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Joanne Hichens

Ruthless underworld criminal Rocco Robano’s group of right wing fanatics, inspired by crazed evangelist Heinz Dieter, are responsible for mayhem and murder in the city of Cape Town. As they prepare to leave for their new home, Aurora, a protected community where the White Brothers, the Core, will live out their days in solidarity, they run amok in the city already cursed by xenophobia. 

Employed to find a set of missing uncut diamonds, ex-addict Rae Valentine, a feisty, sexy, intrepid, newly-minted Private Investigator, falls prey to the gang of men intent to use her and destroy her for sport. Rae can’t outrun the storm of righteous fury as the vicious gang escalate their violence. As a victim of a kidnapping, she does what she can to protect herself from these depraved and barbarous men, and to save her PI partner, Vincent Saldana, from certain death. 

From Cape Town to the banks of the Orange River in Namibia, the tension rises as Rae fights for her life and discovers that the missing diamonds are linked to the illicit dealings of the brutal gang without conscience.

“A South African crime gem….Joanne Hichens gives us multiple viewpoints—from the sexy rookie investigator Rae Valentine to her ex-boyfriend and her unreliable partner Vince to the classic villain, who has a Freudian mother fixation, and even a collective viewpoint into the police and a thuggish right wing gang. From the harrowing opening scene atop a burning Table Mountain to the nail biting finish where Rae must fight for her life, this book is a gritty, fast-paced thriller that pits impossibly real characters against an outrageously over-the-top plot.” Anthony Ehlers, Citizen

“A gripping thriller that will pull you along page by page to an explosive climax with an unpredictable and surprising twist.” Brian Joss, Entertainment

“Highly recommended. This is South Africa. For real. Love it or leave it. (But if you’re going to leave, take along a copy and make sure a friend sends the next one.” Mercury 

“Cape Town’s underbelly gets exposed. And it is rotten! Standing up out of the intestines to make herself noticed is newly licensed PI Rae Valentine, the most junior partner of a dysfunctional Private Investigation business. Rae’s senior partners are more hindrance than help. There is her ex-boyfriend who is too busy facing a murder charge and bedding his lawyer. Then there is her dear friend, Vince Saldana, dedicated to the bottle in memory of his late wife. 

Battling her own demons, disabled ex-drug addict Rae is sexy, sassy and stubborn; refusing to back off when things get really nasty. The Pastor has a fetish for amputees, so Rae fits the bill as his dream wife, and Loots will provide her in exchange for the stones…Hichen’s voice flows; the story is gritty and the characters are extreme; so much so that you may be forgiven for suspecting a little tongue-in-cheek. The next Rae Valentine adventure is under the pen and it can’t come soon enough.” Mean Streets

Catalyst Press

African  Crime Reads Series

Divine Justice

Max Annas

Eight Hours. Minute by Minute. 

Somewhere in South Africa, a farm comes under heavy attack. No shooters in sight. Only one thing is certain: The attackers are savagely resolute. A diverse group of people barricade themselves inside the farmhouse: black and white; women, men, and children; bosses and workers; a police officer; random visitors. Who is the target of the attack? What has motivated it? Politics? Revenge? Greed? Drugs? Weapons? But do the people outside know more than those indoors? The snipers who are trying to operate in the dark of night? Who will die, who will survive? Who is pulling the strings? Who will be the winners, who will be the losers? And how long can eight hours actually be?

Eight hours, minute by minute. Constant changes in perspective, piercing precision. An explosive mixture of psychological thriller and Neo-western with a political subtext.

The Farm

Rachel Hildebrandt Reynolds