A review by earwicker
A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn

4.0

Detective Emmanuel Cooper is caught up in a family murder plot with a porno angle -- this could be Philip Marlowe in Chandler's L.A. -- but the fact that this novel takes place in post-WWII South Africa gives the old story a whole new twist. The story is very well crafted with nice pacing and a few clever turns. There are a few extraneous characters (including a Scottish drill sergeant who acts as Cooper's voice-over guardian angel, a tough-guy life coach whose presence was a a narrative obstacle for me) but for the most part the novel is balanced and fluid. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series.