Coldsleep Lullaby

A London Sunday Times Fiction Prize winner, this outstanding series debut from South African Brown (Inyenzi) introduces tormented Det. Insp. Eberard Februarie. “In need of a work environment with less expectations and fewer temptations” after becoming addicted to drugs while on narcotics duty, Eberard transfers to the small town of Stellenbosch, where he hopes to make a fresh start and repair his relationship with his school-age daughter, who lives in nearby Cape Town with his ex-wife. When the body of Melanie Du Preez, an 18-year-old white girl, is found floating in a river, routine police work leads to a black man from Burundi known only as Bullet, who argued with Melanie shortly before her death. The case takes an unexpected turn after Bullet’s arrest, and Eberard becomes convinced that the obvious explanation is wrong. His further probing exposes him to an underworld of sexual perversity that may point the way to the truth. Fans of gritty procedurals in unfamiliar settings will look forward to the next book. [em](June) [/em]