Blessed are the Dead

“The suspense is irresistible, and the mystery sustains itself well. This is a wonderfully effective addition to Nunn’s already masterful series of novels. A highly recommended novel.”— Historical Novel Society Informationen zum Autor Malla Nunn was born in Swaziland, South Africa, and currently lives in Sydney, Australia. She is a filmmaker with three award-winning films to her credit and is currently at work on her next novel. Klappentext Detective Emmanuel Cooper returns to solve a darkly romantic mystery in this rich and complex novel by Nunn, author of "Let the Dead Lie" and "A Beautiful Place to Die." 1 A ZULU HERD BOY walked quickly up the dirt path, his bony frame bent to meet the steep rise of the mountain. The rhythmic pounding of his bare feet on the rough ground kicked stones loose and raised red dust into the air. “Higher, ma’ baas.” The boy was apologetic, afraid of taxing the white policeman in the neat blue suit and the black hat pulled low on his head to block out the light. “We must go higher.” “I’m right behind you,” Emmanuel said. “Keep going.” The steady pace was nothing compared to army boot camp or the three years spent in combat, marching between battlefields in Europe during the war. Detective Constable Samuel Shabalala from the Native Detective Branch followed directly behind him and the close rhythm of his breath spurred Emmanuel to keep moving. “Soon, ma’ baas,” the boy promised. “Soon.” “I’m still with you,” Emmanuel said. The dead were patient. To them, eternity was flexible and time meant nothing. For police detectives, however, time was everything. The sooner the crime scene was located and sketched in detail, the better chance there was of catching the killer. The herd boy stopped abruptly and then slipped into the lush grass along the edge of the path. “There, ma’ baas.” He pointed a skinny finger to the rise. The path snaked behind a sandstone boulder embedded in the grass. “You must go past the rock and up again.” The boy wanted no part of what lay beyond. “My thanks,” Emmanuel said, and turned to look behind him. He saw the path they had traveled from the floor of the Kamberg Valley and the mountains rising in the distance on the other side. Clouds piled on top of each other behind the peaks. The bronze tops of the mountains, some of them dusted with snow, looked like fortresses for gods. There was nothing like the Drakensberg Mountains anywhere else on earth. “Where to, Sergeant?” Shabalala asked when he drew even with Emmanuel. “Around that bend,” Emmanuel said. “Our guide has dropped out.” They moved on, slowly skirting the boulder. Three Zulu men dressed in traditional cowhides worn over printed cloth stood shoulder to shoulder across the narrow path to form a roadblock. They held hardwood clubs and assegais, hunting spears with rawhide bindings and sharp blades. Together they made an impi, a fighting unit. The tallest of the men stood in the center. “Suggestions?” Emmanuel asked Shabalala. The Zulu men gave no indication that they might move from the middle of the path. Military defeat at the hands of the British army and Boer commandos had not cowed them. They stood as their ancestors must have a hundred years ago: fearless masters of their own land. “Should we wait for the local police?” Shabalala asked. Far below and across the emerald stretch of the valley lay the town of Roselet, the closest source of law enforcement backup. “The station commander might not get the message for hours,” Emmanuel said, referring to the handwritten note he’d stuck to the door of the locked police station an hour ago. A small sandstone bungalow adjacent to the station had also been empty. “I don’t want to lose any more time.” “Then we must go together. Slowly. Hands open, like this.” Shabalala lifted both hand...

Product details

• Authors: Malla Nunn
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 19.06.2012
• EAN: 9781451616927
• ISBN: 978-1-4516-1692-7
• Dimensions: 137 mm x 212 mm x 22 mm
• Series: Emmanuel Cooper; Emmanuel Cooper
• Subject: Fiction > Narrative literature