Dark Traces

A dark, intriguing, and satisfying tale with strong characters. — Kirkus (Starred Review) They find her body in the veld. A teenager. Not the first. South African detective Jan Magson has to look mothers and fathers in the eye. Has to answer their questions. And he can't. He can't even answer his estranged son's questions about how his wife died. Alone with his pistol at night, a good man faces his inner darkness. They find her decomposing body in the veld. A teenager. She was raped and tortured for days. She was hanged. She wasn't the first. The South African Police Service's Warrant Officer Jan Magson, estranged from his son and still grieving for his wife, is assigned to the case. He has to look the mothers and fathers in the eye. He has to answer their questions. And he can't. Headlines question the police's ability to protect the community from this evil. A newspaper prints a mother's heart-wrenching letter to the killer. A father offers a substantial reward. And every time another lead reaches a dead end, Magson finds himself looking down at another dead girl, wondering how he's going to make it through the dark traces of yet another night, alone, a service gun at his side.