Deon Meyer novel and I found it thoroughly enjoyable: good characters, back story and plot, and narrated in a lively and involving way.

Great stuff

Brilliant book, great story and great narration. Quite a lot of bad language and not for those of a sensitive disposition. This is my second Deon Meyer book, the other being 13 hours. Personally, I overall preferred this one. For a Brit like me it is a fascinating insight into life in South Africa just after the end of aparteid (the book is not political at all. )

Good story from a less well known author

This Deon Mayer book is, if anything, better than his other work available on Audible. Good story with a plot that twists and turns. The relationship between the two central characters is fascinating for the most part as both their personality clashes and sexual tension build to the final uncovering of the mental damage suffered by one of them.

And while some of the usual thiller/crime cliches are present,their protrayal in the technicolour and visceral landscape of South Africa adds enough freshness that they do not grate. A good listen

Raw harsh reality faced by a policeman with brains

This is not a mindless thriller or 'whodunnit'. It has well developed characters, a plausible storyline, dry wit and irony, thoughtful insights and a great conclusion. I was riveted by the plot, the people and the author's comments about the dark side of every man. It ended too quickly.

Saul Reichlin does an excellent job at narration, and gets the accents and pronunciation of words correct. This adds to the authenticity of the story, and brings it to life even more. Some of the language is raw, but it fits in with the story. Don't play it with children in the car.