Jassy Mackenzie

First Line: Themba Msamaya didn't suspect a thing on the morning he opened his door to death.

Private investigator Jade de Jong invites her lover, Police Superintendent David Patel, on a scuba diving holiday in hopes that it will solidify their troubled relationship. Instead, Jade discovers that she hates scuba diving, and David puts an end to their affair. However, the next morning, all differences are put aside when one of the resort's diving instructors is found stabbed to death in her show more room.

Amanda Bolton is a most unlikely murder victim. She was a quiet, intelligent woman who, until a few months ago, was an air traffic controller. She had few acquaintances. The only loose end is a postcard Jade finds in her room that contains a mysterious message. There's no doubt about it: relationship woes or not, Jade and David are going to have to work together in order to solve this murder.

I've long been intending to read one of Jassy Mackenzie's Jade de Jong mysteries, and I'm glad that I finally made the time. The Fallen is a well-plotted, fast-paced book that kept me guessing until the end and vowing to add this South African author's books to my Must Read List. If you're wondering how well I handled reading the third book in the series first, wonder no more. I had no problem at all. Mackenzie provides just enough back story to ensure that the storyline isn't confusing while tantalizing me into feeling that I need to read the previous books in the series.

Of course the reason why I feel that I have to read the first and second books is private investigator Jade de Jong herself. She is a fascinating character who is a natural when it comes to having a gun in her hand-- and at the same time she's a very compassionate woman to the people around her. She and Superintendent David Patel are well-suited to working together. They both have the same style: they think on their feet, and their feet are usually running. Not for either of them is the focus groups and endless committee meetings type of decision-making.

The pace is almost non-stop as the investigation proves to have more than one focus, but even in the midst of all the seriousness and the relentless determination of Jade de Jong, Mackenzie knows just when to add touches of humor-- as she does with an emergency medical technician that keeps appearing on the scene.

If you're in the mood for a fast-paced, intriguing mystery with a strong female lead, let me suggest picking up a Jade de Jong book by Jassy Mackenzie. I wouldn't be at all surprised if you decided to read the other books in the series as well! show less

This is an engaging mystery, though there are a couple of flaws. The most noticeable is that the basic plot premise—private investigator who is childhood friend of police officer gets officially invited to be an equal partner in murder investigation—was a bit too far-fetched. (Well, unless South African police attitudes and procedures are significantly different from those in the U.S. and Europe.)

However, if you set those types of things aside, this is a well-plotted mystery that won't show more be immediately tagged as a clone of a dozen other stories. While the reader will figure out some things ahead of the book's protagonist, there are enough twists and turns to keep your attention. There are also a number of detours into side stories for some long-term interest.

Since I'm not South African, I found the setting of the story colorful and fascinating. One word of warning is about the level of violence. The psychopath who inhabits this story is rather gruesome and, though the author doesn't go into extreme detail, she does mention what is done. In a way, this is part of the book's atmosphere: the sense on the part of the upper class that violence is spiraling out of control in South Africa and the drawbridge mentality they have as a reaction to it.

The main character, Jade de Jong, isn't fully developed in this first book but I found her quite appealing and complex: South African but has lived as an expatriate for years while her country changed; willing to work with the police to catch a murderer while planning a bit of revenge execution of her own; underprivileged as a child but the daughter of a famous police officer. I think that it is the character of Jade who will make or break this series. If she continues to flesh out for the reader and maintains her complexity, she will be interesting to follow. show less

I think this series gets better with every book, and would give this a 4.5 stars, if possible. Jade de Jong is hired by a futures trader to investigate the death of a base jumper, whose parachute fails during a jump of the tallest building in Sandton, Johannesburg. Jade finds that she worked for a not-for-profit enterprise, helping indigent natives reclaim lands taken away from them. One of those projects has completely disappeared, piquing Jade's interest. When the jumper's family starts show more dying or disappearing, Jade finds help from her ex-lover, Superintendent David Patel. Taut writing, good political commentary, and Jade is a strong and brave female protagonist, who delivers justice in her own unequivocal fashion. show less

Not sure how this got into my stack from the library. I was drawn to the setting (Jo'berg) where I visited in 2016 and a feisty female protagonist. But it was too grisly, and the over-the-top violence toward most everyone in the tale of human trafficking kept me awake. Worse yet, I finished it, heart pounding.