Heart of the Hunter

Usually I am not that much into the suspense genre, but I sincerely enjoyed this novel by Deon Meyer. It contains the ingredients of an espionage story: a disk containing state secrets, police, secret services, a spy - or perhaps several spies - whose identity for a long time remains unclear and a former assassin who unexpectedly turns into the sympathetic protagonist of the story. Of course a journalist gets involved, and there are some romantic storylines.

Even though this may sound a little predictable, I thought the book was not. Perhaps because it is set in post Apartheid South Africa, and set against the background of the violent history of this country. Perhaps because the male/female and black/white oppositions have been worked show more out in original ways. Or because the characters have depth. Or because the descriptions of the South African landscapes are lovely.

It's a thrilling read (didn't want to stop reading) that is not superficial but gives you some food for thought on South Africa and on good and evil. show less

Thobela "Tiny" Mpayipheli is my favorite kind of character. I totally fell in love with Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander because she is an unassuming and somewhat invisible character, but underneath that facade is a complete and total badass. Tiny is a male version. They each are the proverbial "lone wolf" who have few real friends - if any - so no one really knows them or understands what makes them tick. Similarly few if any know their true skill sets. But those skill sets, when applied, are second to none. They may be violent, but when they need to take care of business, they never back down and it is still a thing of beauty.

The other analogy is like the old Louis L'Amour Westerns where the hero never goes looking for trouble, but show more somehow trouble always finds them. And when you are the complete and total badass, when trouble finds you, trouble is in trouble. Thobela, like Salander, just wants to be left alone, but nope, not going to happen. So we are left with a situation brewing along the lines: "don’t make me do this...." Oops, too late now.

I thought the story within Heart of the Hunter was just okay. Half was the actual story, and the other half was about Tiny (I liked all of the latter). This book has got kind of a Kevin Costner "No Way Out" storyline. Lots of unknowns and intrigue and misdirection, who is good or bad or what was once bad is now good and good is now bad, friends and enemies and frienemies boomerang on every page, page after page. It's good or good enough, but I didn't think it was great; maybe somehow too much, probable but too much of a stretch.

There were some, well, not exactly funny parts because people were dying, but still humorous elements with the media coverage and the motorcycle folks and even the special military unit hunting Tiny down. And Orlando Arendse was nothing short of awesome. But mostly a bunch of bad stuff happens, and little or no good stuff; I prefer it the other way around, or at least one should balance the other. In my opinion, far too few of the baddies were held to account for a satisfactory conclusion; neither the law nor street justice prevailed to the degree they should have. show less

Tiny Mpayipheli wants nothing more than to live out the rest of his life with his wife and stepson. He is a good man. His plan is to save enough to purchase some land and farm. But he has a past and when he gets a message from an old friend to bring him a hard drive, it seems like an easy task. Unfortunately the drive contains information that may or may not be bait in international game of spies. Soon everyone is after him and he is trying to stay loyal to his new life and his friend. That may not be possible.

This is a terrific book. It's a real page turner but with heart and feeling for the people and country of South Africa. It's also an examination of good and evil.

Some passges:

But disillusionment followed, not suddenly or show more dramatically—the small realities slowly took over uninvited. The realization that people are an unreliable, dishonest, self-centered, self-absorbed, backstabbing, violent, sly species that lie, cheat, murder, rape, and steal, regardless of their status, nationality, or color. It was a gradual but often traumatic process for someone who wished only to see good and beauty.

“That is my problem with the media, Miss Healy. You want to press people into packages, that is all there is time and space for. Labels. But you can’t label people. We are not all good or bad. There is a bit of both in all of us. No. There is a lot of both in all of us.”

And he had said: “You know, whitey, it sounds like the new excuse to me. All the great troubles of the world have been done in the name of one or other excuse. Christianization, colonialism, herrenvolk, communism, apartheid, democracy, and now evolution. Or is it genetics? Excuses, just another reason to do as we wish. I am tired of it all. Finished with that. I am tired of my own excuses and the excuses of other people. I am taking responsibility for what I do now. Without excuse. I have choices; you have choices. About how we will live. That’s all. That’s all we can choose. Fuck excuses. show less

Can a man ever really change who he is, or be allowed to? This is a really enjoyable suspense thriller involving a dash against the clock across SA by one man in order to save another, and he chased and hunted by government forces with the media close behind. But what if the hunted has himself been a hunter? Its got pace, suspense, plenty of action and well developed characters. Plus interesting insights into the SA security forces, race relations, and the region's geography. I can highly recommend this book.

A harder book to get through than reading Devils Peak. The book is kafkaesque, and the African names get a bit confusing, but the writing is once again excellent and a very interesting story.

"Heart of the Hunter" is the third book that Meyer has written, a stand-alone novel. His ninth book, and 4th in the Benny Greisel series will be released in the USA Oct 2, 2014. I am a big fan of Meyer, and have enjoyed virtually all of his books tremendously. And if there is an exception to that rule, it is with this book. Meyer is an excellent story-teller and he grabs the reader's attention from page one. There is usually plenty of tension throughout his books but it really ramps up in the last quarter. Not so with HotH. It was an interesting story, perhaps a bit unnecessarily complex. Too much had to be explained, and the timeline was all over the place. The story begins with a pone call from a kidnap victim to his daughter. The show more ransom is a hard drive hidden in his safe at home. She contacts a former colleague of her father and he agrees to deliver it, leaving his common law wife and her young son but promising to return in two days. However a South African intelligence agency has the phone tapped, and suspicious of what might be on the drive, they deploy forces to stop the delivery. Most of the story deals with the journey, and a number o flashbacks to fill in an incredible amount of history and other unknown detail. Don't read this as your first Meyer, instead read any of the last 4 or 5 books. I started with "Blood Safari", loved it, and I am eagerly awaiting "Cobra". show less

Thobela Mpayipheli has settled into a sedate but rewarding life with the woman he loves - until an ex-boss asks him to perform a dangerous favor. His Xhosa warrior's heart racing, Thobela soon finds himself driving hard toward Nigeria with a hard drive full of secrets the unified government wishes to file away for good. HARD