Margie Orford

I wanted to read something by Margie Orford after reading an essay she'd written about whether crime fiction can serve as a vehicle for exploring the "grammar of violence" in post-apartheid South Africa, and luckily a few of her books are finally reaching the US market through HarperCollins' Witness Impulse program. In this entry in the Clare Hart series, young women are turning up dead, arranged in a strange way, and the police ask Clare to do a profile. She's both a filmmaker and a show more profiler and it suits her current project, investigating a notorious sex trafficker who is bringing women from other southern African countries to serve a lucrative South African market. Though in many ways the story, originally published in 2006, is nothing special (so tired of serial killers), the portrait of South Africa and the way violence has rushed into the vacuum as the brutal old order collapsed, particularly the gendered nature of violence, is very well done. There are several further books in this series. The author is, herself, a filmmaker and critic. Her essay did a terrific job of questioning whether the genre can deal with violence truthfully and her answer was equivocal. This book shows that tension. The standard serial killer narrative here is constantly challenged by the real damage sexual violence does and the potential for readers and writers to be implicated as voyeurs. show less

The number of African crime writers I know of continues to grow, with the likes of Michael Stanley (the writing name of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip) and Margie Orford recently coming to my attention. Stanley I have yet to read, but I have just finished Orford's 'Daddy's Girl' and on the basis of it I will happily seek out her others, 'Blood Rose' and 'Like Clockwork'.

South African Margie Orford was born in London, grew up in Namibia and lives in Cape Town, where this book is based. show more This is the story of police captain Riedwaan Faizal, ably assisted by Dr Clare Hart, and his attempts to find his six-year daughter who has disappeared from outside her dance school. His efforts are greatly hampered by the fact that he is the chief suspect and, so, much of the investigative work is left up to Clare Hart who has resources available to her that he does not, given the circumstances. The myriad of other characters and their varied associations and involvements make for an involving storyline that demands your attention and which does not fail to deliver in terms of tension, grit, pace and action. The fact that child abduction and child murder are central to the story might make for a certain discomfort for some, but given the environment that was and is (?) South Africa, it is a reality and therefore a subject that cannot be denied. I have to say too that Cape Town comes across as a scary and dangerous place, and from my little understanding of the facts, the storyline is here, too, merely reflecting a certain reality. These are not negative comments, for in fact I applaud the author in touching on real subjects and portraying some of the less savoury but real aspects of a particular society. This book wouldn't stop me going there, but it might ensure I go there prepared! A well plotted story this and a good read, I can well recommend. show less

A small, half-starved child is found nearly frozen, tied to a tree in a wooded area outside Cape Town. Clare Hart, whose specialized unit deals with crimes against girls and women, needs to find out who she is and how she ended up abandoned. While working on that case, another one comes her way when an elderly man reports his granddaughter called him, begging for help. She had disappeared from a prestigious music conservatory that she had decided to leave; though she is musically gifted, the show more conservatory demands endless practice and gruelling performances. As Clare investigates, her boss is pulling strings to get her fired and her unit disbanded. This is one of those stories that provides a strong sense of place and culture. I found myself looking at maps to become more familiar with the forests and hills around Table Mountain. The climax uses the local geography to cinematic effect. In many ways, Clare inherits the driven competence and compassion of the 1990s feminist detectives in contemporary and very interesting setting. I'm glad this series is finally being published in the U.S. show less

Margie Orford lists, among many other activities, that she does Advocacy work for a Rape Crisis group in South Africa, so it's not very surprising LIKE CLOCKWORK looks very closely at the horrific consequences of rape and extreme violence against women. Because of that there's nothing particularly easy about reading this book, but it definitely fulfils one of my major preferences in crime fiction - which is to inform the reader. No matter how uncomfortable that information can sometimes show more be.

Dr Clare Hart is a police profiler who lives on Cape Town's Seapoint promenade, so the discovery of a young girl's body at that location has a very close, discomforting feel for her. There's something very brutal about the way that this girl died, and something oddly ritualistic about the way that the body was disposed of. The discovery of more young girls - all very similar in appearance - make for the sobering realisation that there is a serial sex killer in Cape Town. A city that's not unused to violence and, in particular sexual violence, as Clare and her twin sister are all too aware.

One of LIKE CLOCKWORK's strengths is the glimpse that the reader is given of the living victim - in this case Clare's sister and a young victim of gang rape and violence that Clare steps in to save. The other strength is the strong characters. Clare Hart is an interesting woman - dour, somewhat humourless, more than a little obsessive, she's working on a documentary set in Africa, but she also freelances as a police profiler (although there's not a lot of detail as to how she got that job or what her background is). The main police character - Riedwaan Faizal has enough twists on the standard scruffy, lone wolf policeman to make him just that little bit unexpected. He's a Muslim, alcoholic, dissolute, and a loner. Clare and Riedwaan share a good working relationship (which seems to be about the only one that they each have), as well as a somewhat uninspiring sexual relationship. As unappealing as they both would seem, they were both great characters - real, imperfect and quite human. There is, however, some sort of backstory between these two which was hinted at, but not really fleshed out in this book. But it is Clare and Riedwaan who carry the interest in the book, supported well by a cast of supporting characters including the state pathologist; the nasty brother of one of the victim's and the refugee chef's assistant in a sushi restaurant. As does the glimpses of Cape Town. A beautiful place, with seafront views and a comfortable lifestyle, where a dangerous killer is disposing of his victims. A modern city entertainment area, full of trendy bars and partying people, side by side with sexual exploitation and sleaze.

The weaker side of the book is the plot, which is a little disjointed. Perhaps the author has understandably tried to build in as many examples of the violence and exploitation experienced by women in particular. There's absolutely no doubt that these women's stories (including that of Clare's sister) are told gently and respectfully - there's no voyeuristic or sensationalist descriptions of appalling violence here, but, whilst that is happening the focus (and tension) of a serial killer stalking young women dissipates. Which leads to a final flurry of activity to expose him and save a young girl before it's too late.

Despite those plot inconsistencies, LIKE CLOCKWORK really gives the reader a feeling for Clare and Riedwaan's Cape Town - from it's physical beauty through to the gang violence that plagues the society. It also gives the reader glimpses into the diverse society that exists in South Africa. It certainly tempted me enough to order other books by this author. show less