A headspinning thriller from crime writer Deon Meyer: the story of an ex-cop who has seven days to solve a seemingly unsolvable crime -- the answer to which lies in his own dark past. When Johannes Jacobus Smit, an antiques dealer, is found burned with a blowtorch and killed execution-style with a single shot to the back of the head, former cop Zatopek "Zed" van Heerden is called in to investigate the unusual circumstances of the murder. Zed is still obsessed with the betrayals of his own past but must fill in the blanks of this victim's life. Who tortured and killed Smit, and who was Smit in the first place? Not the man whose papers he carries, that much is certain. Zed can never be sure of the loyalties of the people with whom he is dealing -- his own past reputation ensures that -- and he soon finds himself uncovering secrets that the security services of many countries would like left alone. "Exciting....A terrific ride on almost every level."- Chicago Tribune *Starred Review* Chronicling events that transpire before those in 2004's excellent Heart of the Hunter , Meyer shifts focus here from Xhosa ex-assassin Thobela Mpayipheli to Afrikaner ex-cop Zatopek van Heerden (although both men play key roles in each other's stories). Zet, as van Heerden's famed artist mother calls him, quit the Cape Town homicide squad after failing to prevent his partner's death. He's still wallowing in guilt when an attorney hires him to track the missing will of a mysterious antiques dealer who was murdered 15 years ago with a blowtorch and an M-16. Zet has a week to uncover the man's true identity, find the document, and discover what secrets his walk-in safe used to hold. Meanwhile, in exchange for help publicizing the case, he must write his life story for a sexy but twisted media maven. Alternating chapters between Zet's soulful confessional and the explosive investigation, Meyer manages to ratchet up the tension so effectively that readers will have a hard time deciding which mystery they wish to pierce first. The author once again mines South Africa's fertile history of racial conflict and cold war gamesmanship for a narrative gem. Frank Sennett Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved ""The complexity of its tightly woven plot [is] skillfully revealed....Meyer's US debut moves at a breathtaking pace that will carry readers away." Deon Meyer is an internationally renowned crime writer who also works as a journalist and an Internet consultant. He is the author of Heart of the Hunter , Dead at Daybreak , and Dead Before Dying . He lives in Cape Town, South Africa.