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Cobra

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About this listen

 Why would a mathematics professor from Cambridge University, renting a holiday home outside Cape Town, require a false identity and three bodyguards? And where is he, now that they are dead? The only clue to the bodyguards' murder is the snake engraved on the shell casings of the bullets that killed them.

Investigating the massacre, Benny Griessel and his team find themselves being drawn into an international conspiracy with shocking implications. It seems it is not just the terrorists and criminals of Britain and South Africa who may fear the Professor's work, but the politicians too.

As the body count begins to spiral viciously, Benny must put his new-found love life aside and focus on finding the one person who could give him a break in the case: a teenage pickpocket on the run in the city. But Benny is not the only person hunting for Tyrone Kleinbooi . . .

Relentlessly suspenseful, topical, hard-hitting and richly rewarding, COBRA is a superb novel from an author who is acclaimed around the world as a brilliant voice in crime fiction.

English translation © K. L. Seegers. Originally published in Afrikaans in 2013 as Kobra by Human & Rousseau.

(P)2014 Hodder & Stoughton©2014 Deon Meyer Crime Crime Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Fiction Exciting Africa Suspense

Critic reviews

Praise for Deon Meyer
Crime fiction with real texture and intelligence.
The narrative is well-plotted, and the novel brings to life the rich and volatile diversity of contemporary South Africa. There's nothing flashy here, just a good story, very well told. Would there were more like it.
Benny is the central character in South African writer Deon Meyer's series of novels, set in Capetown, that grow richer and more sophisticated with each new book. This progression makes COBRA the most dazzling of the bunch.
Deon Meyer is a top notch plotter and has created one of the best ensemble (and multi-racial) casts of any modern police procedural series.
Tells a cracking story and captures the criminal kaleidoscope of a nation.
Deon Meyer's gritty crime novels [are] part police procedural, part political thriller . . . What makes Meyer such a national treasure - and as good as anyone in the world - is that even if you have no knowledge or interest in South Africa's history or present, his books are compelling page-turners. Politics and race are just part of the intricately crafted superstructure bolted onto the rock-solid chassis of a top-quality crime thriller, driven by a writer with deceptive skill.
This year's great discovery: classy, edgy writing, subtly plotted and beautifully balanced between fast-paced action, pungent social comment and the process of investigation.
All stars
Most relevant
The reader did a great job with the many accents he had to deal with. Deon meyers style of Flipping from one set of characters to the next in each chapter is great.
He deals with current affairs in south Africa masterfully.

Nice read

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Well paced and interesting story, a real pleasure too listen too. Excellent characters and excellent narration.

Really enjoyable story

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Intense and enjoyable story of the detective sequel. I like the narrator as well - this is his 4th book I have listened to.

Loved it

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Not Meyer's best. Many other writers have written similar books. To make this tale work, quite a few plot holes and lines of inquiry needed to be ignored or forgotten about. It's a little clunky.

Saul Reichlin is a hugely impressive narrator. Able to deliver numerous characters convincingly in other books, this time he perhaps took on a couple of voices too many. The results were not good. That said, it did not stop me from listening al the way through. The rest of the narration was up to the usual high standard.

An okay story but spoilt by some of the accents

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What did you like most about Cobra?

the multi layers building

What other book might you compare Cobra to, and why?

Not read a police type thriller in a while. Better than McBain by a long chalk

Have you listened to any of Saul Reichlin’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No,
But love the south african voice and tone

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

just wanted to keep listerning

First adventure with Meyer

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