For many years Deon Meyer has been considered the King of South African crime fiction, thanks in large part to his character Benny Griessel, who evolved from what was intended as a comic relief cameo around 25 year ago into the spine of an outstanding series of detective novels that have helped resurrect South African crime writing from its Apartheid-era suppression and lead a local surge and growing global recognition for the genre.

In THE DARK FLOOD, the seventh in the series, Griessel and his fellow captain in the elite Hawks unit, Vaughn Cupido, get in hot water during a cash-in-transit heist. The duo are demoted and sent from Cape Town to rural Stellenbosch, the South African equivalent of the Napa Valley. While they’re tasked with finding a missing student, there are also nefarious goings-on when playboy billionaire Jasper Boonstra contacts desperate real estate agent Sandra Steenberg to secretly sell his winery. Meanwhile, Griessel is getting cryptic letters. Corruption snakes everywhere.

It’s another terrific installment in a superb series, as Meyer provides his usual mix of compelling storylines, fascinating characters, and insights into the realities of post-Apartheid South Africa. All splashed with a nice dash of humor in among the violence and gritty topics.

Deon Meyer! The main man of South African crime fiction, if I’m not mistaken! And this is the first time you’ve read one of his novels, is that right?
It is indeed – but it certainly won’t be the last! From the opening page I was drawn in and didn’t want to put the book down until I was done – something that doesn’t happen as frequently as it used to! Nowadays I often need to read 50-odd pages as a warm-up, as it were – but that wasn’t the case with Meyer. It’s straight in, meeting compelling characters and fascinating situations. It also makes a pleasant change reading a book set in Africa (I think the last novels I read set there were those of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s – a very different genre!)

So the book kicks off with a hearing for Benny Griessel, Meyer’s main character, is that right?

Yes, and I suspect this will be a continuation of the events in his previous novel. He and his partner, Cupido, are punished by being demoted, which means removal from their beloved Hawks elite force. They’re also transferred to a small town called Stellenbosch, where they’re expectation is that they’ll be dealing with drinks and shoplifters. Of course, things turn out to be a wee bit more dramatic than that…

Who else features in the book?

We have an ambitious real.estate agent called Sandra Steenborg based in Stellenbosch. Many in the town are struggling financially due to the nefarious financial dealings of local multi-millionaire, Jasper Boonstra. His financial difficulties are having a knock-on effect on the entire local economy, as he is the main local employer. Mortgages and car loans are going unpaid, as are nursery fees, and the previously wealthy town is feeling the pinch.

He summons Sandra, who’s the sole breadwinner in the household, her husband having taken a sabbatical from his academic career to write a book, and offers her the opportunity to sell a large estate which produces wine. However, she must sign a non -disclosure agreement, and the seller is not to be revealed. Should she succeed, she will have nothing to worry about financially for a long time…

So what cases await our banished officers in the beautiful new district that’s now their base?

A student, Callie de Bruin, has gone missing, reported by his concerned mother – and in this case, it’s definitely not a case of a night out running into a few nights out…This boy is a dedicated student and also a considerate son, and his mother is adamant this behaviour is utterly out of character, and all signs point to her being right. There’s definitely something off about this disappearance.

So are you a convert to Deon Meyer’s Benny Griessel series?

I certainly am! The two main strands of the book – that of the estate agent, and the disappearance of the student – tie together well at the end, and leave you feeling satisfied.

There’s also a dramatic ending, which is exactly what you want in this sort of crime fiction. Translated from Afrikaans, it’s done so seemlessly, with a few Afrikaans phrases left in for added authenticity.

It’s a book I enjoyed enormously, and I’m pleased to see I have four other Deon Meyer books which I will get round to. It’s always interesting to find a series set in a new country, too.

Meyer is immensely skilled at creating a compelling storyline with a variety of strands, and the way everything fitted together so well at the end showed you were in the hands of a master crime writer. If, like me, you’re late to the party, I’d urge you to give him a go, particularly if you enjoy discovering crime fiction set in new places.

Absolutely don’t miss it!

Wow, and once again WOW. I have read all of Deon's books in the past, and this one was even better than the previous books! The reader is entertained from beginning to end, and as soon as you think you have things figured out, he knocks you on your back. Highly recommended.

I love Deon Meyer, and this latest installment was a cracker, and I’m up-selling like crazy. He should be a massive success worldwide, and I’m anxious for the next one! Bravo

It doesn't matter that Capt. Benny Griessel and Capt. Vaughn Cupido have been sent to Stellenbosch in disgrace. This pair- one trying to stay away from alcohol and the other from food- are always up for an investigation. Callie, a computer genius, has gone missing, and the detectives find themselvess winding through a morass of leads. At the same time, there's a plot line involving Sandra, a real estate agent, and Jasper, the evil billionaire. How do these two plot lines link up? No spoilers from me but this is a terrific procedural in a great setting. It's been too long since there's been a new installment in the series so this read almost as a standalone for me and it was fine that way because Meyer gives good backstory. Know that not all the Afrikaans has been translated but you'll be able to deduce the meaning of the words from context. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Highly recommend.

I really enjoyed reading The Dark Flood. I love the Benny Griessel character. He is probably my favorite detective. This book picks up where The Last Hunt left off. Benny and Vaughn have been humiliated, suspended, demoted and transferred out of the elite Hawk unit. They get put on a missing college student case and then also assigned a missing billionaire case while also catching part of a murdered police officer case that is tied to their missing student.

Deon Meyer has the ability to keep several story lines going with great detail and we are drawn in to each one of them and then we get the thrill of seeing them come together. This story had some good humor in it too, with Vaughn and his fear of being fat and Benny trying to be a house painter.

Sandra, the realtor with her own set of problems was as much fun as Benny and Vaughn. I could not wait to see how her story was resolved........... or not......... that last page almost killed me and her too! Now I have to sit and wait for the next book in the series and this book has not even been published! Yikes

I am thankful to NetGalley and GroveAtlantic for providing me with an early read of this novel. It was a treat.

I was delighted to receive this advance copy of The Dark Flood. This is the seventh in Deon Meyer’s Benny Griessel series set in Capetown, South Africa which also includes one novella and as usual for the series, it is translated from Afrikaans by K. L. Seegers. I thought I would enjoy this book and personally found it a very engrossing read which actually surpassed my expectations due to a gripping plot with regular and unexpected twists as well as characters that you can really invest in. As well as the compelling story line, I particularly liked the a camaraderie between the two main protagonists, a range of characters from the complicated social spectrum and a strong sense of setting with insights into the local environment, culture and politics. Deon Meyer’s Benny Griessel is just as rooted in Cape Town as Leonardo Padura’s Mario Conde is in Havana or Andrea Camilleri’s Montelbano in Sicily. If you enjoy any of those authors you are certain to enjoy this, although Meyer’s novels tend to be grittier than Camilleri and faster paced than Padura, but with some of the same qualities including an essential does of humour.

The events of this story follow Meyer’s previous novel in the series, The Last Hunt which was published in 2019, although I did not feel I required to read the earlier book before this one. While I expected a good read when I picked up The Dark Flood, but I didn’t expect it to be as good as this! Although I had been introduced to Griessel in Thirteen Hours and got an understanding of his individualistic nature as a recovering alcoholic with a strong desire to go it alone and defy his superiors when required, I was pleasantly surprised how familiar the main pratagoinist felt as I started this book.

Both Griessel and his friend and fellow captain Vaughn Cupido are to attend disciplinary hearings on insubordination charges. These are guaranteed at best to see them demoted and exiled from the elite Hawks unit to some likely rural one horse town: or at worst see them fired from the police force. Without discussing their approaches, both officers attempt to take claim sole responsibility but these selfless defences do not benefit either of them in the way they intended. They are suspended from the force to await as to a decision as to their new postings. While they await their fates, both receive anonymous notes which is addressed to Captain Griessel stating “there is an adder in our bosom.” Perplexed, they consider the notes a suggestion that a police colleague is involved in illegal activities.

While they try to follow leads for these notes, they receive the surprising news that they have been assigned to the affluent town of Stellenbosch, or “Volvoville” as it is disparagingly known - in reference the most popular automobile in the town which values it’s safety. This news comes as great relief as they able to travel to this location on a daily basis rather than have to stay overnight somewhere further away. In this leafy and harmonious area, the prospects of dealing with murder cases is very remote. They appear to have encountered an average case on their first day when a lady raises a missing person’s report for her student son, Callie de Bruin. While his mother is adamant that her son is a hard working student without friends, nor an interest in girls or habits that would explain his absence, the case appears far from the level of work they are used to until they uncover some very concerning evidence.

While the reason for the title of The Dark Flood is never revealed, I believe it could well be a reference to the fraud and corruption which is sadly prevalent in South Africa. This is made in regular references to government institution and this institutional corruption is at the heart of the anonymous messages received by Griessel and Cupido which they try to follow up. A more prominent manifestation of long term corporate fraud is shown through the character of Jasper Boonstra. Early in the book we learn that his speculative activities have led to the collapse of the Stellenbosch property market. This makes Boonstra persona non grata to almost everyone. All but the desperate – and that is where we meet the other main character of this novel - Sandra Steenberg.

On the surface Steenberg is a successful and very attractive estate agent, wife and mother to 2 twins. Yet hidden to everyone she is in serious debt. She faces the imminent repossession of her house and cars along with the possible destruction of her marriage. She has hidden the money problems from her self-employed husband who is an aspiring author. When Boonstra contacts her looking to sell a large house and wine estate, she is willing to ignore his reputation as a fraudster and sexual predator in order to gain the commission from the sale of his property which would resolve all her financial problems. While the storyline featuring Griessel and Cupido is intriguing, the concurrent events followed from Steenberg’s viewpoint I found very engaging as she sways from revealing the gravity of their financial situation to her husband and waiting for a buyer for Boonstra’s property. There are added complications as due to his reputation the seller’s identity must remain confidential while Steenberg’s boss is keen for his share of the deal. The stakes are increasingly heightened for Steenberg as the story progresses as she attempts to navigate to success and avoid impending disaster. However never could she foresee the predicament she will find herself in as unexpected events occur and she is led to meet some very shady and undesirable yet colourful characters.

Griessel and Cupido struggle to win the approval of their new captain with a lack of leads into the disappearance of de Bruin. Yet while following up the corruption angle following the murder of a colleague, they do find new inspiration and also a possible connection which may give a motive for why Callie de Bruin has gone missing. This is after meeting with their former chief inspector Mbali Kaleni; a peripheral figure to the story. Then a chance moment sees two major storylines overlap without any indication of how they could possibly be resolved. The book continues to weave between the two detectives and Steenberg and as Griessel gets pulled into another urgent case, the novel heads for a rollercoaster conclusion. Will Griessel have to suffer more omnipotent responsibility guilt and will justice prevail for all?

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and will definitely be tracing back to read The Last Hunt and the other novels I have missed in the series. Many thanks to Atlantic Monthly Press for an advanced e-copy of this book.

Deon Meyer is a master of suspense and THE DARK FLOOD glitters with the author's signature gifts for characterization and surprises. And along the way, the reader gets an intimate, unsettling look at apartheid, set in a richly crafted landscape. None of Meyer's suspense novels should be missed--and THE DARK FLOOD is among the best of them.

This was the first book by this author that I read but it will not be the last. The Dark Flood is a well-written suspense/mystery novel, the 7th in the series featuring Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido, and I will go back to read book one.

The novel is set in the Cape Town region of South Africa and part of the history and legacy of Apartheid is interwoven into the story. Getting glimpses of what it is like to live in Africa, from both sides of the color like, was an added bonus to the read, as was the virtual trip to places I've never seen. The descriptions of countryside, as well as cityscapes were visual enough that I could see the places being written about.

The story starts when the two detectives are assigned to investigate the disappearance of a young man who is a genius at computer programming. Paralleling that investigation, is the storyline of Sandra Steenberg. a successful real estate agent who is having financial problems because of a slump in the housing market. She desperately needs a big sale with a big commission so she can pay off some debts that are mounting, so she takes on a billionaire client who is a known playboy.

When that man disappears, the two detectives have to locate him as well as the young man who disappeared at the beginning of the story. The complications and surprising turns of the plot are handled well and held my interest throughout. I also thoroughly enjoyed meeting the two detectives and their loyalty and comradery was fun to read.

In this latest entry in Deon Meyer’s excellent police procedural series, Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido have been demoted and re-assigned to a post outside Cape Town. They are investigating a missing person case. Chapters on their investigation alternate with chapters about a female real estate agent working on a big deal. The storylines eventually merge. I really enjoy this series. The story-telling is tight and the setting is unique and interesting.

Deon never disappoints - and this one is no exception - the usual characters in trouble again and still save the day ( mostly ) - some references to previous novels for continuity but well able to be enjoyed as a first read - recommended

Brilliant, I loved it. Deon Meyer certainly knows how to write, and I’ve been a huge fan of his books ever since I first picked up and read ‘Devil’s Peak.’ Benny Griessel is a fabulous character, along with his off-sider Vaughn Cupido. They bounce well off of each other, and they are relentless in their investigations. Sandra Steenberg is doing it tough with her husband not working and trying to sell real estate in the current market isn’t easy. With the bills mounting up, Jasper Boonstra might be her ticket to financial freedom, it was just going to take every ounce of strength she had. Benny and Vaughn are at a loss what to do, when a missing person’s case turned out to be a hell of a lot harder than they first expected. The pressure from above and the spot light from the media is starting to get to them.

The Dark Flood by Deon Meyer is a gritty crime novel (thriller) with high stakes action that may prove too choppy for some readers.
The story follows detectives Griessel and Cupido, who have jeopardized themselves by following through on an investigation that they were told not to continue, and which ultimately threatened to expose government/LEO corruption. The book starts with a fast-paced shootout, and it never really slows down.
However, I had a really hard time immersing myself in the story because the prose and the storytelling were so choppy. There’s a weird lack of continuity even at the sentence-to-sentence level sometimes, and the scene jumps and point-of-view jumps are dizzying. It felt like cut after cut in an action movie.
Recommended for readers who want a fast-paced thriller but won’t be troubled by often difficult-to-follow jumps and gaps.

Recently, a friend recommended Deon Meyer, said his writing was just my cup of tea, so I thought why not? At first, I was a bit dubious, I thought it started off a little tamely...

I was so wrong. The Dark Flood was jam-packed with action, and the characters were immensely likeable and brought to vivid life. I'm mad about Cupido, and Benna really grew on me. I also loved reading the sprinkling of South African words and terms, it made me very proud to say Deon Meyer is one of our own. Im definitely going to look for more of his books.

Thanks to the publisher Net Galley and Deon Meyer for my ARC.

The Dark Flood goes back in time a smidge and then picks up shortly after The Last Hunt. Benny and his partner Vaughn are in serious career trouble, resulting in demotions and reassignment.

Note - if you are not familiar with South African politics or the term "state capture" look it up before beginning this novel. Also, make use of the glossary of South African terms in the back of the book.

Meyer has written a fascinating story of police corruption, greed, and political strife. The story goes back and forth between Benny and Vaughn searching for a missing person and a female real estate agent working on a deal of a lifetime. The characterizations are excellent, and the writing is taut.

Typically I am greatly impressed by the English translation (these books are originally written in Afrikaans), but not as much here. Since this is an advance reader copy, perhaps it still has some edits to go. However, this does not detract from the excellence of the writing or the storyline. I mention it only because the usual translations are so good that it's hard to believe they weren't originally written in English.

Overall, this is a terrific addition to this series. And that ending is spectacular.

Not family friendly due to language, sexual situations, and mild violence.

I enjoyed this entry in a long-running police procedural series by Afrikaans author, Deon Meyer. Benny Griessel and his extroverted partner Vaughn Cupido have been demoted due to events in a previous entry in the series, and are sent to Stellenbosch, a historic university town in the Western Cape where they're given the lowly task of finding a missing student. Of course, it turns into a much more interesting case than expected, and it soon becomes entangled in the police corruption that got them in trouble in the first place.

While their search proceeds, we're introduced to a real estate agent who sees a way out of a bad predicament: she's deeply in debt and her husband doesn't know they are about to lose everything. Her last chance is working for a notorious scammer who is also a sexually harassing creep. He wants to sell his vineyards in a hush-hush deal that comes with unpleasant strings attached. It's not clear until well into the novel how these two plot threads will come together.

I'm pleased the translation includes a lot of Afrikaans idioms, as they add to the South African flavor of the setting and give the characters distinctive voices.

ARC from Net Galley.

I am a fan for sure of Meyer who writes of SA without being too preachy though close at times.

Anther thriller/mystery with a missing student and murdered detective that kept me guessing. Loved it!

Love the Benny Greissel novels and is a great plot line, with some great characters. As always with Meyer, he brings the feel of South Africa to his narrative. My only drawback was the constant back and forth between the cops and the agent with a few lines. Many thanks to NetGalley for the advance.

Excellent storytelling and characters in a police procedural following a couple of lines, but still easy to read. Very good plot, and I love the setting, as I have been in the area a couple of times.

Celebrated South African writer Deon Meyer writes gritty police thrillers. Elite cops Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido are demoted from the specialist Hawks, an elite crime busting unit, to the ranks of lowly detectives in the University town of Stellenbosch. An investigation into the disappearance of a university student takes the pair into the heart of a vipers nest of police corruption, violent gangsterism and billionaire crooks.
The story is extremely tightly written without an extraneous sentence. Although the action is pulsating, the story has wonderful sympathetic characters that are incredibly well developed, so The Dark Flood is both a high-octane and intelligent read. Deon Meyer really brings South Africa, a beautiful but violent country alive.
Although this book is part of a series, you do not need to have read the previous books to enjoy this one.
I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.