Friday, 21 December 2007 - by Inge Papp

Deon Meyer has been hailed as South Africa's best crime thriller writer. His work is written in Afrikaans and has been translated into English, French, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Czech, Romanian, Slovakian, Bulgarian and German. International and local reviewers have praised his work, and said that Meyer is a writer to be taken seriously both as an entertainer and a social commentator.

Meyer's books are peopled with colourful South African characters who reflect the multilayered world of crime and policing. The Imageart of Meyer's writing lies in simultaneously drawing the reader in with a gripping whirlwind plot as well as introducing the reader to characters whose private lives and emotions develop and deepen in meaning throughout the novel, and about whom one can't help but care. He expertly drops clues and red herrings through the narrative, with hooks and twists that keep the reader in suspense until the very last couple of pages. At the same time the reader gets a close look at a character's very soul, with the chinks in their armour readily apparent, and watches with empathy as the character gets hurt, hardens, becomes weighed down with troubles, gains the courage to face their demons, gets up and grows.

The framework in which the novels are set is a real South African world, complete with familiar places and culture. While he insists that his first intention is to entertain, he also uses the novels as a vehicle to examine South African politics _ something he does with wise and elegant insight. He is sensitive to the less obvious aspects of the political transition in South Africa, and how police members were and still are directly affected by it. The work is impressively researched, and it is clear he has taken care to get the details right, especially where crime investigation procedures such as ballistics are concerned.

His characters include:

• Capt Mat Joubert, the morose detective who struggles to come to terms with his wife's death (also a police officer, who was killed in the line of duty) in Feniks/Dead Before Dying;
• Zatopek van Heerden, the former cop who is busy living under a self_destructive dark cloud when a lawyer asks him to solve a crime to help her client in Orion/Dead at Daybreak;
• D/Insp Bennie Griessel the alcoholic who desperately seeks redemption in Devil's Peak; and
• Thobela Mpayipheli, AKA Artemis, the assegai_wielding vigilante and former freedom fighter who makes an arduous journey on a BMW motorbike out of loyalty to a fellow struggle hero in Heart of the Hunter.

His latest novel, Onsigbaar/Blood Safari, follows the adventures of Lemmer, a hard_boiled freelance bodyguard who becomes entangled in a web of corruption, political intrigue and conspiracy when he takes what appears to be a fairly straight-forward job.

The characters are deeply flawed and undeniably human, and sometimes have to make a long and difficult journey out of hellishly deep pits of self_pity and guilt. As they make baby steps toward healing their past wounds, the success of their work is intertwined with their sense of self. Meyer also writes heady and startlingly effective scenes depicting the pain of those affected by crime, such as the families of victims. His peripheral characters take on full_bodied lives of their own, even moments before those lives are cut short by a roving killer. Another steady presence in Meyer's novels is the media, and his previous experience in the field equips him with the knowledge to depict their behaviour accurately. Journalists and editors make regular appearances, sometimes getting closely involved in the plot and sometimes remaining on the sidelines, often providing some Image welcomecomic relief.

In between helping with the shooting of his new TV series, Transito, and promoting his new novel Onsigbaar, he took the time out to talk to SERVAMUS about writing crime thrillers.

Who are your literary influences?

That would have to include some of the great American authors like Ed McBain and especially John D MacDonald. I also like Michael Connelly and the earlier works of Jeffrey Deaver.

How do you do your research?

Some years ago I spent 2 weeks with what was then the Murder and Robbery Squad, and had interviews with the detectives. After that initial research I really got a feel for their work environment and didn't really have to keep going back, but I still have contacts in the police. I often speak to Capt Elmarie Myburgh, a forensic psychologist, who has become a real stalwart in my work, a wonderful contact whom I am privileged to call a friend. She helps me to get into contact with other members as well.

In the early 1980s I did a lot of crime reporting, and I got to know some of the detectives on a personal level and really gained empathy for their plight, got a feel for what an incredibly pressurised, traumatic job they do. I see it as part of my responsibility to show readers what a tremendous thing it is to be a member of SAPS. There are so many magnificent people, obviously some are less efficient than others but the majority try so hard.

It has been said that your work would be enjoyed by anyone who calls him/herself a "crime buff". Who is your intended audience?

Crime fiction is such a popular genre, there are people from every walk of life that enjoy it, and so I wouldn't say I have a particular kind of person in mind as my intended audience. Basically, I try to write the kind of books that I would like to read.

How would you feel about a police detective reading your work?

I would love that, and it would especially be interesting to me to get feedback on how credible it is - to me, that would be the ultimate test. Obviously, there are parts of a detective's work which are boring, such as waiting outside the court to give evidence or doing paperwork, and it is my job to distill it down to the exciting parts, because I cannot bore the reader. But I have heard from detectives who have read the books, and so far the feedback has been positive.

Do you have any message for the police members out there?

Just … thank you.

Thanks for allowing me to talk about it, to share in it. There are South Africans who know how hard your job is, so take heart.