Two counties, one murder, a plot to kill a President and two detectives all come together in author Deon Meyer’s new book The Last Hunt (out Tuesday, April 7th from Grove Atlantic).
In South Africa two members of the elite Hawks police unit, Benny Griessel and Vaughn Capido, are given a cold case involving the death and maybe murder of Johnson Johnson, an ex-cop. He was found dead weeks ago and the trail went dead. His body was found on the side of a luxury train he was on. It is assumed it was a suicide but looks more like murder. Benny and Vaughn don’t have a lot to go on. They soon learn it was murder but are soon shut down by forces above them who say it was suicide and want the case closed.
In France Daniel Darret is living his quiet life but always looking over his shoulder. He has an explosive past and done everything he can to hide it and put it behind him. Until Lonnie contacts him asking him to do one more job, kill the President of South Africa when he comes to Paris. Daniel wants nothing to do with this but after Lonnie is murdered, Daniel is contacted by another member of a secret group and decides to do the job. He makes his plans and has to watch his back at the same time.
Benny and Vaughn are called to look into another suspicious death and soon figure out it is connected to Johnson Johnson’s death and in a dramatic climax we learn that who are responsible for the deaths and how Daniel ties into it as well.
Also both Benny and Vaughn have things going on in their personal lives that almost affect them doing their jobs. Benny is still trying to stay away from the bottle and wants to propose to his girl. Vaughn is happy with his girl but her son things most cops are on the take and this bothers him.
This is my first time reading one of these Benny Griessel novel’s and I really enjoyed it. The two characters are great and well-written and the story flows along nicely. This is the seventh book with these characters and hopefully there will be seven more.
